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i am looking to apply for choate!!
i am going to be reclassifying as a sophomore and i already applied super late this yr for sophomore year admission and got waitlisted (i didnt think i was going to apply but i decided i should go for it so i applied super late in july instead of january and the only options were rejected or waitlisted). i talked a lot with the admissions officer for my state throughout the process so she also knows me. my mom also went to choate and hosts events for the alumni in my state and has donated throughout the years. i also have a younger sister applying for freshman year so maybe that helps?
extracurriculars:
- founded a neighborhood initiative to help with social isolation (i am very interested in neuroscience and brain health and had been researching social isolation)
- varsity tennis for 2 years at my school
- club volleyball for 4 years - captain
- volunteer at aegis living in the memory care center (i am also very interested in neurodegenerative diseases like alzheimers! the first time i applied to choate i wrote my essay on my grandpa beinf diagnosed with Alzheimers and how i cared for him until he passed and how that led to my interest)
- watermark communities volunteer (also volunteered at another memory care center) and did art projects with the residents
- teenlink intern (a suicide hotline where i went through a month of long training hours and now am an intern - also interested in psychology)
- medHOSA - school club that i am apart of and we go to the HOSA competition
- School Newspaper writer and editor
- Neuroscience Highschool Scholars program - outside of school i attend seminars to learn more about neuroscience and create projects to present
- Alzheimers Club - outside of school i am also apart of an alzheimers club
- Student Ambassador at my school
school grades:
- i had all A’s freshman year (my school doesnt do A+) except in my math class i got an A- and sadly a B+ (my math teacher was TERRIBLE i had to teach myself everything).
- freshman year i ended with a 3.95 GPA
- my course load this year is pretty rigorous. In the fall (currently) I am taking Data Science 1, chemistry, pre calc, spanish 3, and ecology and have a science of well being seminar and in the winter i am taking Data science 2, chemistry, spanish 3, pre calc and marine biology and a Human-AI-partnership seminar
teacher recs:
i have to ask my advisor, math teacher and lit teacher. i participate a lot in each class and i believe i am a good student and will have pretty good recs
There is nothing that would get you rejected (although you should never blame a grade on a teacher. It’s a bad look for a lot of reasons!)
Given your mom’s level of involvement, my hunch is you’ll get in.
SSAT’s are a non-factor there, so all the boxes are checked. Good move on the re-class.
It’s a lovely school. Good luck, though I don’t think you’ll need it.
You sound like a very strong community oriented candidate, so I think that you have a good shot. Are you looking at any other schools? Are you dead set on boarding school?
Thank you! Yes, i agree on the actual application i wouldnt say anything about the grade
I forgot to add but another one to my list of extracurriculars but: (Not going to say the actual name) Girls Academy of Science - Aided in the organization and execution of fundraising efforts to raise over $1 million to support approximately 325 female high-school students in pursuing a STEM-focused education.
i am pretty dead set on boarding school especially choate! hearing my mom talk about her own experience, it sounds amazing and some of her best friends are her friends she made at choate. i have gone to a private day school since 5th grade (its 5th-12th) and it is super small with about 80 kids in my year and so i would love to broaden out.
You get to check the legacy box too! 
Would still suggest that you consider applying to some other schools, but you sound like a good candidate.
I agree witht this, although I suspect your mind is made up, OP.
If you’re concerned your Mom will be unhappy if you don’t go to Choate, don’t be. Your Mom will be happy wherever you are happy.
Personal story: My kid is going to my school and is very happy there. I’m very happy she’s very happy, but in my heart of hearts, I wanted her to go to our hated hated hated rival. I suspect that she was influenced (subliminally or otherwise) by a lifetime of hearing my very obvious, vocal and visceral hatred of that place. She never considered it after application, and again, I’m very happy she’s very happy at my/our school, but I still feel that the other place would have helped her advance slightly more in a particular interest areas of hers (sports-related).
I’m saying I could have lived with it. So could your Mom. But good to have Choate as a safety, which I think it is for you.
Mine was at least influenced by weird stories, once she realized that more often than not the more interesting ones were from prep school rather than college.
My mind is pretty set on Choate, but honestly not just because of my mom! I genuinely love the balance there. I’ve heard it isn’t just constant academic pressure (compared to Exeter or Andover), so you are still able to have fun and enjoy high school. Plus, a bunch of my friends go there and they absolutely love it.
I definitely wouldn’t treat it as a safety though because applying for 10th grade is super competitive with way fewer open spots so nothing is guaranteed! I also decided to apply to Lawrenceville, Taft, and Loomis Chaffee to keep my options open, even though Choate is still my top pick!
Honestly the reason I am applying for 10th grade and not 9th grade is because I never thought about boarding school as an option until recently. I always knew my mom went to Choate but could never imagine myself going until I got into high school and started to feel a bit confined by what my current school had to offer. A lot of the courses are not aligned with my interests and I have to do a lot of learning and discovering on my own but looking at the Choate course catalog they have so many amazing courses where I feel like I will truly be able to explore my interests.
AOs may ask what made you change your mind in six months from not considering boarding school at all to having your heart set on one particular boarding school? If your mother went to Choate, then boarding school was certainly on your radar.
AOs may have questions about this sudden change and then late application to Choate. They may also discount your commitment to attending boarding school if you haven’t compared Choate to other options. I’d strongly recommend visiting and interviewing at other schools so you’re more able to articulate why boarding school in general and why Choate specifically.
That makes sense, and I actually do have interviews set up with a few other schools like Lawrenceville, Taft, and Loomis Chaffee. But looking at the reality of applying for 10th grade, the chances of getting in anywhere are pretty slim to begin with.
Given my mom’s legacy and all the previous interest I’ve shown through my conversations with the Dean and my regional AO, I really feel like Choate is where I have the strongest shot and it’s still the place I’m most excited about.
Also, throughout the process of applying super late in July this year, I communicated a lot with the admissions officer for my state as well as the Dean of Admissions. Through those conversations, I made it very clear that Choate is my absolute top choice and that I would fully commit if accepted.
I am less worried about the timing of your application in terms of showing commitment to BS than @FixItDad (although I agree that looking at the other options could be helpful, even if it just convinces you that CRH is your hands-down favorite.)
If a student applying for 10th started 9th somewhere else and was still giving it their best shot when applications for the coming year were due, it would make sense that they wouldn’t apply. But if by the end of the school year, it was pretty clear that they really would be happier elsewhere, the late applicationfits the story. Whatever your story – for any of these schools, frame it positively.
Don’t be too worried about this. Is it highly selective? Yes. But is it terribly different from 9th? Not necessaily. Yes, schools admit fewer students in 10th, but the applicant pool is smaller as well. Many schools plan to increase class size in 10th.
It sounds like Choate is at the top of your list; I’m just encouraging you to look at other schools so that you’re not just going there to make your mother happy. Each person is different and each school fits individuals differently. You owe it to yourself to look beyond Choate, even if you think that you have the highest likelihood of getting in there.
Doing so will also help your application to Choate - you’ll be more informed about what makes Choate unique, versus what is just to be expected of a prep school.
I think NMH, Berkshire, and Kent have more significant Year 10 intakes. If you are expanding your list to ensure that you have an option come March, I would look at these three as well. They are terrific schools. One other school comes to mind that also has a heavy sophomore intake… but they like to Beat Choate! So you might not be as interested… 
Humor aside, good luck to you for a stellar outcome. 