Chance me for top boarding schools for 11 Grade! Please☺️

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

Hi! I’m applying to a bunch of elite boarding schools in the US as a sophomore and as an international student. I am aware that being an international student already significantly lowers my chances, but I am also applying for junior year, which I know is very competitive as well. I also know that its impossible to predict these things, but I just want to know the opinions of people who are more familiar with how and why these schools usually accept applicants.

I am applying to GLADCHEMMS and a few other schools like the Hun, Peddie, etc.

Gender - Female, Lower Middle Class/Middle class, Single Parent Family, 2 kids,Age - 16, will be 17 in Jan

(I never repeated a grade but my family moved to Germany 2 years ago and because of a difference in the school programs I am a sophomore haha) Born and raised in Moscow, but I speak English fluently. Currently I am located in Germany but moved two years ago, which i hope they will view as all of this being a good thing considering I had no knowledge of German prior to moving.

Grades for Fall term(I’m in the IB/pre-IB MYP system so we are graded from 1-7):

Maths Extended - 7
Physics - 7
Theatre - 7
German B1-B2 level - 6
English - 6
Theatre - 7
Humanities (this is an MYP subject but its basically History) - 7
Design - 7

SAT - 1570, took it this October, IELTS - 8

ECs:

Stanford Summer Creative Writing (got a very good recommendation letter from my prof, I was one of the most active students, rly good words about my work, etc., so I will attach the letter as well)

Band Lead Vocalist - 1.5 years (performed at events and restaurants/bars)

Vocal Performing - 10 years (also performed at weddings)

Lead in a School Musical Production

Honorable Mention in a New York Times contest

Volunteer work at a local museum 6 hrs/week

Organised and leading a student tutoring system at my school

Co-hosting a student-produced podcast about school life (aimed at improving our school in many ways)

German to the B1-B2 level in two years

A bit of important backstory is that we moved to Germany two years ago and I had zero German experience prior to moving. I was enrolled in literally a fully German school right away and I struggled and only focused on that for a year and a half. There were and are very few opportunities as we live in a small town and I still don’t speak the language 100% fluently. This year I transferred to an international school and have ben there ever since.

I know that junior year applications for these schools are reallyy competitive so I really want you guys to be honest and realistic. Maybe there is no point in even applying to these schools in my case? Please share your honest opinion, and thanks!!

2

You sound like an incredibly impressive person who would add tremendously to a boarding school community, but why do you want to attend a U.S. boarding school?

2 Likes
3

Besides the obvious factors like the opportunities these schools provide, the community, etc. The main drive for me is the fact that growing up in Russia, I was extremely unaware politically. Then 2022 happened and my mom moved us to Europe all on her own just to give me and my brother an environment where we could express our opinion freely and not be scared for our lives when trying to voice our opinion. When I truly realised how criminally unaware I was of what was going on in my country all these years I realised that I’ve never experienced a truly open society. I also realised what a terrible crime my country committed and just to sum up I believe I owe so many people affected by this conflict (and many other conflicts all over the world) to become an advocate for change. So, by immersing myself in the diverse and intellectually demanding systems U.S. boarding schools, I really mainly just hope to gain the skills and insights necessary to help “turn up” the voices of those who have been silenced and work toward a more just and equitable world. From what I’ve seen and read, these schools are exactly the place for that. The seminars and events they do are also mind blowing to me, in a good way, as a person raised in Russia. (for example, Im pretty sure that recently in Exeter Andrew Weiss shared his insights into Vladimir Putin and the Ukraine War have been honed over 30 years working in the White House, State Department and Pentagon, I’d kill to be there to listen to him and so many other people visiting these schools to share their knowledge). And also, just the range of the classes these schools offer, I was going through the class catalogues. TENS OF PAGES of classes and extracurriculars to choose from. I mean, are you kidding me? To actually study the niche areas that have always interested you but usually you only spend a month going into in a standard English/History/Science class? Insane. I mean, I could go for hours

4

Just be aware that only a fraction of them will be available to you based on graduation requirements, prerequisites, and course load limits.

2 Likes
5

yeah, of course, I understand,. Still, there’ll be plenty to choose from I’m sure? Can you estimate anything about my chances?:sob:

6

You seem very qualified, but as you note 11th grade + international is extremely hard for admissions. Assuming your current school is a strong backup, give it a shot.

7

You look really impressive. And yes, 11th is a tricky time to change. You have as good a chance as any unhooked student. (Many 11th graders are in fact hooked – typically as athletes. )

Just down the road from Hun is George School, which is an IB school. They might view your current path as one which would lead very smoothly to their program. Could be worth a look as well.

8

I’ll check out George School, thanks!!

1 Like
9

I will, thanks!!

10

This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.