Chance Me: What are my chances of getting into Phillips Exeter and Phillips Andover?

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
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I am an Asian Canadian female student from Canada who is currently in Grade 8 and applying Phillips Exeter and Phillips Andover for Grade 9. I currently attend one of the best private schools in Ontario.

I have an average of B+/A- at my current school, I think it is lower mostly because that I tend to not talk as much during class discussions. Something that I think might affect my chances is that my english grade went from an A to a B this past term. I am in the reach ahead program which is where you study grade 9 math in grade 8 and have attended math contests such as the AMC 8. We don’t have any honour rolls or such programs, I also enjoy reading a lot. I am also in the debate club and have done some volunteer work. I am mostly concerned about extracurriculars because I haven’t attended many competitions and therefore do not have any awards. I have played the piano for 6 years and am currently RCM Level 8, I have also done dance for 4-5 years. Chess is also something I do outside of school and I have played for around 2 years along with debate and badminton. I’ve also picked up guitar in the past. I would say that I’m well rounded in ECs but haven’t been extraordinary at any of them. Do you guys think that my ECs are fine?

My SSAT score is 2301 in the 97th percentile overall. 99% for verbal, 96% for reading, and 90% for math. I feel like my essays are decent but I am not too confident since I’m not very good at writing. I haven’t done my interviews yet but they’re coming up soon. I did all the teacher recommendations available and I think they are going to be fine. I’ve been told that I’m a deep thinker and I do like thinking about philosophical stuff often but I’m not sure that I’ve showed that in my essays, I will try to demonstrate that during the interview.

Overall, what do you guys think about my chances of getting into Phillips Exeter and Phillips Andover? Any tips and honest feedback would be appreciated as well. Thank you!

(These paragraphs sound really bad, writing this at night and I’m in a bit of a hurry)

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Not sure if this will help, but the scores for the specific sections are: 800 for verbal, 731 for reading, and 770 for math. The percentiles mentioned are for the entire grade.

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Sorry but because PEA and PAA have incredibly strong applicant pools it’s really hard to stand out. If you lower to the less-selective-but-still-incredibly-selective tier of top boarding schools (so aside from “HADES”) your chances’ll be much larger. And in fact your grades may lower your chances because of the B while most students (Asians) have no Bs. the ECs wont stand out except maybe dance and piano - but then again, the applicant pool is super strong, eg for piano I completed rcm level 8 and yet that isnt my best achievement.

and how about your recommendations? if you dont talk much in class idk about your english rec but is there any recommendations that’ll be particularly strong?

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I highly recommend that you apply to some schools with higher acceptance rates as these 2 schools have very low chances of accepting a mostly unhooked applicant. However, if you do have very strong essays and interviews you still have a chance.

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Maybe some more recent parents or kids from these schools can chime in. I’d think that schools that emphasize harkness would not be a good fit for a kid who’s naturally quiet in class. Is there a reason you have chosen just these two?

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Thank you for your feedback! I think the reason why I didn’t apply to schools with higher acceptance rates was because I figured since my current school is already decent I just only applied too the best ones.

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Thank you! I don’t think the english rec will stand out because our ‘actual’ english teacher was on leave for the entire term so it was the ‘sub’ who wrote it. I think the personal rec will be strong because the teacher who is writing it has a good relationship with me.

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Thanks! I feel like part of why I prefer to be more quiet during class is because our classes are a lot bigger (20-30) and I’ve heard that their classes are a lot smaller so I think maybe it would be better since I do like to discuss with other people. To be honest, the reason I chose only these 2 is that (this sounds really stupid) they’re more well known I guess but I’ve done more research after I decided to apply and they do sound appealing.

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Also, could you please elaborate on what you meant by ‘an unhooked applicant’? Thanks!

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Your SSAT score is good, but many applicants have good scores. It seems like you have 5 extracurriculars with Piano and Dance being your main ones. This too is very on par with other applicants. This is fine, but you need to be very strong in other areas such as your essays and interviews if you want to have a chance. Having a hook is just something that separates you from other candidates, which most of the time you need to gain admission to these schools. I’m not saying you don’t have a chance, just that your chance is less than others.

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Typical hooks include recruited athlete/musician/thespian, legacy, underrepresented minority or overcame significant obstacles and faculty/staff kid.

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Ohh ok, thanks!

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Thanks!

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You sound like a fantastic student and like you have a lot to offer a community! I personally do NOT think you must be a major extrovert / talker type to do very well in boarding school. The world would be boring if everyone were the same!! In fact, I almost think that a harkness table would be a comfort spot and you might blossom amazingly there!
PEA and Andover are great schools, but I promise you – there are many schools that are truly just as wonderful out there.
The odds are low of anyone getting in, so don’t take it personally if you don’t.
On the flip side, regular, smart kids who haven’t solved a major world crisis get in every year. My daughter did, and she is what I would consider very smart, but not Big Bang Theory Sheldon smart. :). And she had an 80 SSAT. So, someone has to get in, and it might be you.
But, the numbers are against everyone in this process.
There are FANTASTIC schools out there where you could thrive! I would highly suggest adding a couple SAO app schools – it’s quite easy to do since you’ve done most of the application work already.
Good luck and keep us posted!
ps. As it turns out, my daughter ended up transferring after her freshman year to another BS which felt like a better fit for her and her advanced classes there are every bit as challenging and exciting as her first school’s classes. So really, I speak from experience: PEA and PA are not the only wonderful schools out there with awesome academics and programs! :). (she is at Mercersburg now and LOVES it). (note – they have a fairly late deadline so you could add them on pretty easily). Cheering you on!

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Thank you for your reply! I will keep that in mind.

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“I figured since my current school is already decent I just only applied too the best ones”.

Please,read @Calliemomofgirls post above. These two schools are big, old, and well-known. They are indeed excellent. But so are SO many others!

When you choose a BS, you should make sure they meet your academic needs. While there are differences here in terms of requirements, offerings, schedules, and outside credentials (IB, AP, etc), most will be able meet the needs of most excellent students. In fact, most will be able to meet the needs of exceptional students.

But after you have checked this box, consider everything from the “vibe” of the student body, sports and ECs, the teaching philosophy, the level of support you’ll get in and out of the classroom, etc.

One of the best things about applying to BS is that you get to REALLY think about who you want to be for your high school years, who you want around you during that time, and where that vision for yourself can evolve. To think “I am smart so I should go to one of the most selective, prestigious schools because that is where the smartest kids are” is misguided (and also common.) These schools all have plenty of superstars at them.

Also, schools that are not fully committed to Harkness generally still have a high level of discourse in the classroom owing to smaller classes and engaged students. Don’t assume that non-Harkness schools will have dull classroom experiences.

If you love your back up and would be totally happy there, fine. But if you really want a BS experience, you can ensure that you have options in March by adding some other schools to your list. You may succeed with your current strategy - it’s always hard to predict which of the many awesome applicants will be admitted --, but you may not!

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Thanks! Yeah you have a lot of good points, I will definitely think about it.

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