<p>African-American Female
Current Grade: 10
Applying for Grade: 11
Applying for Financial Aid? Yes
Current School: All-girls boarding school in New England. Best all-girls school in the country. I am a boarder, so living away from home, rigorous prep-school academics, and so on, are not a transition for me. Phillips Academy knows the school well, and I’ve been told that applying from a boarding school will be a big advantage in the application process to Andover.
Andover is the only school I am applying to.
Reasons for applying: Lots of reasons. The main ones are: I am deeply interested in the classics. I currently study Latin and I love it a whole lot. I yearn to study Greek, philosophy, religion, ancient civilization, and so on, but my school does not have that. Andover does. I must go to follow my passion. Also, I am a VERY serious classical ballet dancer. I pursue it at boarding school in the school dance company and off-campus, but I want to be able to dance on my campus. Andover has a very good ballet program, offering advanced ballet and a dance company that performs aboard. Soo, perfect for me. Overall, lots of reasons, as I said.! People say being a black girl interested,passionate and talented in classics and classical ballet is very rare and this will help me with getting in to Andover since this would add diversity to their community.</p>
<p>First, I’d like to tell you about my background. It is quite unique, but more importantly, it has played a big role in forming my character, the things I struggle with today, the things I succeed in, the things I do, etc.</p>
<p>I come from a single-parent household. My father is a deadbeat aka he is not and has never been in my life. He has never payed child support. My mother and I are VERY poor. We’ve gone through a lot of hardships. My mother is amazing(I won’t even get into how amazing she is because I need to write a book in order to express it to the greatest degree). She’s sacrificed sooo much to always give me more than she ever had in life. She’s always worked hard to give me a good education and keep me in classical ballet. I attended private school for a part of my life (2nd-5th grade), but at the end of my 5th grade it was clear that my mom could no longer afford private school tuition. We experienced anything from being evicted from our apartments, to having our car repowed (spelling?), to moving 2 times a year or more, to not having a meal at night to pay for private school. My mom did not want to put me in public school, so she decided to homeschool me all by herself. I was homeschooled for 6th, 7th, 8th grades. However, we are very poor so we did not have money for books and we moved a lot so my "home’ environment was not the best to learn in. In my 7th grade, when I was 13 yrs. old, we were evicted from our apartment and we became homeless. We lived in our car for the entire winter. Keep in mind that my mother is a single-parent. Therefore, she had to continue to work. I had to teach myself while she worked. I stayed in the car and taught myself until she returned to correct my work. We had no money for books, so I learnt out of borrowed books from the public library. When a space opened, we transitioned to a homeless shelter. There were drug-addics, prostitutes, and so on, but luckily, we had a place to sleep, food, access to a shower,warmth, etc. There, I either studied in the car, the hallways of the shelter, or walked to the library. In the midst of all this, I developed a fiber within myself of strength, fortitude, determination, motivation, resilience and work ethic that is unflinching. I write about this experience for my personal essay to Andover and how it shaped me today…</p>
<p>I applied to boarding schools in my 8th grade. Got rejected from a bunch because I applied with nothing to show. My homeschool portfolio was weak because I learnt of books from a library, I had low test scores, no recommendations. Somehow, I got waitlisted at SPS and Exeter (I think it was because of a good interview?). Wrote a letter to Exeter to be asked to be taken off waitlist. Got in. No financial aid. Couldn’t go. Instead, head of school, wrote a letter to me saying a bunch of nice stuff, and that the world would know about. I saved it. Zeroxed copied it and submitted it with my application to Andover. I got in to my boarding school I go to know and got a full-scholarship from the Oprah Winfrey Foundation. Ms. Winfrey and her foundation selected me for this scholarship based on my background of extreme hardship, yet talent and drive to succeed. Truly, a gift from God, I believe…I expressed this to Andover and sent a copy of the letter I got from the Foundation when I was given the scholarship…</p>
<p>So that is a bit of my story. Really stressed it because before when I applied to boarding school, I didn’t mention it and I feel that I should have because it is such a big part of who I am. I guess I was embarrassed to share or didn’t think at that time that it mattered. This experience carries with me not only with my character, but also because I struggle with math/science. I think this is because I could not learn either really in middle school because I was learning out of library books. However, I had a good humanities based focus at that time and I excel in this now. I expressed this to Andover.</p>
<p>My essay and shory essay to Andover was good, if not spectacular, based on what I’ve been told.
Interview was VERY good. On campus with Assosiate Director/Director of Minority Recruitment. </p>
<p>RECOMMENDATIONS:
My recs should be good. My academic advisor wrote one that was good. She explained the fact that I came in with a weaker math/science and have risen from a lot of obstacles and other great stuff. I love her 
My Latin teacher wrote on, which I’m sure was good. He graduated from Andover and then went to harvard. He’s taught me Latin for 2 years. This is a plus.
My English/math teacher recs are the only ones I’m worried about. neither know me that well.
I am doing a Latin independent study this summer with a lady at home. She wrote me one and she sent a girl to Andover a couple years ago from the school she teaches at. Hers was good. She said I was the most “determined student (she) has ever met in her 22 years of teaching”. Lot of the recs, if not all, spoke of my determination.</p>
<p>SUMMER STUFF:
Last summer, I went to South Africa with a youth global leadership program where I worked with AIDS orphans in a black township. Amazing experience and changed my life. My advisor mentioned it in my recommendation. While there, my roomate was an upper at Andover (ironic, I know). We became good friends. She and her family are pulling strings for me to get in. Her mother is good friends with the assosiate director of admission/director of minority recuitment (the lady that interviewed me. That should be a plus).
This summer, I am doing a Latin independent study to advance beyond Latin 3 so I can take AP Latin Vergil in my junior year.</p>
<p>EXTRACURRICULARS:
Lots and lots. My interviewer said she was impressed.</p>
<p>I am a dancer in my school dance company. I am co-head of that and student choreographer. I dance off campus at a pre-professional arts school to pursue classical ballet. Talked a lot about classical ballet in file and interview. </p>
<p>Debate Team: One of advanced debators.
Model UN
Writer and Editor for School paper. Only sophomore editor (all seniors). Elected to be 2008 editor-in-chief. Submitted some articles to Andover and info that I was elected to be editor in chief.
Varsity Cross-Country (MVP award)
Tour Guide
Lots of community service at women sanctuary/homeless shelter
Head of a diversity club
Christian Group and other groups
Quite involved in school…</p>
<p>GRADES AND COURSES:
I made it clear to Andover my weakness in math and science. I believe they will/should understand my background when looking at the math and science grades and also that I go to a rigorous boarding school. Also, I mentioned tha my school does not have many academic help resources and coming to Andover would be an opportunity to bridge any gaps and get more help to reach my highest potential in those classses…</p>
<p>NINTH GRADE
Studio Art 1 B+
Cello A
English A-
Early Modern Europe History B-
Latin 1 A-
Physics B-
Algebra 2 C+ (worked hard for that. Had to teach myself Algebra 1, while learning Algebra 2)
Ethics A
Leadership A
Introduction to Computer Science B+</p>
<p>TENTH GRADE:
English B
History of Africa B+
Latin 2 A-
Geometry B-
Chemistry C+ (lots of ppl struggling in my school with this class)
Computer Graphics A</p>
<p>Current Classes this semester:
English
History of Modern Europe
Latin 2
Geometry
Chemistry
Intro to Java programming </p>
<p>People say that this is very good, considering where I come from. Hope andover agrees.</p>
<p>SSAT SCORES:
Very low. I’m disappointed with them. But did address it in my essay, even before I knew the score. Once again, I think/hope they take in my background, URM, etc. </p>
<p>Total: 1980/2400
38 percentile
emailed interviewer to explain that scores are not a true indication of how successful I can be at PA. She submitted that to my file for the committee to review…</p>
<p>I won a national english award and submitted a copy of the letter to my file. A copy of the letter from the oprah foundation. The letter from the exeter head of school. </p>
<p>I think this is it. I’m still leaving out some things, I’m sure. But, can somebody tell me what my chances are? People are telling me I’m in, but I’m afraid they are bias. I’d appreciate any feedback. I can take you being brutally honest, if that is necassary. I understand I have weaknesses in my file, but who doesn’t? Plus, I addressed them. </p>
<p>Thanks so much and best of luck to any other applicants!</p>
And hey, your interviewer was the same as mine!! I really loved her. Susan Mantilla, I think. Really sweet lady.</p>