Chances to Get into Phillips Exeter / Andover for 11th Grade

vandeej
Thu, 13 Feb 2020 10:45:18 +0000

Hi,

I wanted to apply to Phillips Exeter and Phillips Academy last year but I didn’t think I stood a good chance so I waited another year to apply.

I’m from South Asia and I live in the UAE. I’m female and turning 14 in a week.

I’m currently in 9th grade and I will apply for 11th grade boarding next year when I finish 10th grade.

I will need FA.

My grades are
English A (7)
Maths A (7)
Biology A+ (8)
Chemistry A (7)
Physics A+ (8)
Economics A (7)
Business A+ (9)
Psychology A+ (9)
(I do IGCSEs so we’re graded from 9-1, 9 being best and 1 being worst. As I wrote above, 7 s an A and an 8 or 9 is equivalent to A+)

In grade 8, I got all As except for two subjects where I got a C.

In 9th grade, I did really bad and got 4 Cs (in history and bio, chem, and physics and a B in maths).

But now I repeated 9th grade and got all As and A+ as I listed above. As for 10th grade, I am predicted nothing lower than an A and now that I’m taking my education seriously, I’m sure that I will do good and get nothing lower than an A and I’m working hard for that.

I haven’t given the PSAT yet but I practiced a lot for the SSAT and I’m in the 90th percentile.

For my extracurriculars, I do football and train a total of 12 hours a week. I also do a bit of badminton and table tennis, but I don’t take them too seriously and they’re both mainly a hobby.

I don’t have any awards or certificates (I got two medals last year in PE because of progress and since my team came 2nd overall but to be honest they’re not impressive or really important).

I’m also applying to a few other schools just in case I don’t get in, but I’m mainly concerned about PA and PEA. I really want to go to these schools mainly because I want to surround myself with the type of extraordinary students that they have and the amount of amazing opportunities they offer. I also really like their football program and the courses they offer and I honestly believe that I’ll be so much of a better person when I leave, prepared for university.

I genuinely think I am a weak applicant and my chances of getting in are very low–if not zero–since places are selective (I’ve heard 11th grade is also a bad time to apply because much fewer applicants are admitted) and I have many things against me (bad grades in the past, international student, needs FA). I still want to know what my chances are from someone else’s point of view. I also want to know if there are factors that I can improve in my application eg do more extracurriculars or any tips since I still have time that I could use to improve my application.