I love this profile.
Yes, being from ND and a POC will be to your benefit, as geographic diversity is a big deal at these places. They have more than their fill of the New England/Tri-State/Mid-Atlantic/California applicants.
Music is also big, so good on you for making your local Youth Orchestra. I will caution you that kids who play music at these places are all from top Youth Orchestras and have been playing far longer than you. The value of the viola is speaking to the importance of musical training to you and the school you’re applying to. It’s a cultural connection that shows that you “get it.”
Invest a lot of time in your SSAT prep, because a low score is not disqualifying, but could raise questions complicating your already very favorable application. Ignore what you read on a lot of these posts on that, by the way. Some at Exeter got in with a 60th percentile and some got rejected with a 99th.
Spend A LOT of time on their sites and their videos to get a sense of their cultures. Of course there is marketing, but mostly there is truth about what these places are about and value. Visit if possible, but definitely attend any Zoom meetings they have. They track this as a measure of seriousness and interest.
Strongly stress an interview, ideally on campus (though I know this can be difficult). There are ten times as many qualified applicants as spots, so “fit” is a key determinant for acceptance. The videos and Zoom calls will inform the amount of effort and investment your family will want to make to see these places on site, as well as allow you to speak authentically about what you can contribute to their community.
People don’t talk about this enough, but while great resumes are nice, great people are what they want. And great isn’t measured by whether you’ve gotten a patent, but whether you are kind. That word came up a lot in all of the tours we took, especially at the two biggest on your list. These are brutally hard places, and you will need to lean on your classmates as much as the institutional resources to get through. Thus the culture of kindness and helping is real at these places and you need to have that aspect of your personality reflected. So when you talk about “Leadership” it’s not that you’re the head of ten clubs or captain of three sports, it’s how you helped others grow and do well.
Once you do your homework on these places, be as specific as possible about what at the school excites you and don’t be afraid to reach out to folks at the school to learn more. Andover is very proud of their Falls Music Center (which is over the top amazing, by the way), so research, reach out and reference it, as one example.
Finally, you might consider being open to reclassing and applying for ninth grade. You may not have to and you’re on an advanced track for math, but it’s a bigger acceptance class and these are very different environments than you are used to. They take some getting used to and the extra year will stand you in good stead. Would rather see you start as a ninth grader, get your knees scuffed there, get some confidence and familiarity during tenth grade before entering the 11th grade meat grinder. Coming in as a tenth grader gives you less of an on-ramp.
Best of luck. These are life-defining places that are magical. And I would also recommend Cambridge School of Weston. The Head of School is amazing and creates a phenomenal environment for learning.