I am applying for HADES/GLADCHEMMS schools but my SSAT is not up to par. (60-65%ile).
I represent my school in two varsity equivalent sports.
Represented national team and play at academy level in one of the sports.
Would this “hook” help me get into these schools despite the mediocere SSAT score?
The schools will want/need you to be somewhat within range of their SSAT average. Your sports hook will help you, but the AO’s will also want to ensure that you can handle the academic workload if admitted.
Note that sometimes when the SSAT is below average, and the applicant is admitted, it is with the condition that s/he repeats their current grade.
Consider applying to schools for which you meet the SSAT average (or close to it). It might be better to go to such a school so that you will have academic impact in addition to the sports. Why go to a school where you will struggle to be at the top. Many other boarding schools will offer a rigorous curriculum, so don’t rule them out.
Put another way: the goal should be to find a school where you can be challenged yet successful on all fronts. My advice is to find such a school without choosing on name alone.
If you are as good of an athlete as you say, then the schools will drop their SSAT standards. I’ve seen it happen before where a world-class athlete can be accepted despite low scores. I personally know of a student from abroad admitted to one of the top BS based on his athletic achievements alone (he was olympic level athlete and top 5 in his sport in the world). The kid was admitted despite having the lowest TOEFL score in school history. He struggled for 5 months and ultimately was dismissed for poor grades.
As @london203 and @skieurope point out, why put yourself in this situation. Why not go to an easier school where you will have more time to work on your sport?
Read this article. Puts a good perspective on the sports recruiting process at Choate:
http://thenews.choate.edu/article/athletics-admissions-goes-after-best
@sgopal2 I am making a video and letters of recommendations for the respective varsity soccer coaches. Is there anything else that I need to include for them?
The coach isnt going to care about the letters of recommendation. Focus on the videos of game play. highlight the videos to make it easy for them to spot you on the field.
Do you have a club coach? would they call the BS coach on your behalf?
We live in Asia, so my coach cannot speak fluent English, thus writing a letter to the coach. I have also attached my national team proof along with it. I usually do not film myself playing, so I don’t have many clips. I will probably have a video under 2 minutes… is that enough?
@sgopal
@rokraii: The soccer coach at the BS may want to speak to your coach. So the language barrier indeed might be an issue. The letter of recommendation sounds fine, but keep in mind that its often difficult for a coach to gauge how good you are without seeing you play.
Why not get someone to film yourself at your next soccer match? Film the entire game if possible. Edit out the sections in which you are not playing. Splice everything together to make a short highlight video. Search on Youtube for “Soccer Recruitment Video” to see examples. Make sure the coach can spot you on the field during real play. Upload your video to youtube (use the private setting) and then send the link to the BS coach.
The coach may or may not be interested, depending on how good you are. Good luck