<p>Haha the title says it all. Which schools are considered the “best”? Can you apply as a rising sophomore? What are prep schools looking for in admission? Do I need to take tests or are my PSAT/ SAT scores good enough? Are those scores even considered? Does going to a prep school really help your chances at top tier schools that much?</p>
<p>Bear with my ignorance and many questions. A girl from my school got accepted to Phillips Andover, so that’s the only one I know of. If you could “chance” me there, even though I don’t really know what to tell you about myself, I’d appreciate it!</p>
<p>Currently a Freshman (Once again, can rising sophs apply?)
GPA- 4.0</p>
<p>Courseload: English II H, Geometry H (school does Geo before Alg II), Physical Sci H, Global Studies H, electives… May not seem like much, but it’s the most advanced my school offers.</p>
<p>SAT (7th)- 1790- qualified for Duke TIP</p>
<p>PSAT-(8th)- 201</p>
<p>PSAT-(9th)- results pending</p>
<p>EC’s (bad)
-Debate
-JV XC
-JV Track</p>
<p>Awards (not great)
-1st place at Debate competition (9th)
-Captain of Beta Club Quiz Bowl Team- 2nd place at Nationals</p>
<p>Run, search old post for much of the information you are looking for. Yes, many schools take 1/3 of their graduation class as rising sophomores. If you want to know your chances go to the "chance me " section of the forum.</p>
<p>Also, check out boardingschoolreview.com. It has tons of information on the entire boarding school scene. On that site you can get a link to each school and request additional information.</p>
<p>Don’t just apply to “the best” just because they’re considered “the best”.
It’s going to be hard for you as you’re 9th grade (unless you want to repeat).
By Phillips Academy’s standards, your extracurriculars aren’t good enough.
Financial Aid doesn’t hurt your chances for PAA but it does for almost every other school.</p>
<p>Don’t you do any art?
Are you a minority?</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.tenschools.org%5B/url%5D”>www.tenschools.org</a>
a list of schools similar in standards.</p>
<p>prep school can actually hurt your chances of getting into a “TOP COLLEGE” if you don’t excel (just like any public school). Top college take the best students who stand out from their classmates.</p>
<p>SnapePotter, I’m no expert on this, but I have to disagree… The difficulty levels of public and private schools are very different. I think colleges know this. At prep school, you don’t HAVE to be in the top 10% to be a good student, because prep schools are stuffed full of kids who would be top 10s at any public school. If you make DECENT, though maybe not outstanding, grades at a tough prep school I wouldn’t worry about how colleges perceive you.</p>
<p>@ruline,
First rising sophomores can apply. Some people even apply as post-graduates, and do an extra year of high school. First here are some schools which are commonly discussed on this site and in general:</p>
<p>HADES (Clever acronym to refer to “top” prep schools. The term HADES is actually a joke b/c Hades in Greek mythology refers to the underworld. :))</p>
<p>Hotchkiss School
Phillips Academy Andover
Deerfield Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
St. Paul’s School</p>
<p>Hotchkiss
Andover
Deerfield
Exeter
St. Paul’s</p>
<p>Another acronym you will run into is GLADCHEMMS. This refers to the ten “top” schools. They are:</p>
<p>Groton School
Lawrenceville School
Phillips Academy Andover
Deerfield Academy
Choate Rosemary Hall
Hotchkiss School
Phillips Exeter Academy
Middlesex School
Milton Academy
St. Paul’s School</p>
<p>But there are many other good schools. Look at boardingschoolreview.com and see what appeals to you.</p>