Title basically. I have strong ec’s but not hook level (i.e. no athletics and no research bc my family isn’t rich enough for pay to play programs or anything like that and no real professor or holistic programs takes people as young as me). I am a domestic applicant from a very heavily underrepresented ethnicity (for perspective, at andover my ethnicity is the most underrepresented at their school), and I am from the south rather than new england. I’m not applying to very many schools and unfortunately have 0 safeties because there are so few schools with german programs and i’m not willing to give it up (if the school isnt andover, exeter, hotchkiss, or SPS, and you think it has german, it doesnt). I have max rigor with high gpa of course. Is it worth it to apply? I don’t wanna give too much specifics on my ec’s bc privacy.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”
Obviously not wrong, but I was somewhat hoping for a bit more advice than just that. Though to be fair I didn’t directly ask for it originally.
Are you sure about that?
Among just the six boarding schools my D30 applied to, I thought at least two, Episcopal High School and Shady Side Academy, offered German.
I’ve honestly never heard of any of those schools before but thank you for that. However neither school has what I am looking for beyond just German, tbh.
Obviously that is entirely up to you, I just wanted to make sure you were aware German is not what is limiting your list to only the most famous/selective boarding schools.
To be fair, if you post a vague question, expect vague answers. Should you apply? Sure, go for it. But keep in mind that 11th grade is an exceptionally tough entry point, and most accepted applicants end up reclassifying into 10th. More importantly, the very first thing admissions will ask is “Why boarding school?”—and wanting to study German isn’t going to cut it.
100% correct.
And what are you looking for beyond just German?
Concord Academy has German, but it certainly isn’t a safety.
I always recommend looking at re-classing in these scenarios. The admissions funnel is very tight, and if you happen to get accepted, it’s the most brutal year for lifers, much less Newkids having to adjust to the new environment. And as confident as you may be in your abilities, Newkids get humbled out of the box quick. 11th grade is not the time for the transition hiccup at a school with tons of amazing kids. These places are no joke.
if you’re not open to re-class, I wouldn’t recommend it. Stay where you’re at and crush it.
“i wanna study german” is not nearly enough to sum up my reasons. first of all, due to no fault of my incredible teachers, our classes are forced to be lecture based with minimal discussion, that promotes teaching to the test rather than for actual conceptual understanding- even the most advanced courses or niche electives have class sizes around 30 people. exeter or andover or whatever other school solves this by having much smaller class sizes, around 12 people maximum and often less, as well as not utilizing any standardized curriculum for most courses, allowing them to use discussion based courses that teach actual understanding of the content rather than rote memorization. secondly, i aspire to be a chemical engineer, and these schools have courses like ochem and thermdynamics (or fluid dynamics) as well as multi and linalg that i couldnt ever take where im at now. thirdly i do obviously have a passion for the german language and the full immersion programs at those schools go much deeper than anything i can experience where im at, as well as having upper level courses be based on german film and literature rather than just an ap curriculum.
i would instantly reclass if i could but my dad despises the idea and every time i ask him to consider reclassing he gets closer to considering not allowing me to apply to any entry point. if the school themselves sometime in the application process advised me to reclass he might consider it but i got no clue how likely that is.
strong stem with ochem and multi at the least. and good accomodations for muslim students. now that i look at it concord actually does meet those reqs, thats very surprising, but thank you for that at least. although concord does seem to take a lot fewer new 11th graders than exeter or andover.
i am aware of that fs and i said this elsewhere but if my dad would let me i would reclass without hesitation, he just despises the idea so much its not even on the table.
You will have a much better experience at BS and higher likelihood of going to a top college if you reclass. 11th grade is notoriously difficult at any school for any student, especially a new one who is adjusting to boarding life.
If you’re currently taking German, my assumption is that you’re at a top public or private school since few schools have resources for a German program. If that’s the case, then what’s driving your decision to board? What else are you looking for in a school?
If you’re that interested in German, why not explore doing a semester in Germany for 11th grade instead?
Say more about why your Dad is so against it. Could it be that he’s really against BS in any scenario?
As everyone has said, even if you do get in, which is a stretch for anyone at these places, it’s not setting you up for success. Not a good use of family resources.
To your hint, it may take starting the application process and having the school weigh in off the record in a sidebar during an interview or Open House.
But I suspect Dad’s objection goes deeper than just reclassing.
To be fair, reclassing involves an extra year of tuition. This isn’t to say it shouldn’t be considered, but for a parent footing the bill, the objection is often simply that it’s more dollars out the door.
OP, I know of a student who attend BS with DS who took German through an outside provider. The school didn’t offer it. He had a pretty good case for it, and they made that accomodation. If there are other schools that work for you on other fronts, you may want to interview and ask about that possibility.
The idea of doing a semester (or better yet, a year) abroad through an exchange program where you attend a German high school is an excellent one and will allow you to achieve a much higher level of proficiency than any study here in the US.
Couldn’t we say that your “safety” is to stay at the school where you are currently studying?
What motivates you to want to change high schools?
I concur with the emphasis that entry into 11th grade is very, very difficult. 1) it’s a major adjustment in terms of the academic rigor and 2) social groups are difficult to break into. I admire your reasons for wanting to go to BS and agree that the schools do offer more advanced courses, teach so that students have a deeper understanding of the subjects, etc. That being said, you could wait for those things in college. If you need mulitvariable and linear algebra, there are a lot of alternative options - community college and/or online ASU / OSU courses are just a few to explore.
I should add DD is very happy at her BS after transferring as a sophomore. If you really want the BS experience, it is unique, but I just want to be honest about the challenges.
Kinda what I was thinking without writing it.