<p>My daughter is currently in 7th grade. She has gotten it in her head that she wants to attend a boarding school. She is particularly interested in Miss Porter’s. She attends a private christian school. It is an excellent school in many ways, however, it’s definitely not as competitive academically as other private schools. She gets high honors through a lot of determination. Though she is in several advanced programs, I don’t know that she would be considered gifted. She is in grade level math, as opposed to advanced. She plays several sports but isn’t a superstar. She has a lot going for her, but as I look at some of the qualifications of applicants on these threads, hers seem a bit inadequate if not downright crappy. To complicate things further, I’m a relatively low income single parent. I don’t know for sure, but it seems to me that students receiving a great deal of financial aid would be the best of the best. I would appreciate opinions on whether this is fruitless or in any way possible. Thanks.</p>
<p>One thing you should know about this forum is that it is definitely not a representation of the average student who gets in to boarding school. 95% of people on this forum are the tippy top of the food chain and do not represent the average solid applicant. Your daughter can definitely get in if she maintains good grades, continues to do sports, and does reasonably well on the SSAT (70+).</p>
<p>Kaye,</p>
<p>As things go, your daughter probably picked a great school with a huge endowment and above average FA. So if she gets in, you will probably get a FA offer that you more likely to be able to handle. Now granted, they do look at both parents’ financials and that can get complicated. Don’t know about your situation, though.</p>
<p>On the admissability, while they are competitive, your daughter sounds like she could handle it. Mine is more of a hard worker than one to whom things come easily. It has its advantages. Schools need a set of kids who will set the right tone for the school. A school full of brilliant, slacking underachievers is a recipie for disaster.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about the star athlete thing. This is from a parent of a recruited athlete. Yes, it is one thing that can get you in the door. But there are so many others. It doesn’t matter so much what she does, but that she contributes a lot over a significant period of time. The kid who is a regular at the foodbank, and is written up for putting together food packages at the holidays is a very much desired kid at schools. Point here is that at this time, she needs to find something important to her and pour herself into it. A 10-hour-a-week activity over 40-50 weeks a year for the next 2 years is probably a must in the highly competitive field of admissions. Now don’t throw out the athletics though, it is nice to see the kid who also plays the sport of the season (rec league is ok) in addition to their passion.</p>
<p>I would take her to a Fall Open House type event (even though she won’t be applying for another year) this year and have her learn more about the school - what the typical kid need to know mathwise. Girls key into these things very well, so it will set a goal in her mind of what she needs to do. Inspiration is very important. And even if it doesn’t lead to admission, it will be good for her as a person to strive for this goal.</p>
<p>Finally, like Mdog said, don’t be intimidated by the resumes around here. You are seeing a sample that is at the tippy top of the bunch. The silent majority mostly lurks here without posting stats. </p>
<p>Good Luck and feel free to contine asking questions.</p>
<p>Whew! That’s a relief. Thank you both for your help. Goaliedad, your remarks are very helpful. I’m sure I will have more questions in the future as this is just the beginning and my head is already spinning. Thanks again.</p>