Not a top priority, but it didn’t hurt when they had them!
We live in the Pittsburgh area, so part of it was just ease of travel. Our son actually went to Shady Side as a day student, and then Western Reserve and Mercersburg are relatively close, and the DC area is actually closer to us than some realize–like closer than Philadelphia, actually.
Culver was then the outlier, but that got on her list in part for for the girls leadership focus. And then, again, the horses didn’t hurt.
There was more to her selection process, but that is basically why she isn’t applying to any schools in New England or even the MidAtlantic coastal region northeast of DC. Areas which of course have a lot of schools other kids here are targeting.
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Are there any alums/ students from CSW on this forum?
Anybody know what income typically (or definitely) qualifies for full financial aid at Andover? How does the system work? Do they offer like 100% financial aid, 95% financial aid, etc. (what are the increments)? Would an income of $124,000 USD + no assets cut it for full financial aid???
And also, anybody who ever applied for grade 12 and was a one-year senior want to share their experience? They seem to discourage it a lot, as do the other top boarding schools with some even prohibiting.
My only fear is the college application process. Is it really that difficult as a one-year senior? Overall, how is the experience? I just really didn’t want to repeat 11th.
you will probably receive a lot
I just got accepted into UWC!
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I’m a First time poster. I’m wondering if anyone here can tell me how much SSATs matter at top schools is everything else is very good. Or where reliable information can be found Scored a 2107 on the January SSAT and 2125 if you combine best scores on two tests. Interviews were great, Essays were good, personal and untouched by parents. 3.98 unweighted GPA in MS at top private secondary school in the middle Atlantic. I don’t need of financial aid. Tier I/AAA girls ice hockey and theater kid with lots of leads in school plays and head of A capella. I also have some charitable work for a local food pantry. Everything is good except the SSAT feels too low to get into the best schools. Thanks.
Between what I have seen representatives of these schools say, what middle school officials who help place their students in boarding schools say, and various anecdotes from admitted students or their parents, I am quite confident that applicants are sometimes admitted to “top” boarding schools with scores significantly below their commonly reported SSAT averages.
Of course that is a mathematical necessity for those averages to exist, assuming some admitted students scored higher. That said, I have also heard many say that applicants with top percentiles are not always accepted.
And more substantively, there is a widespread consensus that SSAT scores are only one way of looking at preparation for boarding school, and that the SSAT pool is a self-selected group. So you do not need to have a super high percentile score to be well-prepared, and conversely being well-prepared by that specific measure does not imply you are well-prepared in every way.
And the things you mentioned will surely be helpful. But in the end, they are going to have a conversation behind closed doors about who they see as the best fits for their class this year, and none of us can predict how that will go for any given individual.
But personally, I wouldn’t worry about your SSAT score specifically. I really doubt it will play a major role in that conversation, however that conversation ends up going.
From what I can tell, 80% or above is likely fine, generally speaking. But maybe 75% would be, too. It also may depend on the scores by broad section. However, more than comparison to the general applicant pool is likely to be how you or your child compares to similar girls in the applicant pool. Whatever the SSAT, if a school wants to have a good ice hockey team and puts on high-profile musicals, the applicant would be compared with other girls who may be able to fill those roles, not to the broad pool of applicants.
The other stuff matters more.
its just a way for the schools to test if you are ready for the rigor at their school
Hey Guys, please leave a comment for M10. Today is F10…….. We are too close of M10..
Excited or Nervous?…….
Congratulations, @emosamosa . UwC is an amazing option!
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Only a month left until M10!!
YAYAYAY! What campus if you don’t mind me asking? My friend got waitlisted but she’s at the top and the AOs said if her parents are willing to pay more she’ll be accepted!
So nervous but also super excited! Ninety nine percent sure I’m being recruited by one of the schools I applied and they’ve been buttering me up with telling I’d be able to get shadowing experience at a local hospital 
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Can they do that? This seems super shady to me.
Many national committees, including mine, operate more as pay-to-play platforms due to internal funding quotas they need to meet. 
