Hello everyone!
I am a current 8th grade girl at a academically rigorous private day school in MA, where I have been for two years (I was previously in public school). I am applying to both Andover and Exeter, and am looking for some guidance on what my chances are. I am aware they are different schools, but I figured I would make one thread because they are somewhat similar and have similar admission rates.
Cost Constraints / Budget & Special factors:
I would not be requiring financial aid. I am a sort of legacy at both of these schools. My uncle is an andover alum who is still engaged with the community (he has made a few speeches and donations over the years), and my mother’s boyfriend went to exeter and will be writing me a recommendation.
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores:
I have a 4.0 GPA. Last year, in seventh grade, I was the top student in my grade (60 people). On the SSAT, which I took last week, I scored a 95th percentile on verbal, an 84th on math (uh oh…) and a 99th on reading comprehension. My overall score was 98th percentile, or a 2325/2400.
Extracurriculars:
- 4 years of debate. I have gone to a few international tournaments and won three regional invitationals.
- I am the editor-in-chief of my school’s newspaper.
- My main sports are cross country and fencing, although I’m not particularly good at either of them.
- I take drawing classes in and outside of school and have become pretty good at realism. I will be submitting a portfolio to all of the schools I am applying to.
- I do a lot of community service through my church, including volunteering at some external organizations.
- I am the president of my school’s community service committee, which is a part of student board.
- Over the summer, I also did an internship in a branch of my state government.
The interviews:
I really connected with my Exeter interviewer, and we spent almost the entire time talking about books we liked. The annoying thing is that at exeter the person who interviews you is not the AO who reads your file, so that you can ask your interviewer the “stupid questions" (his words).
My Andover interview was not as wonderful, but the AO shared a lot of my interests and we made a strong connection. She told my mother she was impressed by me so that must be a good sign.
My concerns:
- Teacher recommendations: earlier this fall, i had a difficult experience with my mental health that led to a bit of a drop off in my grades and overall performance, as well as missing a bit of school. I still have a 4.0, but I am no longer the top student, and I worry that my teachers (who do not know about the reason why) will not write recommendations that fully encompass my abilities.
- SSAT math score: I’m not super happy with an 84th percentile, and am concerned that this might hinder my chances. I am taking it again in a few weeks but if I don’t do better next time, are these scores worth submitting?
Thank you for your guidance.
Your SSAT scores are fine as they are. You can take them again if you feel very strongly about it, but don’t need to.
Do a lot of kids from your school go on to Andover and Exeter? I don’t think you need to sweat the class rank thing either unless there is a history of correlation (i.e. top student always goes to one of these places). Grades matter. Class rank in elementary school? I’d think not so much.
I would have a conversation with my recommenders and let them know how excited you are about the opportunity to go to one of these places (the same as you will in your essays). That will help shore up any softness in the interview process. Interviews are big at both places.
You have an interesting background. What will you do if you don’t get into either?
Good luck!
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@IndySceptic, thank you so much for your response!
Some answers to your questions:
Usually a few students go on to Andover and Exeter every year, but not many. Typically going to Exeter is rare, but in one year they sent five students to Andover. I think this may be because my school is quite liberal and arty and Andover aligns a bit more with that. As far as I know there isn’t much of a correlation between the rank and going off to these schools because many students go to public high school after graduating.
If I don’t get into either of them, which is the most likely outcome, there are many other places I might go. I am applying to a bunch of regional day schools near me, and if that doesn’t work out, my local public school is quite good.
Thanks again!
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You are blessed with many great ones to choose from.
Why is boarding attractive to you? Obviously there are others to choose from.
Or is it about the size of the school, at which point most of the Independent Day Schools are way too small? Milton is an option to consider as well. Loved that place.
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Boarding is attractive to me because of the community and the opportunities. I’ve been to sleepaway camp and you really just know people better when you’re with them 24 hours a day. There’s also a level of academic excellence and programming that to certain extent isn’t replicable at other places, especially schools that are drawing from just one place rather than from the entire international community. Not to mention the prestige and network.
I am indeed looking at Milton. My interview is in a week. I haven’t heard great things from the people I know who go there but we are very different personallity-wise so I’ll see when I actually go to campus.
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Given the strength of your school (which I think I know) and where you feel you fall in the class, I think you are a very good fit for Andover and Exeter. It is my understanding that the number of kids who head to Andover is more like 1 or 2 each year and Exeter is more like 0 or 1 each year. They definitely, more commonly, send top students to Nobles and Milton - as you know.
Legacy can’t hurt. Hope you get what you want.
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You are a strong candidate. I don’t know what that implies for your chances,
I would be guessing.
But given you are willing to board at Exeter, would you not also consider looking at St. Paul’s? Groton & Middlesex?
Best to you.
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I am indeed also looking at Groton. St. Pauls was also on my list, but at this point I’m applying to so many schools that it just didn’t make sense to keep all of them.
Thanks for the response!
I always get a little worried when kids combine like Groton, Middlesex and St. Marks types with Andover and Exeter. You said about you know they’re different and they (Andover and Exeter) are, but they’re much more alike when compared to those other really small places. I threw out Milton because Milton is more like them (bigger); the caveat being that there are a lot more Day Students at Milton.
You’ll learn more as you visit these schools, but I wouldn’t apply to a ton of disparate places with disparate experiences. The St. Grottlesex schools are much more similar in feel, and if you like that, Andover and Exeter applications may not be time well spent given how hard they are to get into anyway.
Just a thought.
Thanks for the advice, @IndySceptic!
I am definitely applying to places with very disparate experiences, but I don’t really mind that. I’m not completely set on what I need/wat in a school, so some variety is nice. Groton actually may be the school I am applying to that is the most similar to Andover and Exeter, given that some of the others are in California or much less rigorous day schools nearby. I will keep that in mind though, as I may narrow down my list further.
Groton and PEA/PA are completely different environments and student experiences.
I struggle, in fact, to think of anything that they might have in common beyond their selectivity, academic rigor, and lousy spring weather.
That said, I do think it makes sense to apply to a wide range of schools and then compare the potential fit more carefully during revists. Sounds like that’s exactly what you’re doing. Good luck!
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Except that makes for a more klugey application process.
The “What I love about your school and why I’m a good fit” part would have to be fitted to totally different places, especially now that we’re including West Coast boarding options. And it seems to me a lot of work to communicate excitement about the unique attributes of PA vs Groton vs Lawrenceville authentically in several different essays several different times. A lot more work. It’s fine to have more applications to spread out the risk, but there should be some thematic consistency and commonality beyond wanting to go to boarding school.
You can comfortably fit the totality of Groton’s 9-12 population into PA and PEA’s graduating class. It’s like applying to UMich and Berkely and also Williams. It will give “I just went down the Niche rankings and applied” vibes transparently to folks who can smell that stuff a mile away. OP’s chances of getting into Andover, Exeter, or anyplace correlate directly with their ability to answer the question thoughtfully and authentically, returning to the original question.
Separately, am I the only one who shed a small tear upon reading an 8th grader counting prestige and network as a consideration?
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If the applicant has genuine interest in these different schools, I’d think it’d be easier to identify meaningful differences among them and communicate one’s excitement than it would be to split hairs among 6 or 8 schools that look remarkably similar.
Genuine enthusiasm, though, is the price of admission.
So I agree that it’s foolish to simply apply to a list of “the best” schools for that reason alone. I agree also that this approach is probably easy for AOs to identify (and reject).
But it’s perfectly valid to be as excited about going to PEA – for its size, energy and the independence that it fosters among its students – as it is to be excited about Groton’s small and nurturing community.
These kids contain multitudes.
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Depending on the student, I think a small school like Groton has more in common with a large school like Exeter than it does with a small school like Pomfret.
Size is a big factor, but so is rigor, intensity, resources, and compatibility with the overall academic bent of the student body.
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I think my point is a small school like Groton has more in common with St Mark’s than Exeter controlling for all of the factors you pointed out.
<<Apologies to my Groton and St. Mark’s friends for appearing to equate the two schools. Just using an example. We know your school is better than the other one. Obviously>>
This is one instance where I think that narrowing the list would be really beneficial so that you can write distinctive essays that the AO will know are crafted specifically for their school rather than generic essays for large schools vs. another generic essay for small schools. This isn’t the AO’s first rodeo and they can easily tell what a generic essay looks like. Figure out what’s really important to you in a school and focus your efforts on the set of schools that meets those requirements.
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