<p>The 2014 edition of WHAT NOT TO WASTE YOUR TIME WORRYING ABOUT: </p>
<p>The same nagging issues keep cropping up in different threads. So, here is a one-stop sanity check for stuff you shouldn’t waste your time worrying about. Does it mean you’re absolutely going to be admitted? No. But it’s not make-or-break, or it’s something you have no control over. PLEASE ADD TO THE LIST</p>
<p>GRADES
You’re not going to get hammered for not having straight A’s. It is, however, preferable to have more A’s than B’s.
A “C” does not mean you are doomed. If your transcript has blemishes, then it is best to show an upward trajectory of grade improvement.
It’s better to have a B in an honors course than an A in a regular course. Then again, it’s better to just have an A in the honors course.</p>
<p>SSAT
If your overall SSAT score is above the school’s average, then don’t waste your time retaking the test. Move on.
If an SSAT sub-score is below the school’s average score, don’t go crazy. Do you really think the admissions people really have time to fixate on your one sub-score, provided your overall score looks good? Move on.
If your overall SSAT score is below the school’s average, then do the arithmetic and remember that an average is calculated from some scores above the average and some scores below. How low is too low? Well, that depends on whether there is something strong in the rest of your profile to “balance it out”.
If you take the January SSAT, then yes, the scores will be received electronically by the schools in time.
Experimental sections on the SSAT are just that–experimental. They are not counted in your score.</p>
<p>EC’s
The AO’s know you are in MIDDLE school. They don’t expect you to have Olympic-record racing times nor expect you to play the cello like YoYo Ma. But if you are really that good, you are golden.
If your present school/community has few options for EC’s, then mention that. The AO’s read your application in the context of the opportunities available to you.</p>
<p>INTERVIEWS
Don’t obsess about what your interviewer said to you in the interview</p>
<p>NOT A LEGACY, SIBLING, DEVELOPMENT CASE
So what? Neither are most people who are applying.
Legacy/sibling preference isn’t what it used to be.
For development case, your parents better be prepared to open that wallet REALLY WIDE— 8-figures wide (as in paying for a new $50 million science building).</p>
<p>WHICH SCHOOL SHOULD I CHOOSE
Get admitted first before you agonize over which school you should go to.
Don’t obsess over the prestige of the schools. Outside of the prep school bubble, 99% of the rest of the country hasn’t heard of any of these schools and associates the word “screwdriver” with the word “Phillips”. </p>
<p>CHANCES FORUM
Don’t read it.
If you just can’t help yourself and do read it, keep it in perspective. The kid who pretentiously moans “boo-hoo” that his/her one A is lowering an A+ GPA is either a pathological narcissist, or may go to a school w massive grade inflation</p>
<p>Thanks for reposting this. I will say that this thread, among many others, gave me a lot of good perspective last year as we went through this process with our son.</p>
<p>A few good posts like this really address many major issues on the forum; the rest is just details.</p>
<p>@stargirl3 Oh no! I got a 100% on my last Chemistry quiz instead of my usual 107%. Life is over. Exeter will probably cackle as they burn my application. </p>
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Serious responses only please. If you wish to share “issues” like the two listed above my post, the café is the more appropriate forum. Carry on.</p>
<p>Applicants obsessing over SSAT scores (in the 85-95% range) run the risk of derailing their application. Let it go. You have bigger fish to fry. Even with stellar grades and a phenomenal SSAT score you will still have to convince a BS AO that you’re ready to have this experience. ANYONE can achieve an outstanding academic record (leading up to 8th grade) but that doesn’t automatically make you a viable candidate for BS.</p>
<p>Phtographermom speaks truth. Understand: schools expect applicants to have the academic/intellectual skills to handle to course work but beyond that they do not choose from numbers - they are looking in good degree for applicants that can add to the school’s culture. What do you bring? What strengths? What passions? What can you add to the school’s culture? These are major considerations.</p>
<p>Are you sure that low SSAT subscores don’t affect anything? I did fine in Verbal and Reading, but Quantitative was the 40th%ile and I’m really worried about how that would look to the ADCOM. My overall was 77%ile, so not horrible, but not great. Would that really hurt me…?</p>
<p>A bit of humor- my DD noted applicants in the waiting area at Exeter with blue tie & blue blazer; and at Andover with red. Similar at other rival schools. AO question- “To what other schools are you applying (raised eyebrow, <hint-hint>)” She noted it was at best not very well thought-out, and at worst said “I am doing my swing through the admissions interviews, and Phillips <other> is my real preference!” Pay attention to what you telegraph, even by what you are wearing! Maybe pop by the bookstore and buy the school tie first.</other></hint-hint></p>
<p>Will Admissions REALLY care? I doubt it, by why not control what you can control?</p>
<p>@historygeek40: “Are you sure that low SSAT subscores don’t affect anything? I did fine in Verbal and Reading, but Quantitative was the 40th%ile”</p>
<p>Re-read what Photographermom said:" Applicants obsessing over SSAT scores (in the 85-95% range) run the risk of derailing their application. Let it go." She is saying that if your scores are within the comfort zone of the schools you want, focus on other aspects of your application.</p>
<p>Your situation may be outside this zone, depending on what schools you are targeting. Many of the most selective schools expect scores in the 80s or 90s overall with all subscores in or near that range. If you are aiming for some of these schools, you might well want to strengthen your Quant sub score by scheduling a second sitting for the SSAT in January and start working on improving your math skills and test taking. Do you have your SSAT test report? Did you score low because of a lot of wrong answers? If so, you might be able to get your score up by rethinking your test taking strategy (wrong answers count a lot worse than not answering) If you ran out of time on the Quant sections you might have time management issues - spending too much time on hard questions. Do some more practice Quant tests, get used to going after the easy questions first, then doubling back for the more difficult ones. </p>
I think that any score or subscore below the 50th percentile should be a concern, because it means the score is below the median of all test takers.</p>
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