The EDUFAX Educational FAQ

Question #12:

My SSAT=96% (Verbal=96%), straight A's, WISC>150. I am first on cross country team and a great skier. I won the National Geographic geography bee at the school level. I play the French Horn and Clarinet. I have been rejected by Groton and St. Paul's. Is it because I need financial aid? Is it because I am of Eastern European descent? What is the profile of students accepted to such schools?

Answer #12:

The profile you describe is certainly superior. Unfortunately, most of the kids who apply to the schools you mentioned have similar credentials, so you are competing against a group of your peers. If one applicant is a notch higher or has a recommendation that is just a bit more enthusiastic, that can knock another applicant out of the running. Financial aid is hard to come by in schools at the level you have mentioned, but it is never a reason for rejection. When these schools admit a student with financial need, they simply do so and then inform the family what funds are available. These days, ethnic origin is rarely a reason for rejection. Since all the things you have listed seem well above the bar, I would have to imagine that something was less than earthshaking about your essays or interview. Applicants to top-level independent schools are expected to be incredibly mature and organized. Some of my students have reported that they did more work in a competitive preparatory school like St. Paul's than they did at Harvard! If I were you, I would call the admissions office and tell them you are not contesting the decision in any way, but would like to know what is it that makes you a less than competitive candidate for their school. Try to get an opinion from the school so that if there is anything you are doing that is less than imaginative, you can try to correct it. EDUFAX provides Services for the Independent School Applicant.

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