r/applyprivateschools

Hello all,
I'm currently a US sophomore and I plan to apply to some elite prep schools (namely andover and exeter) to start 11th grade there. Has anyone here started at any such schools as an 11th grader? Is it worth it? I am outgrowing my public schools academics and want a chance to take more advanced courses (e.g., Organic Chemistry, Linear Algebra, etc.) and give myself a more challenging academic environment that gives me room to grow. I am aware it is better to apply to many private schools and do safeties and stuff but there are very few schools that have both a course in organic chemistry and a german program, and without either of those two, I don't see any possible way for it to be worth it to leave where i'm at, so my list of schools is mostly limited to the best of the best, Andover, Exeter, St. Pauls, and one or two others, even if I'm obviously not likely to get into them, since they are, yk, the best of the best, but they are the only ones I could even consider attending. Also, how competitive are these schools for applying to enter in 11th grade? As for reclassing its not really much of an option financially- if I apply, its gonna be to start in 11th grade, if I don't get in, I lost nothing.

tldr: Im a 10th grader, is it worth it to apply and possibly attend a boarding school my 11th and 12th grade years? And how competitive is it to get in?

Please DM or post here if you have any recommendations for admissions advisors, I know that the big firms can be fishy, overpriced, and overall useless, so I’m looking for 1 on 1 help as a rising senior with the process as I’m looking at T20s and Ivies. Want help getting into those types of schools; any recommendations would be great. I have the stats to back it up. Thanks!

Okay hey guys so currently I am a junior in high school (school already started for me unfortunately) and I’m thinking about transferring to a boarding school ( exter, Andover, Deerfield etc) for my senior year. You’re probably asking “why would you do that for only one year” but my schools entire faculty & structure has changed so much that I don’t even recognize the school I go to anymore. All of my previous teachers got fired ( if you worked there for longer than 5 years you were let go off because the new principal wanted new ppl to align with her goals) and they really liked me which is sad because my letters of recs would’ve been amazing. I know none of my current teachers and they are forced by my school to not build relationships with their students because my principle believes that “students and teachers should not have any relationship outside of learning and teaching”. I genuinely used to enjoy going to school and now I don’t. Additionally, my school controls our entire college application process and so many of my senior friends have came to me saying that all of their dream schools have been denied by their counselors and they’re so sad over the whole process. I was researching different boarding schools and literally fell in love with the culture and community at Philips Exeter. Here are my stats so far

Stats

- 3.83/4.0 GPA (school doesn’t calculate unweighted GPA)
Attend an AP-only school
- studying for SAT this year

Coursework

Freshman
AP Art History — 5
AP World History — 5
AP Biology — 4
AP Precalculus — 4
AP English Language — 4
Sophomore
AP Macroeconomics — 5
AP American Literature — 5
AP Chemistry — 3
Dual Enrollment Psychology — A-
Junior
AP Calculus BC
AP U.S. History
AP Computer Science
AP Physics C
AP World Literature
DE Data Literacy
DE Entrepreneurship/App Development
Awards
Dean’s List ×2
School STEM Excellence Award
Best Business Venture Award — Pre-college award
AP Scholar with Distinction
Selected participant — UMich Ross All-Access Program

ECs

Economic Research Assistant
Assisted an economics researcher with collecting and organizing property-tax data and contributed to a municipal financial research project.
Social Media Manager — Real Estate Investment Organization
Grew LinkedIn following by 150%, created 75+ posts, increased average engagement 3×, and designed marketing campaigns focused on Black homeownership and real-estate investing.
Mortgage/Finance Intern
Assisted with closing 5 mortgage loans; helped implement communication software, verify documentation, and support administrative/lending processes.
Women of the Caribbean Club — Member → Social Media Manager → President
Promoted cultural programs and volunteer events, increased attendance/engagement, and connected students with leadership and service opportunities.
DECA — Treasurer
Elected chapter treasurer; responsible for supporting chapter finances and financial planning.
Academic Tutor/Teaching Assistant
Tutored underclassmen in English and economics; edited 100+ practice FRQs and helped lead class discussions.
Yearbook — Editor → Managing Editor → Editor-in-Chief
Edited submissions and designed layouts; helped produce multiple annual publications with different themes.
VISIONS Service Adventures — Peru
Participated in a community service project in Cajamarca, Peru; helped construct 3 irrigation canals and contributed 20+ service hours.
UW-Madison Badger Pre-College — Participant
Developed an app that simplifies and summarizes terms of service/contracts for consumers and businesses; received a Best Business Venture Award.
YouthBridge New York — Fellow
Selected for a competitive civic leadership program focused on conflict resolution, public speaking, and cross-cultural collaboration.

I am an 8th grader applying to 10 competitive private hs in new jersey, cali, and massachussets.

I go to a public skl in cali

What should I do to standout in andover apps?

Background:

- Complete STEM student, maxxed out my public schools math pathway

- Very entrepreneurial, CEO/CTO material, tons of hackathons (I love hackathons), already has my own startup.

- Self-learing linear algebra and CS thru open courses by mit & harvard

- STEM Research @ a top uni, comp robotics + sport, pres of 3 clubs/teams, stuco 4 yrs consecutively, lots of leadership roles and clear that I take initiative

- Extroverted, makes friends very easily

- Indian background, pretty religious, loves an asian community

- Wants to go to Stanford, CalTech, or MIT (top 3 choices) for EECS or cs + math

Also, question for current students:

What's it like living in the dorms? What are the bathrooms like, can you leave campus, can u go to the gym early in the morning before class, if u wanna go to a hackathon or a academic event outside can u go, any tips for living in the dorms/choosing which dorm, in 10, 11, 12 can u pick ur roomate?

THank u so much!

I am curious if the tour guides graded us or gave any input about us to the admissions committee

has anyone applied through clarity before? i have a question about the $65 fee 😭 what’s the difference between the $65 clarity fee and the application fee on the school’s website? if i apply to multiple schools using clarity, do i just pay the $65 once, or do i have to pay it for each school? and do i still have to pay the application fee for each school separately.

Phillips Exeter, Lawrenceville and etc. are using Harkness method in teacher. For humanity subjects, I can imagine how that would inspire students to discuss and debate. How about subjects like Calculus or Chemistry? Are there more instructions than discussions? Just curious how that works.