What are my chances of getting into Phillips Andover?

How do I increase my chances for Andover/Exeter?

• I have straight As and great recommendations, I'm fluent in English/Farsi and speak great conversational French and I've studied Arabic, Chinese and Spanish though I don't really speak them. I do community serivce and exchanges at my school. I go to an international school in France and I studied in Iran before. I do Model United Nations... I swim quite a lot and I'm good at it but I'm afraid I might need to play a sport at a higher level to get in. I'm completing my IGCSEs this year and I'm also taking an AS level course. I'm just stressing and I needed some advice. Is it REALLY hard to get in? Also my parents wanted me to apply to nearly ten schools just so I could have 'more options' but I honestly think that if I just focus on my top five I'll have a much stronger chance of getting in...more time to focus on the essays and interviews. On the same note...any interview advice? Haha! I need to take a chill pill. I'm sorry for the rambling...I just need someone who knows what they're talking about to give me a hand here.

• Answer:

  While you certainly sound like a qualified applicant, what is hard to understand is that most applicants are also qualified. With acceptance rates of around 20%, admissions decisions are also based on composing a class, not just being qualified. When you do your applications and interviews, be sure that Admission knows how you would add value to the school community beyond academics. I think they will like your international experience, especially the fact that you studied in Iran. I don't think you need to apply to 10 schools, but I do think it would be wise to add a few more. If you are concerned about how long it will take you to apply to each one, then find some schools that you like that accept the Common Application. You can find a list here http://www.schools.com/apply/usecommonapp.cfm. If you haven't already discovered it, you will find a wealth of information and some misinformation here http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/.