<p>Those who have been on the forum for a while know me as a parent of a BS student (rising sophomore, class of 2015) who went through the process with my firstborn during the app cycle of January 2011.</p>
<p>Many times, I have been tempted to create an alternate screen name so I can respond to some thread with what I consider to be a frank, but perhaps discouraging info/POV/opinion. But that just seemed too disingenuous for my comfort.</p>
<p>So here is my alternative solution: A thread in which I can be as cranky as I want to be when the mood strikes. ;-)</p>
<p>Here's my first rant:
Getting into the most selective (which can also be interpreted as "most popular" or "best") schools is harder than many people think. Much harder. I don't know how many times this can be repeated to prospective students and parents.</p>
<p>While test scores are only one component of the admission equation, IMO, if you can't rock the SSAT with one pencil tied behind your back, maybe you shouldn't be all "I'm only interested in Deerfield and Exeter." There are exceptions, of course, but by definition, this is not the norm/average experience/outcome.</p>
<p>Feel free to ask questions here, but be prepared for bluntness. And fellow parents, feel free to PM me if you feel this is out of line...I won't cry if the admins delete this thread.</p>
<p>“I’m a late applicant applying for (fill-in-the-blank-ACRONYM-school) and i submitted my application mid-june, does anyone have an idea when i would be notified if i got accepted or not?”</p>
<p>@sevendad - I think a nice sprinkling of crankiness to offset the sometimes hyperbolic optimism that abounds on this board is healthy. Grump away!</p>
<p>Great topic. I know so many bright, talented, athletically gifted kids who were completely shut out because they only saw themselves at “top tier” schools. Now they’re scrambling because they were denied acceptance or wait listed. Now the schools that seemed less stellar are fully enrolled and their wait lists are closed. Most are looking into PDS options, which are wonderful, but obviously not where where they want to be. When we were doing our BS search we had a very realistic approach that served us well and yielded an excellent outcome. We applied to two “top tier” (don’t get me started on that nonsense) and seven “Gems”. Last March we had choices, and that was exactly the outcome we were shooting for. Future BS applicants need to put perceived prestige out of their minds and focus on where they will fit in best. Open your minds! Do your research! Plan! There are some pretty amazing schools out there that aren’t mentioned nearly enough on CC. Shoot for your dream school(s), “top tier”, “Gems”, or whatever, but leave yourself options! BS Admission is ridiculously competitive everywhere ( Yes, at Gems, too!!), so broaden your approach, throw out the notion that a “safety” school exists and be realistic about where you apply. You will have a better outcome next March!</p>
<p>BTW, if any parents have similarly curmudgeonly sentiments that they’ve been keeping to themselves, send to me via PM and I’ll post it anonymously.</p>
<p>I agree that “top tier” admissions are very hard indeed. You will do better if you are from a distant/underrepresented state, and if you are from an area with few applicants to compete against. That being said, it is very competitive. I don’t know if it’s just my perception, but it seems to have become exponentially more difficult in the past four years, with more difficulty with every passing year.</p>
<p>I’ve said before, that as more people see boarding school as an option, the applications have increased, along with the competitiveness.</p>
<p>I think that along with more general economic insecurity, some families are trying to do the best they can to try to increase their childrens’ “leg up” both in education and exposure to a broader world.</p>
<p>Please stop asking this board to evaluate your chances of admission. We can’t, and it’s a fruitless exercise. The chances forum is useless. Kids, when you post, don’t use text-speak or careless spelling or grammar. You may be intelligent, but many of you don’t come across that way and, more than once, I’ve been tempted to tell you that your “chances” are nil if that’s the way you write or express yourself.</p>
<p>Also, don’t ask if BS will increase your chances of admission to those golden schools many of you seem so concerned about. If a stellar education for its own sake is not your real goal, and you don’t understand that you can receive a stellar education from many, many secondary schools and universities, you are probably not the genuine article BS is looking for.</p>
<p>Cranky? You wanna talk cranky??? I’ll give you cranky: try the COLLEGE admissions process. I avoided the whole darn thing as long as I could (parent of rising BS Senior) and then had a medical situation that delayed my inevitable entry into a world exponentially more status-crazed than prep school admissions. The only good thing I have to say is that going through the school-of-hard-knocks prep school application process thickened the skin for this next level. At least with prep schools you’re not completely surrounded by other families panicking about their kids’ chances. I feel quite sage relative to my local peers. Sage but lonely. We are paying our dues as prep school parents here, cyberfriends. </p>
<p>So rest assured, all ye top tier seeking youngin’ – better to learn now that, as the recent Wellesley HS speaker said, “you’re not special.”</p>
<p>Okay, a little off topic, but I do feel better. Thanks.</p>
<p>Here’s my pet peeve question: “I’m very very VERY smart. Will I be challenged at Exeter/Andover/Choate?” Umm…yes. There are students from around the world who have been recruited/invited to apply because they have world class talents in math (using math as an example instead of ice hockey ha ha) or other subjects and have already placed in international competitions…</p>
<p>None of that here, as long as you believe that there are lots of kids here who are smarter than Einstein, playing virtuoso level violin and olympic level lacrosse at the same time. This is what they really want to do as well, they are quite individual.</p>