<p>@warewofo Come on. No one gets an acceptance without applying to a BS. I doubt this very much. Many schools try to generate interest in their schools in different ways. I will say that I appreciated the emails from ChristChurch that provided pointers on interviews and recommendations and making a decision on school after the acceptances. </p>
<p>@warewofo: Stop being so snotty and rude! Think about the 35 people out of 100 that did not get in.
Now, think of the 65 people that are attending this school right now.
How would they feel?
Stop being a cyberbully. We don’t care how you feel about a school.
JUST KEEP YOUR THOUGHTS TO YOURSELF!!</p>
<p>I agree with everything that’s been said. I hate to ruin the fun, but can we keep this thread to what it was meant to be? :p</p>
<p>I agree. This thread is only for future applicants and for those who got in. It isn’t supposed to be a place where you bicker about schools.
Thanks and please refrain from posting irrelevant posts from now. </p>
<p>** Accepted: Lawrenceville, Loomis, Blair**
** Rejected: None**
Wait listed: SPS, Andover, Hotchkiss, Choate, SAS, Middlesex
Attending: Lawrenceville</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 99
[</em>] GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 4.0
[<em>] Rank: 1/300+
[</em>] Other stats: SAT CR 800 in 7th grade
[/ul]</p>
<p>Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Interviews: All went great, from what I could sense during parent interviews.
[</em>] Essays: DD’s forte! She is an award-winning writer and spent a great deal of time for drafting and revision.
[<em>] Math Rec: Most likely great.
[</em>] English Rec: Most likely great.
[<em>] Personal/Extracurricular Rec: Most likely great.
[</em>] Principal/Counselor Rec: Most likely great.
[<em>] Sports (if any): Fencing 2 years, Equestrian 3 years
[</em>] Instruments (if any): Violin (9 years, Concertmaster), Piano (5 years)
[<em>] Other ECs (if any): Painting/drawing; art museum camp counselor; arts program volunteer at a homeless shelter; NJHS; school literary and art magazine; theater; vocal; and more.
[</em>] Hook: Multiple national or regional awards in creative writing, visual arts, music, and science; Not sure whether Davidson young scholar or CTY SET counts as a hook…
[/ul]</p>
<p>Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: Mid Atlantic
[</em>] Current School Type: Large Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: ORM
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Grade Applying For: 10
[</em>] Age: 14
[li]Financial Aid/Full Pay: Full Pay[/li][/ul]</p>
<p>Strengths: Interests and accomplishments in many areas, including creative writing, visual arts, and music.
Weaknesses: No varsity no JV sports. The fact is that it was impossible to schedule both sports and EC at her public school, especially when she had so many things going on in arts. She had to choose and her priority was in arts.
Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?: Accepted probably because of strengths in academics and diverse EC accomplishments. WL probably because of “perceived” lack of focus, although I wonder how would she able to win so many awards if she couldn’t focus on what she was doing at any given activity. Also, DD is not comfortable selling herself and talking about her accomplishments, which probably has hurt.</p>
<p>General Comments: Advice for future parents: you should be involved as much as you can in advocating on behalf of your child during application process, doing research on prospective schools, arranging interviews and scheduling, etc., especially if you’re from a public school and not familiar with BS application process. Your child is already doing heavy lifting of taking care of academics, EC, sports, etc. Completing applications, writing essays, and traveling for interviews at odd times is like having a serious second job that can be stressful even to your supercharged teen. I regret that I didn’t do more, and I am sorry for DD. Think for a moment: many BS applicants come from junior BS and private day schools where applicants get plenty of help and guidance, and be prepared with a right balance of EC and sports desired by BS. DD is from a “District 12” where there are more than 400 students per guidance counselor. If you’re not involved, the playing field is not level. Even if you are, the odds are not in your favor. So use your discretion and do as much as you can. You just don’t do what your child is supposed to do–applications, essays, and interviews. In my opinion, everything else is a fair game.</p>
<p>In the end, we are very happy with our choice, Lawrenceville. The last thing that I’d like to share is that we didn’t appreciate its mission statement as much as we should have, when we had started the process. We now realize that it fits really well with who DD is. In retrospect, Lawrenceville has found her rather than the other way around. I am very thankful for that. </p>
<p>It’s a bummer that so many schools SPS, Andover, Hotchkiss, Choate, SAS, Middlesex waitlisted your d with stellar stats, ECs, and FP. I’m pretty sure it’s nothing to do with not having V, JV sports, I know a lot of kids without V, JV sports got into these schools from private middle schools. You applied to all HADES schools except Deerfield. Any specific reasons you can share with us? I have recently seen Deerfield admitting a good number of ORMs.</p>
<p>@rosie19 First, welcome to CC! Second, stats are only half the story. @SharingGift might not have felt Deerfield was a good fit. And lastly, she got three acceptances. What more could one ask for?</p>
<p>Nothing more. 
</p>
<p>Don’t waste time (yours or mine) in posting your guess of what others may be thinking.</p>
<p>@rosie19 While if she had a V or JV sports, that would have helped her a lot…definitely. But I agree with you, and I didn’t indicate that WL was due to sports. I actually think 2-3 years of two sports, regardless of level of participation, shows a real interest in keeping one’s body healthy and fit. I didn’t mention but she also had done a few years of dance and swimming… I guess I was selling her short. :-S That’s what happens when you have so many things to list and run out of space or time. Her interests in diverse arts are genuine, and I honestly think it’s healthy and desirable for her age. No apologies there. I put sports under weakness, simply relative to her other accomplishments. Nothing else.</p>
<p>The reason that DD didn’t apply to all HADES schools was, as @stargirl3 got it correctly, fit, or lack thereof. In addition to D, she also didn’t apply to E, so she ended up applying to HAS. 
Seriously, we didn’t feel that we had to complete the infamous acronym. </p>
<p>Accepted: Andover, Exeter, Deerfield
Rejected:
Wait listed:
Attending: Andover!</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 2320
[</em>] GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 4.0/4.2
[<em>] Rank: 1/400
[</em>] Other stats: 5’s on several AP exams
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Interviews: I surprisingly felt very much at ease throughout my interviews, and I felt like my personality shone well in each. Andover’s and Exeter’s were with alumni who lived nearby, while I Skyped for Deerfield’s.
[</em>] Essays: Quirky! I used a healthy amount of light humor so that the essays wouldn’t be bogged down by being completely serious and somber. For example, I wrote about my stretchy skin for Andover’s prompt of what I liked most about myself, comparing it to the resilience of my personality. I was very proud of my weird little essays
[<em>] Math Rec: 9-10/10. I perform well in my math class. My recommender also commented on how others in the class often seek math help from me and how I work to help them.
[</em>] English Rec: 6-7/10. I don’t really stand out in the class, so she probably didn’t rave about me all that much.
[<em>] Personal/Extracurricular Rec: 10/10. For Andover and Exeter, my violin teacher, who said that this recommendation was the best he had ever written for anyone. For Deerfield, my Latin teacher, who wrote that she didn’t want to be writing the recommendation so she could keep me in her class :’)
[</em>] Principal/Counselor Rec: 8-9/10. I’m good friends with my counselor, so she wrote highly of me.
[<em>] Sports (if any): None…
[</em>] Instruments (if any): Violin (which could be considered my varsity sport)
[<em>] Other ECs (if any): Student government council member, community service, quiz bowl, Latin Club, community and school orchestras
[</em>] Hook: Didn’t have a donation or URM status, but I do have a few pretty impressive violin accolades.
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: Virginia
[</em>] Current School Type: Public IB
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian-American
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Grade Applying For: 11
[</em>] Age: 15
[li]Financial Aid/Full Pay: 90% FA[/li][/ul]Strengths: Essays, violin resume, well-rounded, good recommendations
Weaknesses: Ethnicity, no sports, financial aid
Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?: I attribute these incredible acceptances to the essays because they showed my wit, thoughts, and personality. Sure, the rest of my application was fine and dandy, but I know that these essays really helped me stand out. Also, my music supplement was well-polished and showed my musical side well.
General Comments: Definitely write your essays to your advantage! My tip: write them as if you’re trying to make the admissions team fall in love with your good-natured humor. Don’t impress them with your thesaurus of a mind - show them how you’re mature enough to include both humor and wisdom in these essays.</p>
<p>Also, reach out to me if you’re applying to a school for the eleventh grade! I couldn’t have done it without the guidance of others on CC.</p>
<p>GO BIG BLUE!!</p>
<p>This is exactly the admissions crapshoot I was talking about in my previous posts. Both Limsanity and SharingGift’s daughter have similar stellar stats, ECs, both are ORM, limsanity got in with 90% FA and SharingGift’s daughter (though FP) was waitlisted at Andover, SPS etc.</p>
<p>@rosie19 Yes, it’s a crapshoot, I agree. But we don’t even know half the story, and admission isn’t based on stats alone.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yeah. That’s where the incredible holistic admissions process comes in where they get to look at if your parents are Bushes or Kanyes, whether you are an ORM or not, whether you are likely to donate a building in future or not.</p>
<p>@rosie19 It’s all about the best fit.</p>
<p>Having amazing ECs and a great financial situation do not necessarily guarantee you a spot in a top-tier boarding school. Always keep in mind that there are TONS of other applicants who are in the same circumstances as you.</p>
<p>How do the BSes determine who they accept with all these extraordinary applicants? THEY TURN TO THEIR FACULTY. If the orchestra director comes in and tells the admissions office: “I need a top-notch cello player!” the admissions office will automatically give those who have “cello” under their ECs more consideration. Yes, this may mean neglecting the violinist who played in Carnegie Hall and the singer who published a CD, but this is because they don’t NEED another violinist or another singer.</p>
<p>Or if the BSes find out that lacrosse players are in hot demand with the Ivy League schools, they’ll be more partial to the lacrosse-playing applicants.</p>
<p>Just remember that just because you’re waitlisted or rejected DOES NOT mean you’re a less qualified applicant. Also remember that attending a boarding school might not necessarily mean you’ll get into an Ivy League school, or even mean you’ll lead a happier life! EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON.</p>
<p>Well, I’m not sure the AO’s are concerned about how you’ll fit into the school, per say, but they’ll look at your academics, athletics, and more to judge how well they think you’ll do, and then accept you if they think you’ll do well.</p>
<p>@mrnephew I beg to differ. The AO’s want the applicants they accept to fill the voids in their schools. They want students who can fit in– and not only fit in– but also EXCEL at their schools (hence “best fit”).</p>
<p>Voids, yes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the student will succeed, or even fit in. I think you and I have a different definition of fitting in.</p>
<p>I agree that they accept kids who they think have the best chance of succeeding, and I’m sure that takes precedence over pretty much everything else, because it won’t matter how good you are at violin if you’re failing multiple subjects.</p>
<p>@mrnephew Maybe we do have different definitions of what “fitting in” is. I believe fitting in means being able to mesh well with the school’s faculty, your classmates… being able to fit in the community as a whole– being able to feel comfortable, to excel, to make connections.</p>
<p>I think, personally, that they look at all aspects of the students’ lives. That’s where teacher and parent recommendations come in- seeing other people’s perspectives on the applicant. Grades and SSAT scores help the schools realize whether the student is bright enough to handle the workload (SSAT) and whether they’re good student in terms of study skills (grades). ECs and sports help them see that the person is well-rounded. </p>
<p>I believe that’s the first step. If you won’t excel academically and socially, then you are not going to be accepted no matter what. Then, from that pile, they filter out the ones they need or want (URMs or legacies, wealth, talented kids in voids they need, etc). That’s how they narrow down the piles and then fill out their waitlist. Of course, this is all speculation, but I think both of y’all are correct.</p>