Sam Edelman has nice boots that I saw a lot of girls wearing. I personally wore a J-crew skirt and sweater, but I saw a wide range of outfits
Thank you for your suggestions! I’m sure we’ll find something ‘just right’ for my daughter – I’m feeling that she’ll go with a simple dress, so now the search is on for something age-appropriate for a rising 5th-grader!
hi !
I’m wondering if anyone had success applying with ABC as a 10th grader?
@hjcjen not me, my child is just entering 5th grade. ABC works 18 months or so in advance so I’d be curious also if anyone has been successful applying for 12th grade. Do you plan on applying?
I applied early this year and got accepted into the cohort; however, I’m not sure if any of the schools accept students going to the 11th grade with FA ?
Congratulations! My guess would be that if they accepted you then there has to be a chance! Good luck!!!
It could be that they would accept students into the community schools for the 10th grade and higher. However, if you are interested for 10th grade then you are currently entering 8th grade applying since it is an 18 months process.
An incoming 10th grader who is already in the cohort would be applying for 11th grade. It’s also possible for the student to repeat 10th. Generally, I think that students going into the community schools are going into 9th. My son interviewed at a number of the community school programs and they were just interviewing incoming 9th graders. I think occasionally kids decide to leave the programs, however, I don’t believe that they will attempt to place the upper school slots.
I was just looking at a few member school websites doing some admissions research and wondered if anyone can tell me if the parents are also interviewed if we apply through ABC – or is it just the kids? I know that there are a few slight changes in the admission process but I don’t think I’ve heard anyone mention it yet. I’m assuming yes…
At the admissions workshop in NYC they said most schools do require a parent interviews but it depends on the schools popularity. For example they mention some New York City day schools won’t even call back ABC referred Students because they are so inundated with applicants. Of the schools we are considering I looked at their website and they all have listed they require parent interviews in their admissions checklist but this may just apply to our location.
Thank you, I thought so but it’s sometimes hard to know which parts of the ABC process are exactly the same. I did look at the schools and some make it clear that the parents are interviewed and some are less so. I have to say, the closer we get to actually jumping fully in with referrals, the more nervous I’m getting. That definitely concerns me, the idea of not even getting a look in because of so many applications – the only light I can see in that respect is that we’re not out of options if ABC doesn’t work for us this year…but I hope it does!!! Was anything said about optional references? I see that with a couple of schools application you can include, for instance a coach or extra-curricular recommendation?
A parent asked about optional references and the response was it depends on the school. Once again it could be an NYC market thing but they said for some schools you have to follow their instructions clearly. If in doubt ABC will let you know. I am not sure about your region but I getting the feeling that the most popular NYC schools are very rigid in their process. ABC mentioned that CT schools are more friendly and welcoming and as soon as you are referred you can call them directly and make arrangements to visit and interview. On the other hand certain NYC schools will say don’t call us we will call you. One other thing about NYC is that you have to open another account on Ravenna as most schools require it. Not sure if it will apply to your region. Also if you are testing with ABC you will get a fee waiver if you qualify as determined by the testing agency. If you don’t qualify you will have to pay full fee via cashiers check or money order the morning of test.
I’m so glad I have the admissions workshop this weekend because I have so many questions!!! I did already open the Ravenna account, seems like the schools here use it too. I’m totally confused though because that’s how we’re technically supposed to apply, online like that. All I can say is that this weekend cannot come quickly enough for me and hopefully I can get my questions answered and some clarity!
@SkysTheLimit2007 Don’t sweat about the ravenna account. We used Ravenna for a few schools last year. Basically you start the account and put in some of the demographic information. ABC will forward the other things such as recommendations, grades and essays. The Ravenna portal is just the school’s way of managing that information. I found Ravenna to be helpful because you can see when the school uploads your information into their portal. It was mroe confusing when they didn’t do that. It will also inform you when you have everything submitted and your application is complete. If I remember correctly, ABC forwards your application through drop box and they put upload everything directly into your account.
Many schools also have their admissions decisions available through the portal as well.
Thank you @Momto4kids – I was at the Admissions 101 yesterday and they went over exactly what you had written! The session was really great in answering lingering questions and really pinpointing the process. I feel so much better after attending.
Big weekend this weekend-- Admissions 101 yesterday and my kiddo is sitting the ISEE today, as we speak!
I read all the posts in this particular thread and I wanted to add my two cents in. My son was a cohort when he was in sixth grade, which means he applied for 8th-grade admission. He was referred to several schools and received acceptances to a few. Only one member school offered financial aid and it was not enough for our family to afford. We had applied to a junior boarding school (not a member school) as a contingency plan and thankfully he was offered placement there with adequate financial aid. This school finishes in 9th grade, therefore we are applying for 10th admissions now. We thought we would give ABC another go. He was accepted into the cohort. We attended the Admissions 101 workshop in Manhattan. The new North East program coordinator is quite different from the previous coordinator. From what I can tell, ABC’s policies have not changed much in the past two years. I can tell you that this is an intense process and ABC provides valuable guidance. Much of the legwork is left up to the parents and their student/s.If you are applying for financial aid, the more schools that you can apply to the better. Yes; it is very stressful, but remember there are a lot of students applying for financial aid. Not only are you competing with current ABC cohort applicants, but other programs, like Oliver Scholars, Prep for Prep, SEEDS, Wright Foundation, Breaththrough NY, Teak Fellowship and Boys Club of NY, just to name a few. My son applied to 21 one schools, a combination of days and boarding schools. The odds were especially against him because many day schools were not accepting incoming 8th graders and there are only 10 junior boarding schools in the USA, and just a handful of secondary schools (boarding schools) that offer 8th grade. @SkysTheLimit2007 I wish you good luck and prepare for a roller coaster ride!
Thank you @Serioussweetie this is indeed a roller coaster ride! Thankfully there aren’t as many outside organizations to compete with in this area, but I do know of one other that I considered before ABC. There are more than enough kids applying in general anyway, so competition is always steep. I so value the information from folks here and with ABC though…
My daughter has finally gotten the ISEE and SSAT under her belt so now we can really focus on essays. We went to visit another school today and so we’re slowly, slowly getting through this process!
@SkysTheLimit2007 We are done with SSAT and ISEE too so on to the essays as well! Not sure how your ISEE registration went but NYC line was wrapped around the block… Competition is steep indeed. I have identified another non ABC school and I found it interesting that they even suggested a plan B in one of the latest emails. Are you attending the Mass fair next weekend? It seems like it is only Mass schools. The NYC fair is Oct 1.
@SkysTheLimit2007 , it sounds like you are doing well. Good luck to you and your daughter! Yes, it’s always a good idea to have a plan B and even a plan C sometimes! Essays are my favorite part of the process. It gives the student a way to express themselves and really share more about them in a creative way. Tests don’t always show the whole picture.
@magnetnh I’m happy that the tests are out of the way – I know my daughter is!!! She did fine with the ISEE and we’re just waiting for the results of the SSAT, which she found a challenge. She might sit the ISEE again at the beginning of December though, but we’ll see how it goes. We’re off the the Diversity Fair tomorrow – we went to a similar one already a couple of weeks ago where we met representatives from a few member schools. Last week we also looked at another member school and funny enough the representative remembered my daughter from the fair the week before! I’m looking forward to the Fair tomorrow though and yes, it’s New England schools there.
Thank you @Serioussweetie – my daughter has finally finished her essay and personal statement and I’m hoping she can submit it today! She’s actually glad to be done and ready for the next step. This has been an uphill road so far!