<p>Should I go the the A Better Chance system this time around?</p>
<p>Are you eligible? Have you contacted them yet?</p>
<p>No, I haven’t contacted them yet.</p>
<p>eligible=yes.</p>
<p>on second thought- that all seems REALLY complicated and it seems like it would be easier to do it normally. </p>
<p>Any thoughts on ABC?</p>
<p>I have some friends who went through abc- it may be a pain, but I think it’s definitely worth it. Most schools are a bit more committed to letting abc kids in and may be more generous with financial aid.</p>
<p>ABC advantages-
- If accepted, you will have someone advocating for you at the schools you are referred to.
- They have expertise in matching students with schools.<br>
- If accepted at a school as an ABC scholar, the school will meet your demonstrated fa needs, so no acceptance and waitlist for fa, if you need it.
- One application, four to six referrals and no application fee. </p>
<p>I don’t think there are many disadvantages, the main one in my opinion is lack of control over referrals, but you can always apply to schools directly and eliminate that problem.</p>
<p>can you do both?</p>
<p>Can someone explain the whole process to me? Their site wasn’t very straight forward and this is the summer.</p>
<p>It seems identical to the boarding school application with the exception that the deadlines are moved up. You have to send in test scores, have recommendations, and write essays, and the acceptance rate last year was like 30%…sorry I know that that was not helpful…I am confused as well</p>
<p>Yes, you can apply to ABC and apply directly to schools, that is the process my d used and I personally think it is the best route to go. The ABC application is due in October, you will be interviewed sometime after that and they will let you know if you are selected as a scholar in mid-January. If a school has a January deadline and you definitely want to attend that school, you will want to submit an application, just in case ABC does not select you or refer you to the school.</p>
<p>thanks! :]</p>
<p>anything else?</p>
<p>Dear Rad,</p>
<p>I was a big supporter of ABC when my d first applied, but she was not selected as a scholar and I didnt totally understand. I thought that she was not "worthy, but that was not the case at all. If you are not accepted as a scholar I would ask a lot of questions and get feedback. </p>
<p>It wasnt a matter of not “worthy” because my d is going to DA and was accepted at other places such as Exeter, L’ville, etc.</p>
<p>If you need more info just pm me==good luck.</p>
<p>I would not interpret a non-selection to ABC to be a sign that one is not “worthy”. They make judgment’s about who to accept just as the schools do and like the schools they undoubtedly get it wrong sometimes. I also think, without having any concrete information, they try to balance their selections geographically, economically and racially. Since nothing is guaranteed, I suggest you consider ABC and apply directly to schools.</p>
<p>Emdee- I am in agreement with you as to who ABC takes, but they could have been more helpful than just a NO. If I had not believed so strongly that bs was right for my d I would have given up and she would not be going in the fall. I felt and still feel that after the amount of time, paperwork and energy from both my d and myself we deserved more from them. </p>
<p>Just my 2 cents.</p>
<p>I think ABC has definite advantages as emdee stated. Only one application and no application fees is a HUGE advantage in my eyes. They also offer fee waivers for the SSAT, ISEE and SSS which are pretty generous (my family made about $68k last year and qualified for all waivers).</p>
<p>One thing emdee said is incorrect though. While the schools usually do make every effort to provide financial need to accepted students, it is NOT guaranteed just because a student is an ABC scholar. My DD was accepted at 2 schools with full need met, accepted at one but waitlisted for FA, and waitlisted at 2.</p>
<p>One thing that could potentially be a downfall is that the schools that work with ABC tend to only accept a certain amount of ABC kids (it varies each year though) so if your child is set on only one or two schools, it may not work out because of the number of other applicants. However, if you are open minded and willing to consider third, fourth or fifth choice schools, it can mean acceptance into a great school. After being accepted as a scholar, they do ask you to rank the schools and they do advocate for you. </p>
<p>My DD ultimately ended up at her third choice school (she was also accepted with full need FA at her fifth choice).</p>
<p>Good luck with whatever you decide.</p>
<p>Alexz-I would have wanted much more than a no also, it is a lot of work. I remember your d’s stats so it is perplexing that they would not select her. </p>
<p>For those considering ABC, I would suggest you talk with the regional coordinator before you apply, in fact I would call now. I had several conversations with our coordinator and she provided very specific information about what ABC was looking for, as well as the schools. She also offered to provide SSAT study materials. </p>
<p>MS-Wow that is surprising. I was told by our coordinator that the boarding schools agree to meet the demonstrated fa need of accepted students.</p>
<p>MS-we are in the same financial situation and I called each of the bs schools and asked for waivers for application and for SSAT, and all granted. Choate was the only school that said no, said I made too much money, thus i figured they would not give enough fa, thus we didnt apply nor visit.</p>
<p>If you begin gathering information and asking for help right after Labor Day, most schools will help.</p>
<p>“MS-Wow that is surprising. I was told by our coordinator that the boarding schools agree to meet the demonstrated fa need of accepted students.”</p>
<p>Hey emdee, maybe there is a difference between day and boarding? My DD only applied to local day schools as she is still in middle school so that may be why the process is different.</p>
<p>ABC IS THE BEST!!! GO for it!</p>