Advice For Incoming Boarding School Applicants

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Okay, this is a board that will be posted on by those people who applied to boarding school this year and are going there next year (or not going) and what they would do differently. Some people who did apply (off the top of my head) were prettyckitty, blairt, tommeister, clz, itshelenmelon, ChipMonk, thinkpink123, AliJ, pumpkinyaz, Msu, abkatdance711, nikegolf, etc.</p>

<p>Post what you would have done differently, if you would have applied to more schools, withdrawn FA early on, not applied to some schools, applied to MORE schools, been more prepared for interview, done practice questions, etc.</p>

<p>Here’s mine:</p>

<li><p>I would have applied to more schools. As an incoming freshman, it’s good to apply to at least 6 schools - I think it was 3 reaches, 2 matches, and one safety. Sophomore year is about the same as freshman year, but incoming juniors should apply to at least 10 schools or more, as you can see. It’s hard that year.</p></li>
<li><p>I would have judged myself better. I didn’t realize the competitiveness of these schools, and I’m glad it turned out for me, but I can easily see ways in which it hadn’t. Even if you ARE QUALIFIED, you might not get into top schools. That’s a fact, and I realize it now. Don’t be so sure about it.</p></li>
<li><p>Prepare for interviews! I did this, but some people don’t and regret it. Have practice conversations with adults.</p></li>
<li><p>One thing that REALLY helped me was researching the schools. Don’t go on information other people tell you (i.e. "Oh, yes, there was a scandal at Happpy School a few years back, don’t apply there). Boardingschoolreview.com is a great resource for reading student reviews. Just go to a school and you’ll see them. Not that great a resource for SSAT/SAT averages, however.</p></li>
<li><p>Remember to have fun. Don’t be nervous during the interview, appreciate the schools when you see them, and don’t freak out if you don’t get in.</p></li>
<li><p>This is for bball2 - I’d say tell your friends after you’re accepted, and if the news leaks out, it’ll be fine. Just don’t tell EVERYONE where you’re applying beforehand, because if you get WL’ed/rejected, it’s not that fun to say so a hundred times a day.</p></li>
<li><p>Develop a “Needs to Have” list. For example, I knew that if I went to BS, the BS I went to would have to have roommates. That’s a reason I didn’t apply to Deerfield. I also knew I wanted a strong psychology department and a competitive atmosphere, but where I wouldn’t feel pressured to compete against others - just myself.</p></li>
<li><p>When you apply for FA, be careful. It can affect the admissions decision, so apply to as many schools as you can!</p></li>
</ol>

2

<p>This is very useful. Thanks Olivia!</p>

3

<p>Invaluable, timeless advice - I've repeated it about fifty times before, and will probably repeat it 100x more during my life. </p>

<p>Don't pick a school simply for its prestige, or average SAT scores, or HYP yield. Sure, these are nice things to consider, and I'm not saying they shouldn't be factors, but they should NOT on any accounts be the deciding or major factor. </p>

<p>Pick the school that fits YOU. Visit the campus. Nothing, not the school brochure, websites, or anything, will describe the feeling of the school more accurately than the school itself. Do you like the kids? The atmosphere? The mentality? Do you think YOU can be happy there, thrive and nourish well? What looks well on paper could feel all wrong in actuality. What looks so-so on paper could have exactly the spark you're looking for.</p>

<p>Obviously, this is not an anti-prestige rant, either. Some kids find their dream school in Andover. Others in say, Westminster. </p>

<p>Whatever fits you. </p>

<p>Time for math hw....</p>

4

<p>i would say a lot of what oliva said...
especially the applying to more schools comment.
but seriously--you HAVE to be happy with ANY school you apply to.
in fact, i went in to the process thinking i had two favorites and it was just a competition between them and ended up going to the third (and "least favorite") of the three.
what can i say--i changed my mind...
AND I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT IT!!!</p>

<p>also, the process is long and hard, but if you keep it fun, then you'll enjoy it and get more out of it.</p>

<p>peace,
cc</p>

5

<p>If financial aid is necessary, pick schools where you will be in the top 25% of the applicants. It does factor into decisions.</p>

6

<p>Try to interview last for the schools you REALLY want to go to, and interview first for schools that you're not too excited about/are safeties. This way you get more practice, and its not as big a loss if you horribly mess up your interview.</p>

<p>Oh, and a hook can help alot. Try starting something unique (that you like) about a year in advance and mention it in your interview. It can be anything from pyrotechnics to welding to falconry.</p>

<p>Yeah, and be sure to check out the students at the schools to make sure that the school is supportive/friendly (or competitive, if thats the way you want it).</p>

7

<p>Apply to enough schools (I think six is good), but not too many schools. I applied to eleven. (Read: too many :D) Lots of essays, lots of visits, lots of interivews, and lots of teachers annoyed because you're missing school and not doing your homework because of those interviews and essays. (Kidding, kind of. It is pretty managable, and I got all of mine done by Christmas, but don't go overboard.)
One thing that I don't know I actually would have done differently, but a lot of people have told me I should have done differently, was that I put an extracurricular--fencing--on each list for extracurriculars. It is perfectly possible that it was a coincidence, but it so happened that the three schools I was waitlisted at were the three that did not have fencing. Keep in mind that they will note it if you have a passion for something they do not offer--and, in terms of yield, they might worry about it.</p>

8

<p>After sending your essays, call the school to make sure that they received it. Same with other additional things you send them. I remember that someone in this board sent their essays or something and it turned out on March 10 that the school didn't receive it.</p>

9

<p>I'd say a lot of the points mentioned above :)
and also, when you are writing the application and filling out the forms and stuff, make sure you spend enough time on it. Don't leave it til the last minute and then procrastinate.
I would personally go tour some schools if possible beforehand and do a first round elimination before you actually apply. It's a waste of time writing an application for a school you don't even want to go to.
And also, I STRONGLY AGREE with olivia's 2nd point.
remember to study study study for the ssat...its not the most important but im sure you would like to get a good score on it.</p>

10

<p>do your interviews on campus. </p>

<p>my interviewer (off campus) messed up and didnt send in the forms in time.</p>

<p>also call and check that they received everything before march 10th!</p>

<p>good luck!</p>

11

<p>uhh... haha realizing that Andover only accepted about 15% of ppl who applied for 11th grade. (this is straight from the horse's mouth lol) </p>

<p>most importantly i think (ok this is really hard to do... but just try not to set urself up for immediate 'sucess' or acceptance i guess? cuz like alot of ppl here, i definitely underestimated the competition for AEDCS schools. theres some pretty amazing candidates out there, and theres always gonna be someone 'smarter' more talented, more 'accomplished' than you are. tho it was fairly frustrated at first (ok, REALLY annoying) keep in mind that it could also be turned into something really inspiring in a way. :) imean, afterall that was one of the main reasons why i choose to apply to exeter/andover in the first place: to be surrounded by all these incredibly bright and motivated kids, uknow? :)</p>

12

<p>but hey- im coming back next yr and trying again. ;) loll those adcoms havent seen the last of me yet! :D</p>

13

<p>My D applied to 10 schools and one of the ways that she managed to do all the applications was by </p>

<p>A) filling out all the common information first
B) listing ALL the Essay topics on one sheet of paper.. and then picking 2 that could be modified to fit MOST of the schools
C) spending another few hours on the phones making sure every school had recived everything</p>

<p>Visit the schools if you can... it is THE most important thing that you can do</p>

<p>FA: Only apply if there is no other way for you to pay for the school. FA does make the process more competitive and last thing you want is regret after the schools says "sorry".</p>

<p>Good luck every one</p>

14

<p>I'm not sure if I added this, but IT IS IMPORTANT:</p>

<p>The way I decided on a school when I visited was the feeling I got about the place. I've heard other people say this and I've even seen it in a quote in a school catalogue, but...</p>

<p>You can tell if you fall in love with a school by the feeling you get about it when you visit. You can look around and see yourself there; you can know that you will succeed there. When I visited Choate a year ago in the summer, I knew that I wanted to go there. I could see myself on the campus; I could see myself there a year from then. And when I got WLed, I second-guessed myself a little. But I really do feel like that is the best school for me. I'm glad things turned out the way they did. I'm glad I rejected my dad's offer for his friend to call up someone at Andover, because if I got in, I wouldn't be as happy. When I visited Choate, I got this nervous, excited feeling in my gut that made me know I would belong there.</p>

<p>GOOD LUCK!! And to all you 7th graders, PM me for my email if you want to chat. I think it's also on my public profile.</p>

15

<p>Also, I'd reccommend taking the SSAT's in either November or December. Even though I took the SSATs in January and scored well, it's nice to take them earlier so you still have opportunities to test again if you didn't get the score that you wanted.</p>

16

<p>I don't regret much that I did (except not working my hardest in school) but I have good advice on what to do nonetheless. I would advise everyone to get to work on applications pretty much right after the tour/interview. Do this so that you already have an idea of the school before writing applications. When you do write applications don't let it interfere with school work, and just work like crazy on them over weekends. As has already been said I would suggest applying to about 6 schools. Besides this, you need to have one activity that really makes you special. During interviews just stay relaxed. If they ask you a hard question, stay silent for a few seconds and think about the start to an answer, then say that it was a good question well continuing to think about a good answer and then pause for a second more while thinking and then while you are giving the beggining of your answer, think on how to continue it. (THIS METHOD FOR HARD QUESTIONS WORKS!!! Especially if you have experience acting like me.) The interviewer doesn't notice the pause very much and is very impressed when you give a more thorough answer to the question than most applicants. This skill in interviewing could very well be what got me into Choate. Lastly, take a practice lower level SSAT test in the spring and then take the upper level test at least twice so that you can choose the better of two scores.</p>

17

<p>I know this is an old thread, but I thought there was some valuable tips posted here--so I am bumping this up for all the "new kids on the block".</p>

18

<p>Coming from a current Exonian senior....</p>

<p>I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. The feeling you get when you visit is the "right" feeling, not the feeling you get from the guidebook. I absolutely hated Exeter when I visited - really hated, told my mother I wouldn't go under any circumstances. I loved Andover and Hotchkiss (perhaps especially Hotchkiss) But then I started looking at the viewbook - I loved Exeter intellectually, loved its reputation (not necessarily as the most prestigious but as the most...nerdy), loved the course catalog, and lo and behold I made Exeter my first choice and went there.</p>

<p>My experience hasn't been awful, but that cold, miserable, general depressing feeling I got on my interview day has been prevalent throughout my three years of campus experience. As it turns out, they changed the viewbook (which had formerly been very "classical," traditional, etc) to reflect the "new" ethos of campus (much more "fun," "laid-back") my prep fall...</p>

<p>What can I say? Don't judge a book by its...well, you know.</p>

19

<p>"that cold, miserable, general depressing feeling I got on my interview day"
That is the feeling we had when we brought my older son. It truly is about fit.</p>

20

<p>I really didn't like Exeter's viewbook and their website. It looks so unorganized.</p>

<p>What made you like Hotchkiss, ajadedidealist?</p>