I never expected the process to be time so long. Between the visits, interviews, applications and more it took most a lot of time and my kid only applied to a handful of schools. If someone had told me what the process entailed, I might have paused before going through it. That said, I think it was a good experience, a life lesson in many respects and clarified for my child what s/he wanted in their high school years. It also clarified for me a lot of what’s wrong with the current school and administration.
I will leave you all with a bit a laugh.
On the twentieth go around in edits for the various essays: Me: “Let’s just see if we can finish up today” Her/Him: “Oh, please I want the writing to be perfect. Why can’t it just be perfect the first time I write it” Me: “Well, you are not exactly Hemingway” and even he rewrote. “Well I bet Hemingway didn’t have to do these stupid essays” Yep, no he didn’t but then again he didn’t get into (fill in the blank). We both laughed.
YES!
Yes! But here comes the waiting game… :((
Not everyone is done, as some schools have a Feb 1 deadline…but the end of the arduous process is coming to a close and I congratulate those who completed it successfully and without breakdown, because it is very painstaking. I concur with @Happytimes2001 that to know the details involved ahead of time would have given most of us pause…my DS said last night that he had been reflecting yesterday on this time last year. He realized although that he was exhausted by the application process (in addition to his academic load). But he also was dreaming of BS, excited about the opportunities ahead and praying he’d get into a top choice. Then he said he realized how different things turned out than he expected.
I really didn’t get much involved in DS’s process. I made interview appointments when he couldn’t because of school hour conflicts, but he scheduled most of them. He emailed coaches, wrote esssays, asked for transcripts and letter recommendations and followed up on their timelines…I completed my parent questions and paid the fees, not to mention travel expenses. I flew across the country a few times for interview trips. It was exhausting. And worth every second. I’m glad I get a few years off before round 2 with DD.
To @willmo 'S statement…we played Tom Petty incessantly between February 1 and M10. The waiting is truly the hardest part! Good Luck, everyone! [-O<
Then comes Andover’s Feb 1st and MX’s Jan 31’st :’(
@altablue that is exactly what I remember from last year! Hang in there…you’re almost there!
We are sad that this process is over - it was so much fun visiting the schools and meeting so many wonderful people…also a great experience watching my kid work on the applications…I will miss it…Oh, wait!! We get to do something like this in 4 years from now :))
@Golfgr8 you could always add some last minute schools to your list!!! ROTFL
Do you know any last minute boarding schools I can apply to after March?? ( Just in case I don’t get accepted into any schools 
)
@chipotlegirl123 there are some out there with rolling admissions…this was actually a thread last Springboro no for a parent with a daughter looking after M10… but as for you, I say we keep that thread quiet for now.
I have every faith that it will not need to be referenced!!
Waiting for M10 is agonizing, then there will be some celebrating and some disappointment. D2’s top three choices were waitlists, but she ended up at a top school which turned out to be a good fit. Good Luck everyone! Remember, life is about making good on opportunities that come your way. If they don’t come your way, you can’t do much about it. You just have to look for your next opportunity. A tough lesson to learn no doubt, where the heart is involved, but a good one nonetheless.
@preppedparent I couldn’t agree more! M10 was a shocker for us and DS’s top choice (and practically all others but 1) was WL. I think because it is a school mentioned here on a daily basis and the fact that he really felt like he couldn’t have put together an application any better than he did, he felt extremely rejected and it was hard to accept his #2 school’s fabulous offer without a tinge of remorse (not to mention he couldn’t shake the “why’s”). But now, both he and I look back and we know #2 was really his #1 all along…it just sits under the shadows of big names as a hidden gem, so at the time he thought it should be ranked higher in his mind, too. Now, he couldn’t be happier and i don’t think there’s a better fit for him anywhere else!
As for the waiting…maybe kids/parents can start a fun fact thread where people can post a fun or ridiculous fact…we did it at home last year (I hadn’t quite discovered CC yet)…it sparks some fun conversations and helps pass the time!
Agree @buuzn03 Help your kids NOT give their heart away too soon. I remember the rosy, warm, loving glow for Hotchkiss, Groton and Milton. But in the end, kiddo 2 went the way of the Wild Boar and loved it. Now almost 2 years post graduation, has at least 1 very good, genuine friend who drove several hundred miles to see her over this holiday break. He is a freshman in college on the East coast. She is a sophomore on the West Coast. That’s friendship. Don’t let your students fall prey to declaring their love and giving their heart away too soon before decisions come out–Love the school that loves you!
Agree with Preppedparent. We weren’t even going to go the BS route as a family( our public school is really good). But decided you cannot RSVP until you have an invite. After collecting all of the data, I now see some real advantages of BS ( except for the 200k price tag!). Still, BS’s are very competitive and even if your kid shines in all areas, there are many others who do as well. Putting together the best application has taken work for an 8th grader but it’s good to see your options. It is also good to accept as an 8th/9th grader that you don’t always get what you want. It is also good to see that there are so many accomplished kids out there. The path for kids isn’t the name brand, but the brand that’s best for them.
I’m not done yet! I want to keep polishing my Andover essay until the 20th… And then the waiting will begin.