<p>I'm curious if anyone has heard anything about application numbers yet? I've heard from two sources that private and boarding school applications are up this year, but I'd like to know if this is more than anecdotal. Anyone heard from adcomms or other sources?</p>
<p>Most likely they are up, there was an increase last year as well.
However, with the fluctuating economy, it’s hard to say.</p>
<p>applications usually increase every year because more people find out the secret of boarding school…</p>
<p>My partner and I are not in agreement about this. I agree with you bookluvr – in this environment you’d be crazy NOT to – but he feels that there is an unwavering number of parents willing to part with their kids. Certainly I am surprised that there aren’t more around here who’d consider it. But now I am looking for numbers…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Maybe more people are realizing how NCLB gutted their public educational system of any opportunity for those children seeking excellence.</p>
<p>I don’t know. With or without China?</p>
<p>The US-based pool should be getting smaller, as I believe the peak of the boomer echo has passed. On the other hand, NCLB could drive families to look for alternatives.</p>
<p>With the bad economy, I think the applicant pool of Americans is probably shrinking or at least not growing very much. However, a lot of Chinese/Koreans are sending their children to American boarding schools. I have heard boarding school is particularly popular nowadays in Asia.</p>
<p>The economy has been bad since at least 2008 yet every year applications have increased. I would imagine that this year we will see another increase. With tax revenues declining due to eroded housing values, many school districts have been forced to make cuts causing a crowded classrooms and a further decline in educational quality. That, combined with the realization that we are in an increasingly competitive global job market, is causing more and more parents to look to private schools for quality education for their children.</p>
<p>People in Asian countries are crazy about US BS. Many students have amazing achievements. Great pressure for US students especially in need-blind schools.</p>
<p>I don’t know that the Asian factor has a stronger effect on need blind schools as most international students do not receive FA–schools are pretty clear about that on their FA pages. I suspect, though, that it makes it harder for the Asian kids from the U.S.</p>
<p>I doubt school stats are available for this year’s pool of applicants.</p>
<p>I can only speak for my family. We never intended to pursue private education for our child. My son decided that he wants to attend BS. Lack of challenge, no EC opportunities, many/some teachers who do not care, and NCLB are the primary reasons for his interest in a private education. Unfortunately, he does not have the resume of activities normally associated with successful BS applicants and therefore, it remains to be seen whether he will gain admittance on M10/2013. He will probably stay in the public system.</p>
<p>Some boarding schools have upwards of 20% international students and some as high as 50%. I would tend to think the economy has impacted the desirability of international (FP) candidates at the non-acronym schools.</p>
<p>weatherby don’t think you son doesn’t have resume because BS look at overall qualification with diversity. As long as he is not an Asian, you should be in the running especially if you are AA or H.</p>
<p>Thanks for the words of encouragement, Immersion, we are just Caucasian in a somewhat rural area where hunting and fishing are the most popular afterschool activities. He is just your average, nice, reasonably intelligent kid who does like to learn but he is not a genius or child prodigy. Other kids really like him and he has been described as the glue that holds the rest of them together.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Classicalmama, there are staggering numbers of affluent Asian families, whose children do not need financial aid. As the need blind schools are exceedingly prestigious, they are already on those families’ lists.</p>
<p>Right? I’ not disagreeing with that at all–just responding to f2000’s suggestion that there would be a higher number of overseas Asian kids applying to the schools because they were need blind–and that those students would “put pressure” on all other applicants. My point was that it might make it more difficult for Asian-American applicants (FP or FA), but probably wouldn’t affect other students. </p>
<p>Does that make any sense at all?</p>
<p>I understand your point, classicalmama. Weatherby, if your DC comes from a state that is under represented at boarding schools, that would help him.</p>
<p>The people from Asia that go to US boarding schools are the richest of the rich and probably have everything they want available to them. Perhaps I’m sounding a little mean, but the majority of people in those countries are pretty. Only the elite can actually afford it.</p>
<p>So full-pay applicants, whether from the States or another country, or more likely to gain admittance than a FA candidate (given strong, equal applications in the eyes of the AOs)?</p>
<p>@aubreygal: </p>
<p>Yes. That is generally the trend among prep schools. My waitlist letter from Choate explicitly said that my need of financial aid was a very big reason for not being accepted. At need-blind schools, like Andover, I don’t think FP/FA is as big of a deal. But at other prep schools, there is definitely an advantage to being full-pay.</p>
<p>I would suppose most private schools would prefer to accept a student who pays over one who does not. I have no data to support my opinion and I am merely going on logic. Two equal candidates and one can pay fully and the other cannot. Seems like an easy choice to me unless of course we are talking about the two completely need blind schools.</p>