Applications Up

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>I'd be interested in what people are hearing about increases in applications this year over last. This just in from Thacher: </p>

<p>The Thacher School is finishing its most successful admission season ever. Applications are currently up more than 30 percent compared to this time last year. This strong interest, combined with the School's category-leading yield rate (80 percent over the last five years), will likely drop the school's acceptance rate below last year's record-setting low 17 percent.</p>

2

<p>So what you’re saying is that come 2013, when my younger daughter will be applying to schools, there’s no way in HADES (hah!) that she’s getting in? ;-)</p>

3

<p>That is not surprising… Economy is recovering… More and more people discovered BS. Many family in Asia also found a bargain in America private schools…</p>

<p>I guess that the admission rate for some top-tier schools could drop to below 10% this year. (13% at DA last year).</p>

4

<p>@ThacherParent - I expect those application numbers were positively influenced by your willingness to share information with parents and students on this board who are open to options outside of the traditional “acronym” schools. Talk about a true “hidden gem” of a school! Keeping our fingers crossed for March 10 - but understanding how difficult admission to Thacher will be this year.</p>

5

<p>Cate reports its applications are also up again. Below I have pasted a recent blurb on the topic from the Cate website:</p>

<p>The Word Is Out</p>

<p>February 01, 2012</p>

<p>Students head to class on Cate’s Mesa.
Cate’s Office of Admission has received 550 applications from students seeking admission for the 2012-13 academic year, a 10 percent increase over last year’s applicant pool and a record for the school.</p>

<p>“We are thrilled that the interest level in our School is at an all-time high,” says Admission Director Charlotte Brownlee '85. “Cate offers a meaningful and authentic intellectual and personal experience, and that news is clearly spreading.”</p>

<p>Brownlee credits Cate campus visit program, during which prospective applicants and their families spend a day on the campus touring and meeting students and faculty, attending classes, assemblies and other campus events, with helping to attract a strong applicant pool. Five-hundred families, also a record number, have toured this year. After visiting, most submit an application.</p>

<p>“A visit day on the the Mesa is time well spent,” says Brownlee. “It gives a prospective applicant the chance to truly experience Cate through deep conversations with a range of students and faculty members. It’s also a time for us to meet with a group of young people with great ability and promise.”</p>

<p>This year’s applicant pool consists of students from 32 states and 26 countries. The bulk of the applicant increase is domestic, with the international applicant pool consistent with the previous year. 40% of the applicants are in public schools, while 60 percent currently attend parochial and independent schools.</p>

<p>Cate anticipates an incoming freshman class of 60 students, and a small number of new sophomores and juniors. Admission offers will be announced on March 10. Approximately one-third of the student body receives financial assistance, and next year the School will dedicate almost $3,000,000 toward need-based assistance.</p>

6

<p>I think California’s budget problems are pushing more parents to apply to private schools.</p>

7

<p>All states are having budget problems. You would think that private day schools would be greater beneficiaries than boarding schools. </p>

<p>My take on the increase in applications at Thacher (and Cate) is more aligned with Mountainhiker’s: TParent’s postings have had an impact, but probably small. The schools have certainly done better jobs of telling their own stories. But, most of all, it’s word of mouth. </p>

<p>We get pretty insular in our thinking here in the East that the best places are found along our own coast. It’s true that the MOST best boarding schools are on the right side, but Cate and Thacher are every bit their equal and may surpass us in specific areas </p>

<p>The other thing I found interesting in TParent’s post is the yield rate. I have harped on this site for a long time that yield and attrition rates are huge indicators of a school community’s health and the efficacy of its admission’s team. The big trifecta in my view is low admission’s rate, high yield, low attrition. Would-be parents are smart to dig for this information. If Thacher is at 17% admit, 80% yield and some tiny percentage on attrition, that would be a very powerful reason for its ascendency.</p>

8

<p>Thatcher also traveled with the Boarding School Consortium to many cities including our city way back in Sept. So the admissions team is definitely out and about spreading the news about their wonderful school.</p>

9

<p>Yes, we need some good BS in West coast to balance the overwhelming dominance of New England Bs. It can save a lot of travel spending for many families.</p>

10

<p>Parlabane, I respectfully disagree on the value of admission rate, yield and attrition as useful statistics for parents to follow. Those factors are under a school’s direct control. See: [Information</a> Processing: Revealed Preferences and College Rankings](<a href=“http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2004/10/revealed-preferences-and-college.html]Information”>Information Processing: Revealed Preferences and College Rankings) And: <a href=“http://www.tdy-perdiem.com/club1/college12.htm[/url]”>http://www.tdy-perdiem.com/club1/college12.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>As there are so many excellent boarding schools on the East Coast, yield is lower when there are more competitors.</p>

11

<p>Peri -It’s because they’re under a school’s control that these stats are so important. Unless the school lies about them, a low admission’s rate tells me about desirability and peer quality, a high yield tells me that the admission’s team has done a good job matching applicant to school (based on TParent’s comments in the past, this seems particularly critical at Thacher because the outdoors and horse programs are not for every kid), and a low attrition confirms that the admission’s team not only chose wisely BUT that the community is supportive and welcoming as a general rule. </p>

<p>I suppose that you can ascribe bad will on the part of a school in how they report these three stats (counting things they ought not to, like partially completed apps to drive down admission rates artificially etc), but I don’t think that’s the case with the best boarding schools and I choose to give them the benefit of the doubt. However, I do think there’s merit to your last point about the number of boarding schools driving down yield rates, although CA has quite a few boarding schools, too, aside from Cate and Thacher. </p>

<p>So yes, I suppose we disagree on the importance of admissions rate, yield and attrition, but assuming schools report accurately, I think that these three stats – taken together – tell a prospective parent more about the health of the community in which they’re placing their child than any other set of data. Everyone values boarding school outcomes differently for their child. Some put college admission at the top of the heap, or straight A’s, or lettering all four years, or learning independence etc. Maybe it’s the old hippie in me, but I value “good person” above all other outcomes: has the kid become someone who looks out for others, does the right thing when no one is looking, leaves more energy in a room than he or she takes out, behaves unselfishly, gives it their all, maintains a sense of balance etc. A healthy school community is more likely to produce these outcomes in my child. That’s why I like those stats.</p>

12

<p>Also looking at the exchange rate from Europe - the boarding school tuitions might start seeming like a bargain. Headed to London and realized I have to increase every price quote by 50% when setting the budget. Wish I were commuting in the reverse direction.</p>

13

<p>The Dollar/Euro and Dollar/Pound has increased by 20% over the past 3 years making US schools more expensive for foreign students and the reverse, making UK or Euro schools cheaper for US students.</p>

<p>Europe is still expensive, just not as bad as 2009.</p>

14

<p>The Hill school has seen a large application incline. Here is what the email said:
“Our office is buried deep into reading admission files and we love it! We have seen a 20% increase in both applications and interviews and we are looking at the largest applicant pool in school history.” - Yikes, I hope I still have a chance!</p>

15

<p>@ ballerina22</p>

<p>You should considering that Hill’s admission rate last year was pretty high (almost 40% I think). So a 20% increase will probably put them in the range of 30%-35%. Not high, but not terribly low if you are a solid applicant.</p>

16

<p>Argh, this app increase isn’t good for all us applicants :(</p>

17

<p>Don’t despair completely. I think some of the increase in applications at any one school comes from kids applying to more schools. A better source of data might be number of kids taking SSAT/TOEFL. Even those numbers may not be completely indicative because this year, for the first time, I see some New York City independent day schools are accepting SSAT scores for 9th grade admissions.</p>

18

<p>Andover’s Dean of Admissions blog post today (March 1, 2012) states that “Applications to Andover have hit a record 3,126, and this year’s overall admit rate is 14%, tied for the lowest in Academy history.”</p>

<p>[The</a> Dean?s Journal | Phillips Academy | Office of Admission](<a href=“Private Site”>http://padeansblog.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/)</p>

<p>Well, at least the admit rate has not decreased!</p>

19

<p>Andover Last year: </p>

<p>Admission Statistics</p>

<p>Preliminary Applications: 3,987
Completed Applications: 3,186
Admitted: 458
Matriculated: 361
(From public schools: 48%, From private schools: 46%
From parochial or home schools: 6%)</p>

20

<p>That’s 1.9% down isn’t it? And 14% admit rate 3 yrs in a row.</p>