Asking for parents' advice ahead of interview

Prep School Admissions Prep School Parents
1

<p>We're about to arrive in the US for a week long marathon of school tours and interviews. We will be touring Exeter, Andover, Groton, Middlesex and Concord Academy.</p>

<p>Could current BS parents offer us tips or advice on the do's and dont's during the school tour and interview process? Anything we should emphasize or avoid? If you had one thing to do over again during your BS application process what would it be?</p>

<p>Some background info -</p>

<p>We're a bit of a different family. My wife is from Sweden while I am from the US. We're all dual citizens and our two boys, ages 12 and 14, are bilingual in both languages. We're currently living in Spain and the kids are learning Spanish at a rapid clip as well.</p>

<p>Our 14 year old will apply to all of the schools above. Our 12 year old will apply to Groton. We won't be asking for FA.</p>

<p>14 year old stats -</p>

<p>95% SSAT (high math, lower verbal/reading)
Grades were 9 A's and 2 B's last semester
Tennis & sailing, gifted athlete
Plays guitar, gives school concerts
Active in community service in Sweden and Spain
Ranked 16th in Sweden's Rubik's Cube championship</p>

<p>12 year old stats -</p>

<p>95% SSAT
High honors (we don't receive grades in Swedish schools until 8th grade)
Equestrian dressage and jumping
Drama - many plays, chosen for role on Disney Channel Scandinavia
Plays guitar and piano
Active in community service in Sweden and Spain
Self taught computer programmer, has published own game modules in Java</p>

2

<p>Hi Intldad,</p>

<p>My daughter is now at Andover and last year we were new to the BS application and lifestyle. Here’s some things I learned:</p>

<p>Each of the schools on your list are really amazing places which will impress the heck out of you. As impressed as you are though, your kids will be the ones living there and they will pick up some nuances which will lead to a declaration of they ‘like’ it, or not. </p>

<p>Try to do some random wandering around campus and the town. </p>

<p>They won’t always express the underlying reason directly to you, however, if you can be restrained and objective, they will, most likely, open up. </p>

<p>If they have special interests in sports or clubs, see if you can arrange to meet the people involved in them at the prospective schools. </p>

<p>Good luck and enjoy your kids on the trip!</p>

3

<p>@IntlDadof2,</p>

<p>Your kids are very attractive candidates. Nevertheless, please be aware that all the schools on your list are VERY challenging to be admitted into, even with an exotic background like your kids’.</p>

<p>If it is is urgent to get BOTH your boys into BS next fall, then I STRONGLY urge you to apply to more than 1 school for your younger boy.</p>

4

<p>My guess is the younger one is for entering the 8th grade at Groton in which case I would consider, just in case, a Pre-prep such as Eaglebrook, Cardigan or Fay. Good luck.</p>

5

<p>Groton applicants for 8th grade are competing for very few spots with the children of the Groton faculty; it is unclear how many “real” openings there actually are, and siblings may get an advantage. Check the admission statistics for Groton on the CC thread “admitted students”, I think there was one admission we heard about, don’t remember if they had a hook.</p>

<p>For 9th grader, the dual citizenship from Sweden may help, it is an uncommon country for applicants, so make sure to mention it. Sailing is not a common BS sport, but tennis will help; you may want to send a DVD of athletic performance in a game. Realize you may well be competing against national champions for admission, so be careful with the “gifted athlete” phrase. Guitar is not likely to contribute to the orchestras either. </p>

<p>Know a lot about each school, they will ask why you want to attend that particular school. Do your homework. If the kids are rusty with Americanisms, have them practice a bit with people here, explaining what’s special about them, and why specifically it will be a good match for that school.</p>

<p>Please realize that for every student admitted, 7 or 8 more extremely well qualified students are turned down to most of the schools you list. IMHO, full pay does not significantly help. Increase the number of “safeties” if you do not have a good local back-up plan.</p>

<p>And yes, they sound like awesome kids. Congratulations.</p>

6

<p>If the kids are set on attending boarding school next fall, my recommendation would be to add a few more schools to your list that are not quite so selective. Your kids’ credentials are impressive, but the schools you mention get deluged with applications. I concur with ops on the pre-prep suggestion for your younger son. The pre-preps go through 9th grade. Our son had a fantastic experience at one. Feel free to email or PM me for details.</p>

7

<p>Awesome feedback everyone! Thanks so much.</p>

<p>Unfortunately one can’t send PM’s here until the account has 15 posts apparently, though receiving them works.</p>

8

<p>Please make sure both boys know something (in advance!) about the schools they’ll be visiting. During interviews, it is likely they will each be asked not only “Why boarding school?”, but also “Why this boarding school?” It will be helpful if they have something to say other than “Uh, I dunno. This is where my dad brought us after we got off the plane . . .”</p>

<p>You might want to take a look at this helpful thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/971599-interview-questions.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/971599-interview-questions.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>For less competitive schools that offer sailing (for your older son), I’d recommend both Dublin School (in New Hampshire) and Tabor Academy (in Massachusetts).</p>

<p>Lycka till!</p>

9

<p>hey dodgersmom, welcome back! :-)</p>

10

<p>Not sure if you can still manage it, but consider Milton Academy while you are in town. The academics and faculty are strong. The campus is large and convenient to Boston, e.g. field trips to the Museum of Fine Arts are easy. An amazing number of the kids are simultaneously KIND, highly intelligent and creative. They happen to have a dynamite Spanish department. Milton will also appreciate the drama, music and service activities that your kids enjoy.</p>

11

<p>P.S. agree with ops that Fay is a decent boarding school option for your 12 year old if he does not get into Groton</p>

12

<p>I wanted to follow up on this old thread in the hope it will help others -</p>

<p>Of the four GLADCHEMMS plus CA applied to, older son will attend one of his two favorites.</p>

<p>Younger son did not get into Groton and will attend a private K-9 school in the area. (Hopefully to follow older brother in a couple of years).</p>

<p>After visiting, we ranked the schools as -</p>

<p>Middlesex
Groton
Exeter
Concord Academy
Andover</p>

<p>Notes for intrepid, prospective BS parents that follow in our footsteps -</p>

<p>SSAT</p>

<p>The SSAT scores listed above were estimates from previous years and practice tests.</p>

<p>When we showed up in the USA for a week’s worth of interviews, we foolishly signed our kids up for the SSAT on the Saturday to follow. I would write the word D-U-M-B describing that decision in capital letters, but that doesn’t even come close to covering the results. Both kids did horribly on that test, despite having taken it before and prepping for several months. A word of advice, whatever anyone tells you, in our experience the SSAT is a major filter for BS admission. Don’t take it lightly. Schedule it as a major event and give it all of the focus you can. Learn from our biggest stumble.</p>

<p>Fortunately older son was able to retake it in Europe and scored a 92%. It was less than his previous score but a major improvement over the 77% he received in the USA. Result: rejection or waitlist for the schools that refused to accept it, accepted by the schools that did.</p>

<p>School Impressions</p>

<p>Middlesex – gorgeous campus, engaged students, thriving atmosphere, wonderful staff. We especially liked the tradition that every senior leaves their mark on Middlesex by hand carving a plaque with their own design that becomes a permanent part of the school. The staff kept in constant touch with us throughout the process and was very proactive in helping and answering questions.</p>

<p>Opinion: a rising star on its way higher. Our #1 after the visit and throughout the application process.</p>

<p>Groton – ah, what a school! The campus is as beautiful as Middlesex’ but bit smaller and homier. The staff was welcoming and engaging. We felt like we were meeting family rather than applying to boarding school. They remained in constant touch throughout the application process and knew our sons by name.</p>

<p>Opinion: thank your lucky stars if your child can attend Groton. A truly special, wonderful place.</p>

<p>Exeter – imposing, hard core academics, a bit of a museum atmosphere, with students and staff laser-focused on academics. The facilities are a bit over the top in some respects and more reminiscent of a small university than a boarding school. The staff remained in cordial touch with us but no warm fuzzies.</p>

<p>Opinion: for the self-launched student who needs little support and always ends up on top. Certainly a top school deserving of its reputation. But a bit intimidating and museum like.</p>

<p>Concord Academy – odd school that seemed to be trying hard to fit into a GLADCHEMMS mold and coming up a bit short. Campus is small. The sports center 1 1/2 miles away. Boarding students live in a row of old homes on the main street and are locked out during the day “to keep things equal with day students”. Teachers seemed unenthusiastic. Though the parents of current and former students seemed very happy with CA.</p>

<p>Opinion: could be the right school for the right student. Definitely a departure from GLADCHEMMS, though the CA administration doesn’t seem to understand this a plus, not a minus, for many prospective applicants.</p>

<p>Phillips Andover – what a disappointment. 30 of us squeezed into an anteroom and forced to watch a decade-old, fuzzy VHS tape for 20 minutes, then called in like cattle for our turn. My son, whose passion is technology (i.e. “nerd”), was interviewed by the basketball coach whose passion is … basketball. While the son of a father across from us, whose passion was basketball, interviewed with a lanky guy whose passion was…well, you get the picture. Seemed like a dusty old museum run by an out of touch bureaucracy resting on the laurels of past achievements.</p>

<p>Opinion: ours doesn’t matter since the school has an 87% matriculation rate. Definitely not the place for us.</p>

13

<p>Glad to hear about your older’s son success, and thank you for the wonderful and personal appraisal of the schools you visited!!!</p>

<p>And, luckily, most parents won’t have to deal with the issue of their kids trying to take the SSAT within days of getting off a flight from Europe. But point taken . . . . don’t schedule the SSAT at the same time as interviews or any other major event in the student’s life!</p>

<p>(But now that you’ve made your one and only major mistake as a parent, it should be smooth sailing from here on in, right? :D)</p>

<p>Are you willing to share which school your son will be attending?</p>

14

<p>I’ll update the thread here when the final decision is set in stone - i.e. after April 10th.</p>

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<p>I think the best attitude for an interview is being natural. We did not try to help our son prepare for the answers. A calibrated and well-prepared answer influenced by adults would not be very much appreciated. They want answers by a kid, not adult. The school would want to know the ‘real’ student. </p>

<p>My son is a rather shy and quiet person. We were worried if he would choke during the interviews and fail to show them who he is. All the interviewers at the schools said he was very natural and they had so much fun with him. We were surprised and delighted to hear that. Your children will do just fine by being very natural. </p>

<p>They seem to have so many things to talk about. Their various exposure to different countries alone should be their strength and I believe the schools may love it. All the best!</p>

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<p>Hey IntlDadof2,</p>

<p>Congratulations on navigating a difficult terrain; your family has some wonderful choices and it’s great that you are focused on fit, rather than ‘names’. I have a daughter at Andover and it sounds like they could have done a much better job with you guys. Fortunately, we’ve seen a culture which aspires towards constant improvement and I hope they will learn from losing a great applicant and do better next time. </p>

<p>Oh, one point about the coaches. The coach of my daughter’s team has a PHD in Physics and the Associate Dean of Admissions, who reads for 9th grade, is an ex-professional basketball player who has a Masters degree in education. I hope that he just had an ‘off’ day and he can successfully relate to all kids, including ‘nerds’ (of which, Andover has more than its fair share).</p>

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<p>I wasn’t knocking the coach, just the process. Our guess was Andover had long since filled all available spots and was being “nice” to our group of stragglers. </p>

<p>Still, it left a very bad and lasting impression on us. I’m glad your experiences there do not mirror ours.</p>

<p>Our particular coach was a very nice guy who talked basketball for 20 minutes according to our son. He told us he was a fifth year senior at Andover, on the b-ball team, who stayed on afterward to coach. Nice guy, terrible fit for the interview.</p>

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<p>IntlDad</p>

<p>Thanks very much for coming back and posting your results and experience. Best of luck to the boys next year!</p>

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<p>@IntlDadof2</p>

<p>Welcome back! What a great group of posts and what a great attitude. So valuable for the families just starting the process and nicely balanced. So glad you found good solutions for your children. Your descriptions of the schools and your adventures made me laugh in a good way.</p>

<p>Congratulations!</p>