Do parents have any sense if the new student application interest level this fall for admission in Fall 2021 is going to be up or down compared to last year? We noticed a lot of enthusiasm at the beginning of the semester, but it seems to be petering out as families grapple with the many restrictions kids are dealing with on-campus.
Curious what the parent consensus is here.
One AO told me that āinquiriesā were through the roof, but that was early onā¦call it September. Now that the rubber is hitting the road, and winter plans are unfolding, itāll be very interesting to see what the denominator looks like when admit rates come out.
Agree with @DroidsLookingFor comment above. The AOās have been telling us that interest is very high. Very popular virtual tours and webinars. Lots of interest in PG programs at all schools, I hear. For younger students or 9th graders: Many families getting their kids out of the city for high school - also parents seeking a campus environment where their student(s) might have greater opportunities for in-person learning, socializing, and just being able to be outside with others.
Anyone have a sense about JBS interest?
Interesting topic for sure! Iām wondering though: are people making 4-year decisions (whose impact doesnāt even begin for another year) based on Covid restrictions now? Iām assuming that a year from now, things will be headed back to a (modified) version of ānormal.ā And that a year later, things will be relatively ānormal.ā I guess Iām not including the covid piece into the equation much at all for this cycle for my 8th grader.
Assuming Covid IS at play in the decision process ā I guess I could see why PG apps might be impacted but if anything, I would think parents of 8th-graders might be nervous that 9th grade next year might be a less-valuable version of BS as it has been pretty much across the board this year. (Meaning virtual schooling at day-student prices for at least part of the year.). Also, I would anticipate financial impact of Covid to be a negative, both for school (meaning FA ability) and parents.
Lowered barrier to entry on the information front (zoom sessions instead of traveling) and on the application front (no SSAT required) would likely offset in the other direction.
It will be interesting to see.
In some ways itās very similar to other large decisions being undertaken, at least anecdotally, in droves as a result of covid, e.g. people leaving cities like NY for suburban and even rural homes which are completely non-commutable. That sort of thing. I wonder how long that stuff will stick. Maybe once they figure out that they canāt get a gyro at 3 a.m.
My bet is that when the dust settles on this cycle, the applications will be (very) high and admit rates correspondingly lower. But that the subsequent cycle will be back to normal or close to it. Interesting for sure.
I have some questions for anyone who knows something about this. (i was going to apply regardless of covid and it was my decision to apply). Do you suspect these city kids will even be admitted to more prestigious schools? Do you think they will have the grades? Do they themselves want to go to BS, or is it the parents? Will they even go through with the application? Iām very worried as Iām someone who really wants to go to BS.
Lilyesh, you canāt worry about how many other applicants there are. You just have to do your best to present your best self to the admissions committees, and hope it all works out for the best.
I am seeing a lot of kids looking to re-class from public to private/boarding. First because a lot of public schools have done an absolutely terrible job with online instruction so kids have basically missed a year of school. Second because of athletics and the fear of trickle down.
I just got the 5th text from a parent asking for help with applications (that strikes me as a lot since I donāt have a huge social circle).
To @lilyesh - keep in mind that admissions teams seek diversity of student body - including geographic diversity. Agree with the dad above who advised not to worry about number of applicants or other things out of your control. Itās been our experience (at least here and with the most popular schools) that itās almost always the kidās idea or desire to apply to boarding schools.
I really donāt see city kids applying in greater numbers (if you are talking NYC anyway), quite the opposite. Most NYC kids are not applying for academics, which are easy to find locally. They apply largely for sports or social life at boarding school, or possibly for family reasons. The first two are greatly diminished if almost non-existent this year. There are actually fair number of city boarding school kids that already came back home this year as they hated it, some possibly sent home for covid violations but others because they just hated it (and they are juniors who loved the school pre-covid). Several families from our old school that started applying put in on hold and are doing 9th grade in the city and then maybe applying for 10th if things are back to normal by then.
The PG thing is a different beast, there are so many kids that are trying to āreclassā because they missed their seasons and are not able to get recruited and so want another shot at it. Boarding school is one of very few ways to buy yourself extra year of HS athletics so that definitely appeals, and I do know families that are serious considering both PG and repeating junior year.
Agree with @417WHB - applications for PG started to go up last year and requests for spots after deadlines were closed, also. We have heard from a few college coaches that they anticipate many ā21s are deferring. Repeat applications for Juniors have been reported as increasing.
FWIW, we know 3 parents who were very critical and incredulous (at least) when kiddo left the swamp for a NE boarding school. Those 3 parents now have their kids applying to PG programs or for repeating Junior year.
Funnily enough I know a few who are seriously considering doing the same down in the swamp, IMG is getting more and more popular for all sorts of sports I did not even know they had. Plus they seem to push ahead no matter what covid numbers look likeā¦
Also, there has been a huge price increase in real estate in many BS areas as people leave the city due to Covid. So that could impact applications as well. Many people are more open to living outside major metropolitan areas. Might not be a factor but even if applications are up 10% that would be a lot.
FWIW - we know several students who are applying this year with more confidence because the schools are test optional and they can tour, as well as interview virtually.
I think this will make a huge impact on number of applicants. I think without visits and SSATs, kids/families who are the fence about BS will apply just to see what happens.
It will be interesting to see how this affects yieldā¦
This is def true - I have a few friends whose DCs are applying to boarding schools and independent schools because itās test optional this year