DS is entering 8th grade this fall and is looking to apply to boarding schools. Currently, we are looking at Exeter, Mercersburg, Cate, Blair, and Lawrenceville. (My oldest graduated from Lawrenceville, but I’m not sure if DS is considered legacy if it’s just a sibling).
He has won a small mathcounts prize and made the AMC 8 honor roll in grade 7. He also has played the violin for 6 years, but doesn’t do any competitions. He doesn’t take exams either. He has also played the clarinet for 2 years and is on the school orchestra. He has been swimming competitively on-and-off for the past 3 years but is definitely not good enough to be recruited. He also has been speed skating for 4 years but isn’t looking to continue this in high school (also, we haven’t found any boarding schools that offer this).
He’s a very shy kid and I’m slightly worried that he won’t do well in interviews. He gets good grades, mostly A+'s but a few A’s, and one A-. He has been scoring in the 95th-ish percentile in practice SSAT tests. His current school (a public school) doesn’t allow him to accelerate in courses because of limited funding.
We will be asking for quite a bit of financial aid, although we do make over 200k, as we have two kids in college. We live in California however DS does not have a US citizenship, so I’m not sure if he’s considered an international student or not.
I’m just wondering the overall chances he has of getting into a boarding school that will give us some financial aid, and also if he should apply to more to increase his chances? Also if there’s anything I should know about the application process in general.
May I ask your’s son’s ethnicity if you’re comfortable sharing? Also, he will be considered an international student.
For his interests and personality (as well as FA), you may want to look at George. It’s 20 minutes from Lawrenceville so it’d be easy to visit. Many kids who apply to Mercersburg also apply to George-- these are schools known for having cultures of kindness. Mercersburg has a more traditional vibe; George is more diverse.
I’d definitely expand your list a bit if you’re committed to BS. Many of those schools are quite tough to get into and needing FA doesn’t make it easier. I do think that the sibling legacy at L’ville could be a finger on the scale.
@Oyin101 : He is white and is from Canada (if that matters much).
@gardenstategal : Thanks; we will take a look at George.
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Okay, I was trying to see the competitiveness of his applicant pool.
Your DS’s stats sound strong. We know students who have entered Mercersburg, Choate, & L’Ville (also Choate & Deerfield) in 10th grade. It seems that there was a higher acceptance rate their years of admission due to a couple of factors - more focused applicant pool, smaller applicant pool, and expanded class size. At Deerfield, for example, the 10th grade class is significantly larger than the 9th grade class but the the number of applicants is smaller. We know a girl who was accepted at no schools when applying for 9th grade, but got into Choate in 10th. WIth what the OP shared, there might also be a maturity factor - so maybe your DS will feel more confident during interviews and more confident going to BS.
Lawrenceville does place value on sibling legacy. Doesn’t count as much as parent legacy, but it does help. But the financial aid will make things more difficult.
Have you considered tutoring to improve your DS’ chance of being admitted?
Hello, and welcome to our CC threads @happy.teehee !
Trying to answer your question, yet not really sure what kind of tutoring you mean - like SSAT tutoring? Many students on here do participate in test prep programs and/or use online test prep resources for the SSAT.
We know some foreign students who attended a summer program (geared specific languages) to prepare them for applying to and attending boarding schools in the US (you can DM me @ this).
Tutoring for skills or abilities? Most of the BS’s want students who will be successful when they get there. By contrast, there are some BS’s that can offer academic supports and interventions if you are a student with a learning difference or attention disorder. AO’s look carefully at your academic record. It there are red-flags, they will pick up on it very fast. We know several students who just were not academically in the right place or mature enough to go to a competitive boarding school - so they chose to attend a Junior Boarding School for a year or two, or even repeat a grade at a JBS. The students we know who did attend a JBS had a good transition into boarding school and had good preparation.
The things you might want to consider are your concerns about your abilities (if any, and why) AND your expectations about boarding school. Be honest with yourself about why you want to attend BS AND what you expect from the school, as well as from yourself.
Hope this helps!
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