Thank you guys so much for the input. Sorry I didn’t include this in my original post, but I was wondering if it is easier or harder to get into BS in 10th grade than 9th grade because I have been hearing conflicting answers.
@Prepplease101 As you know- JBS and most PDSs only go up to 9th ( VII Form ) so while most of those kids apply for SS 10th ( IV Form ), many will be open to repeating 9th ( III Form ) for a variety of reasons… Some are academic reasons… there are some kids who are legacies seeking Four Year Status ( which is a big deal for some families ), … while some applicants are on the younger side for their grade already and would like to repeat for reasons having to do with maturity… Which is really understandable because they’re living away from home in a HS environment… surrounded by older kids, etc… so in many ways a more age appropriate grade makes a lot sense in some cases.
For example- when my kids went to JBS from their PDS, we had them repeat 7th grade ( JBS V Form ) because of their vastly undeveloped frontal lobes… Plus, JBS is an amazing experience ( I’m a JBS alum, too ) and I wanted them to board in that environment for as long as possible before heading off for SS. All three applied for IV Form from JBS.
There are also parents who will tell SS AOs ( during their interviews ) that they’re open for both III and IV Form and they’d like the school to decide which is best after they’ve read the completed app. That approach to SS admissions has been a trend for quite a while now… but obviously it’s not for everyone. FWIW- I also know a few parents who have received a phone call or an "acceptance " letter from a BS saying that they’d love to accept their kid but only if they can hold them back one grade which would be their condition for enrollment. In other words- take it or leave it . …
That said: III Form is a brand new class made from scratch while IV Form already exists to a certain extent. Here’s the rub- many parents ( in the general population ) won’t send their kids to BS for 9th for a myriad of reasons… which are mostly beyond me but “letting go” of their kid at that age seems to be a recurring theme ( it’s barbaric, or something… 
) … Then you have kids who did go to BS for III Form and didn’t make it for academic reasons or they had to leave for whatever reason ( behavioral, financial, fit, etc ) before IV Form… leaving more spots open for the following year. Plus- ( and this is important ) ALL boarding schools build in openings for IV Form while they’re determining III Form the year before because they know that their JBS- PDS kids will be applying for that Form in droves and they’ll have to accommodate them … because it’s tradition and these kids have been their base and bread and butter ( in good and bad economic times ) for the last 100+ years.
So- in many ways, IV Form gets slammed from more sides than III Form. Plus - the PDS & JBS crowd ( families who have already spent upwards of 250K or more on their kid’s education thus far ) … are in it to win it which makes IV Form admissions very competitive ( actually- it’s a total Arms Race for this particular pool ) … and this is not exclusive to only the schools on your list . We’re talking about all schools in the Top 30-35- not to mention some wonderful and very popular single sex schools, too.
For all the reasons above and knowing how SS admissions can vary based on school size or how “selective” or popular they are any given year… - I’ll give SS III Form- 9th grade admissions ( across the board ) a solid edge for being a little less competitive than IV Form- 10th grade admissions.
Most of your application is at, or slightly above, parity for many accepted applicants at the schools to which you have applied. What is distinguishing is your published opinion piece in the New Yorker. This a rare accomplishment and will be valued by most admissions committees. Few kids standout in this way. And don’t sweat the math score.
You should expect success on 3/10 as I think at least of couple of schools will offer you admission. Good luck.
Good luck for March 10th, you will definitely have choices.
California may have a fair amount of applicants, but Massachusetts floods NE prep schools and given 2 similar candidates, I’d bet the kid from the West has an edge for admission to most NE BSs. We’d have to look at the data, not just take your word for it Center or Publisher.
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Let’s move off the conversation of geo-diversity, please. As I have said many times (which is stated in ToS), College Confidential is not a debate society. Since the only ones who can answer the question on the topic are AO’s, users’ statement here are simply opinions.
How did you do, @Prepplease101 ?
@PhotographerMom Sorry I’m replying so late I was out of town this past week and didn’t get a chance to check CC, anyways:
Andover:Accepted
Exeter: Waitlist
Groton: Rejected
Deerfield: Waitlist
Choate: Accepted
St. Pauls: Accepted
Hotchkiss: Rejected
Milton: Accepted
Nice! Congratulations!!! Are you going to revisits or have you made a decision?
Great job!
Yeah I’m definitely going to revisits because I literally have no idea which one to go too. I’m pretty much trying to decide between St. Pauls and Andover.