I have heard that there may be circumstances where an admissions contact will call an alumni parent before March 10 to let them know of an impending rejection or waitlist notification. Presumably, this is to soften the blow and maintain a relationship with the parent who has been giving money every year. How common is this? If you don’t get a call, is it assumed that the alumni’s kid is accepted?
I do know circumstances in which this happens, but I wouldn’t make any assumptions if u don’t get a call. It’s just too painful to get your hopes up and then get disappointing news.
There was a very similar question in Feb/March 2013, about apps for “connected” families, which includes siblings an well as alumni parents. The situation must vary from school to school, but back then I pointed out that SAS, partially due to its pool size (I guess), was very communicative, and said they would notify in advance if there would not be an acceptance.
I can tell you that Deerfield does not make such calls.
I don’t know for certain, but I think that the TSAO schools have made a commitment to not disclose any decisions at all until March 10. See link here:
http://www.tenschools.org/page.cfm?p=11
My husband and his family have legacy connections at 2 of the TSAO schools that our kid is applying to. One has sent us a letter that I keep referring to as the “let them down gently” letter - many applicants for few spaces, yes legacy families have admit rates higher than our general average but that still leaves many kids without acceptance letters come March 10. etc. I’m not expecting that we’ll have any other information until M10, but I’ll update here for future reference if we get any other communication from the schools before M10.
A fellow I know at work has a wife who is an alumnus of Hotchkiss. Their family received a phone call a few days before M10 notifying that their kid would be waitlisted. So I know it does happen.
I assume the schools do this to soften the blow, especially for legacy candidates.
I have numerous friends with children at Taft. I know a few of them got calls about a week before decisions came out advising them that the second sibling had been unsuccessful in the admissions process. That was 4 years ago so do not know if they still make those calls. I do not think my own child’s school does this but I did not have a second child apply to the same school.
So it looks like the TSAO rule doesn’t apply to siblings and legacies.
My own reading of the “spirit” of the rule is they are trying to prevent schools from asking for commitments from students prior to March 10th when all decisions are released. I am not sure I see the harm in letting a current family with a sibling at that school know that their second or third child has not been admitted. Does not hurt the other schools as that child can still accept their offer if one is made.
Too funny at GMTplus7.
Whether they soften the blow or not varies. I too have a good friend who not only was she an alumna but avid fund raiser for Hotchkiss. Needless to say, she no longer does any fund raising for Hotchkiss. All ended well, kid ended up at DA. St. George’s had a great article years ago interviewing their then Head of Admissions who was quite honest in saying that there was going to be a lot off ticked of alumni come March 10th. All theses schools love the idea of legacy and would like it very much if johnny IV could join the incoming freshman class contingent upon what he brings to the school, besides legacy. The dynamics have all changed over the past 40 years or so because of a few factors. One, the schools went coed. Two, the endowments have grown enabling them to open their doors to those multiple willing and able students who otherwise would not have had the financial ability to attend. All these schools’ admission teams are very keen and determined to provide the opportunity to those families that have never experienced boarding school. They take lots of kids who’s parents don’t personally know someone on the BOD to write a letter for them (by the way, that’s a hook). There is a method to the admissions madness, it’s not a perfect science and they don’t always get it right but they sure come close.
The fact of the matter is, there are a lot more great and capable kids out there than there are beds, which brings us back to those hidden gems.