I’m wondering how to categorize the schools we’re looking at for DC in terms of chances of admission. Should I go by acceptance rate? SSAT averages? Some other factor I’m not aware of? DC did very well on the SAT last year, especially with an 800 on the math (primary interests are math and engineering/robotics), so I’m guessing SSAT scores will be above 90%, but likely won’t take it until December due to driving distances. I’m planning visits to 9 New England schools with acceptance rates in the teens(5), thirties (2) and fifties(2), with one definite “safety” that’s not our top choice. We’ll need financial aid (most of the schools on our list appear to offer good FA). I wonder whether we should cast a wider net (geographically and in terms of admission rates), though we’d prefer to have him within driving distance from home, and it seems like several of these 9 schools could be a good fit. On the other hand, a distant school that’s good would be much better than what is available here at home.
Are you looking at St. Mark’s in Massachusetts? Hard to get into but has a terrific robotics program and brand new facilities for science/robotics. As a parent, I wanted to joint the team! The acceptance rates on boarding school review can be somewhat outdated. I know the school we considered a “safety” actually had a 30% increase in applications last year, so admission rates were lower than in the past.
Thanks, that’s one I haven’t researched, and I’ll look into it.
I wasn’t sure whether I should name the schools we’re looking at. I have been trying to get up-to-date acceptance rates from the school literature or websites.
What state/area are you living in? New England or Mid-Atlantic? Do you need significant financial aid? Does the kid play sports or music? What kind of school he/she is going to now? … A little more info without identifying yourself might help in getting more useful tips from other posters…
We are in northern New England (rural), need significant F.A., kid has potential for crew and participates in other individual sports but is no “star” athlete, and plays piano in our small school band but again, no star there. Now he’s combining online classes at home with some classes at the public school. He loves Maker Labs, but has little access to that near us. Hope that helps.
You may find that the needed FA component will skew your list somewhat towards the higher acceptance rate schools. It is not that the others don’t have the money, but more that you might be a more attractive candidate (read: they will pay up to get you there) at some of the lesser known - but excellent - schools. I recommend reviewing your list to see how many schools would be places where your child would be at the very top of the heap academically.
I would “cover the base” by applying the usual suspects (Andover, Exeter, SPS, Groton etc.), which I think you might already be doing. These schools are either need-blind or otherwise with very generous FA budget. If you are within the range of the typical qualifications of their admitted students, you want to try “your luck” there first. Then definitely apply to a few mid-Atlantic area schools. We’ve heard of good FA stories for George School and Mercerceburg, for example. Some posters may point you to more schools with good FA programs. If you are willing to explore mid western schools or even schools on the west coast such as Culver, Thacher and Cate, with very strong academic credentials, plus the geography diversity your kid might bring to the school community, he may be in an advantageous position for admission with significant FA. Good luck!
Btw, don’t think too much about schools in terms of reach/match/safety. When you need significant FA, you need to be have as strong credentials as possible and essentially no school is a safety.
Thank you all for the helpful advice. One problem with schools where DC would be “top of the heap” is they might have very few peers in learning math – and he really wants those peers.
At the risk of stereotyping, consider schools with a lot of foreign students. They often come from schools with advanced math, and because many are English language learners, they’ve differentiated themselves in thd application process through math. Lots of BS have a cohort of highly quantitative kids.
@yestosnow Unfortunately that might be where you have to compromise. This is all part of the process in deciding if boarding school is the best choice for your family! I am not saying that you shouldn’t try for any school that suits your requirements, only that you may need to broaden your parameters if boarding school is the number one goal.
Also, just because the test results show that your child would be “top of the heap”, don’t underestimate the general rigor of any of the top 50 schools…combined with the experience of being away from home and managing it all on his own, your child may find himself challenged in many aspects. Keep reading this board… there are many stories of the search and subsequent attendance experiences. Maybe that will help guide you.
Again, good point. Thanks!
I suggest you read Albion’s response to my pinned question on “second-tier” schools; my children’s experience has borne it out. And from a practical standpoint, make sure any school your son applies to can teach him 4 years beyond where he’s starting. Some schools may do it only on an individual basis, perhaps some not at all.