Does SPS ever admit without interview?

Prep School Admissions
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<p>Hi, this is my first post here ... I've been lurking and have searched unsuccessfully for answers to my question, so I'm finally going to post.</p>

<p>My ds14 and I came rather late to the BS application process. BS had just never occurred to us, but we live in a remote rural area, and the public schools are so terrible that we took him out to homeschool for 7th and 8th grade. It was fine for a while, but this fall it became clear that we couldn't go through high school like this -- for many reasons, one of them simply being that we are far too isolated. </p>

<p>Long story short, we didn't start the application process until January, and had to work like mad to get everything ready by the deadlines. So we didn't do the usual school visits, etc. It was only <em>after</em> I sent in the applications that we started trying to line up visits and interviews -- and then we both got the flu and everything was delayed again. I finally called St. Paul's School about a week ago, after we had received a letter saying that the application was complete and providing instructions on how to access decisions on 3/10. I asked about coming to visit and interviewing, etc. I was told that we had missed the "window" for interviewing but that the admissions office had decided to consider applications complete as long as all the paperwork was in order. </p>

<p>I know that I am completely responsible for having missed the deadlines, etc., so I'm quibbling about it -- I'm just wondering if he still actually has a chance? Do they <em>ever</em> accept kids they haven't interviewed?</p>

<p>Some of the schools my ds 14 is applying to are very "safe" for him, so I'm sure he'll get in somewhere; however sps is a nice idea, so I'm just wondering if there's a chance.</p>

<p>If anyone has any insight, I'd be glad if you'd share it. Thanks!</p>

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<p>First, anything is possible. There’s no such thing as “this” or “that” making it impossible to be admitted.</p>

<p>That having been said, I’m sure it’s harder without the interview. However, the point of the interview is to get to know the applicant. I have no idea what your son said in his essays, or what he included with his application, but it’s certainly possible that he succeeded in giving the admissions officers a strong enough sense of who he is that they won’t mind not having met him.</p>

<p>For what it’s worth, the interview is kind of a wild card, anyway. There are plenty of reports on here of kids having an absolutely fantastic interview at School A and an absolutely dreadful interview at School B . . . and getting admitted to School B and not to School A! So, you never know.</p>

<p>Don’t worry too much about having ruined things for your son. Given the late start you both got, I think it’s amazing you pulled it off at all. Good for you that you did it, and best of luck to your son on Thursday!!!</p>

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<p>If he doesn’t have big “hooks”, I think his chance is not so great. Not that the interview is such an important piece of the puzzle. As a matter of fact, I tend to think it’s the least important. But with the volum of applications they receive, being without one is not helping him. They consider your son’s application is complete so they have one more to be included in their denominator for the calculation of admit rate. I hope I am wrong though. Do update us and you may just set a precedence for an admit without interview! Who knows, if an SPS AO is lurking on this board, I may just helped you. :)</p>

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<p>Thank you dodgersmom and DAndrew. I appreciate your thoughts on this. </p>

<p>I have no prior experience with boarding schools and applications, and don’t come from a private school background myself. So … it’s hard for me to judge how competitive my son’s application is.</p>

<p>His admittance to several of the other schools he applied to (out of a total of 9) is pretty definite, I think. In fact, two of the admissions officers that he did meet actually told us that he would be admitted (but I don’t think they’re supposed to do that, are they?) So, because we know he will have <em>somewhere</em> suitable to go, we’re not in a state about this. That said, a school like St. Pauls’ offers so much opportunity – and he’s a bright kid who is, I think, ready for such a challenge and would benefit greatly from it – and contribute to the school community. I know that applies to a million other kids out there too. And I’m not sure that there really is anything that will distinguish him.</p>

<p>We chose St. Paul’s out of all the really selective schools because he’s “sort-of” a legacy (“sort of” because the relatives are via my mother’s second marriage, not blood relatives, and I don’t know if that counts). </p>

<p>Other than that, my son is quite an accomplished musician and a phenomenal, but not competitive, snowboarder. (And I don’t think sps has snowboarding.) His SSATs were ok – but not the 85th+ percentile that I read of on this board. More like 65th. And his grades are good – but hey, he’s been homeschooled for two years, so there aren’t rankings or benchmarks except in the online classes that he’s taken for math and science. The results of other standardized tests he’s done are <em>very</em> good. I thought his essays were pretty good, but I’ve never read anyone else’s, so I have no basis for comparison, and he didn’t show them to anyone else to review because he had to swear to it being entirely his own work. And I’m sure his references were good, but they were only from music teachers. I am his math and English teacher, so I can’t imagine how seriously they’d take that. I did carefully document his studies though, and an admissions officer at another school told me they’d never seen such a well organized homeschool portfolio. (I was really glad to hear that after the work I put into it.)</p>

<p>Other than that? Hmm, no prizes, no medals, no published novels or dissertations. No other sports. </p>

<p>Anyway, I’m just rambling now, thinking it through. It would be awesome and amazing if he were accepted, but I guess it really is a long shot – so I’m glad we have several plan Bs.</p>

<p>Thanks again. And good luck to all of you!</p>

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<p>Just curious, the schools that the AOs said he’d be accepted at, were they part of the GLADCHEMMS schools?</p>

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<p>Katester22: no they were not.</p>

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<p>I think you have a few factors working against you, the lack of an interview being only one. That said, I am ONLY talking about in relation to SPS. You said you did 9 apps, so I expect you will have some choices to make, but I think you need to be realistic about the level of competition at SPS. The SSAT is significant because it is really the only standardized test that shows you how your kid stacks up against other applicants; no one takes it if they’re not applying to competitive schools, whereas “nationalized” tests can artificially inflate one’s percentage because it’s a different pool of test takers. So…, no interview, not stellar SSAT, 2 years of schooling that are difficult to verify against comparable applicants, no sport or EC that represents a particular “hook”…I think realistically you’re looking up the curve. However, what do I know? Just MHO, and I hope I’m wrong! And that your son will find a good fit for himself in the month to come!</p>

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<p>Lunachick - no sense worrying about it now. SPS is kind of an enigma. Sometimes the legacy helps, sometimes not. FA also comes into play. They are very tough to get into - legacy or not.</p>

<p>However - having said that - don’t despair - if SPS doesn’t work out, there are other boarding schools I’ve heard mentioned on the boards that have rolling admissions. Also - if it comes to that,y ou can always ask schools about the possibility of doing a SKYPE interview. I’m surprised SPS didn’t offer that option since they do them.</p>

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<p>Thanks for taking the time to reply, TheBig5. I’m thinking along the same lines as you … we’ve known all along that it was a long shot. We’ll just see how it unfolds. And in the meantime, good luck to you.</p>

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<p>lunachick - maybe I missed it, but your post doesn’t say whether you’re in a remote rural area of Massachusetts or an underrepresented state like Iowa or Nebraska. If it’s the latter, that will help you with all schools, SPS included.</p>

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<p>lunachick - regardless of what happens with SPS, your son is clearly going to have some great options :slight_smile: We too are anxiously waiting for Thursday’s results, with SPS being a very top choice. However, no matter the SSAT scores, the grades, the sports, etc., SPS is a reach for anyone. Admissions can seem mysterious and unpredictable, with many very qualified applicants not being accepted, and others who may not be so strong on paper, being accepted for whatever reasons the Admissions Office saw fit. That is why no one should feel like it’s a “sure thing”, because that is so rare, no matter how strong the application. So, a student with 99% SSAT might not get in, while a student with a 65% does - there is no way for us to judge the remainder of an application - i.e. the all-important essays, etc.
I liken it to an Ivy League school, where at least 80% of the applicants are completely qualified, it is just that there are SO many more applications than places, and they can’t take everyone.
Regarding your opening question, I am surprised that you weren’t offered an interview via skype, but perhaps SPS doesn’t do that.
GOOD LUCK!!</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone … I really appreciate your many insights and reassurance.</p>

<p>We’re in a pretty remote pocket of Maine – does anyone know what that does or doesn’t do for us?</p>

<p>We <em>are</em> interested in sps, but honestly, it always seemed like an incredible reach, so we have really not been counting on it, and won’t be devastated or surprised if he doesn’t make the cut. As I said in my original post, we decided to try it because there is a legacy connection of sorts – and b/c his music skills and recs are pretty good. Because this was always a long shot, we have some acceptable backup plans. I was just really surprised about the interview situation – as exieMITalum and mayhew observed, they didn’t even offer skype. It suggests to me that it was either a really clearcut decision that he was “in” – or that he was “out.” And we’ll find out soon enough.</p>

<p>I’m new to this game, so I hate to develop cynicism so early on, but is it possible that DAndrew is correct in observing that maybe “They consider your son’s application is complete so they have one more to be included in their denominator for the calculation of admit rate” ??</p>

<p>Please don’t misunderstand – I’m not suggesting that they <em>should</em> admit my son – I’m just thinking thinking the no interview thing is odd. And I wonder if they really do admit kids without interviews, or if the reality is you miss the interview, you’re probably not in. Maybe if you’re a stellar candidate, they chase you down and skype it – and maybe if you’re just another regular kid, they don’t bother.</p>

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<p>Interviews are usually completed well before the application submission deadline. At this point the admissions office is just too busy going through applications to offer interviews. It doesn’t mean they’re not interested in your son, just that they will have to make the decision without that piece of the puzzle.</p>

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<p>Thanks Sue22. Put like that, it seems so completely reasonable. :)</p>

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<p>There’s always the possibility of taking one more year, perhaps at a junior boarding school like Cardigan Mountain School and reapplying for 10th grade. Just in case you’re not thrilled with the options that present themselves on 3/10. Good luck regardless!!!</p>

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<p>Luna: By now you probably have your answer. I apologize, but I did not see your thread until just now. No need to be cynical, no, I absolutely promise you that SPS did not accept your application to increase their denominator. People here on CC are far more focused on those stats than the AO’s at SPS. </p>

<p>If the school really wanted to play games with their numbers, there are far easier ways to up the number of applicants (accept day students, eliminate application fees, make the essay’s easier, or advertise and travel more). The reality is that the increase in applications has created a large a growing burden for the staff, faculty and student AOs (Sheldon Society). </p>

<p>To your original question, yes they would have done a Skype interview if you had applied earlier and that is unfortunate for you. Many of the other comments here are correct. To that add that there will be fewer open spots this year and many more applicants. Chances are therefore poor, but as I have said before, your chances are zero if you don’t apply. Let us know what happened.</p>

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<p>Winterset, thank you for your reply. As it turns out, my son was waitlisted at sps – which was more than we had ever dared hope for. So … given our particular circumstances, we are actually very happy.</p>

<p>I had a very interesting and enlightening conversation with an AO, who helped me to understand that what they are doing is building a community. They look for a range of skills and qualities in the student body and it’s not simply about how high one individual’s SSAT is, or how many ECs or prizes or whatever – it’s about the whole package and how that individual could fit into the community. Which explains what so many people on this forum seem to wonder about – why does one kid with 99th percentile SSAT score not get in, when another with 70th does? </p>

<p>They invited us to come for a tour and suggested that ds have an interview at that time, so that in the event that a space for him opens up, they will know that much more about him. And we will know that much more about sps, so that we can decide if we will decline other offers in order to wait for the possibility of a spot there. (He’s been accepted at several other schools, all of which are adequate options, though not in the same league as St. Paul’s.) She also said that every year some kids from the waitlist are offered spots – right up until August. </p>

<p>Also, by the way – she said there were a number of applicants who were considered although they were not interviewed. At a certain point, they just had to put their resources into reading and deciding, as opposed to interviewing. </p>

<p>Thanks again for your thoughtful comments – I appreciate it.</p>

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<p>Sounds like you had a great conversation. Two of my nephews, also from Maine, went to SPS. And yes, I think you now have a goodbunderstanding of the process and what theynare trying to achieve. You should have about 30 days before you have to decide. Most likely they will know about the wait list after the current round makes their decisions. However as they said, occasionally they let people know up to the last minute. A few years ago, I knew a boy who was called and accepted the last day before school started, but that is highly unusual. Get that interview! Visit. Look. Let them meet you and give your teen (and yourselves) a chance to meet them. If you look here, you will see that far far more were rejected than wait listed. Good luck and try to relax about the uncertainty. It is out of your control and to some degree out of the AO’s control.</p>