Everything you need to know about applying to boarding school.

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hi to all 2010 applicants-
I thought this might be a good thread to make as we're all sitting around on our computers during the long wait to March 10. Parents, admissions officers, students, and current applicants are encouraged to post any and all information you have. I know as I was exploring what schools existed out there, I would have liked a huge bulk of information sitting right there in front of me.</p>

<p>You're urged to discuss:
Policies at schools you attend
Specific opinions you got while touring/attending/interviewing at a school
Dining Halls
What to bring
How to handle the application process
Great advantages
Overall vibes
Amazing classes
Sports
Etc...</p>

<p>P.S. This is the place to be as superficial or reasonable as you like. Tell everybody EVERYTHING!</p>

2

<p>Try and have your first interview at a less competitive school or one further down your list. Our first one was by far our weakest interview- for both son and parents! we were nervous and just kept putting our foot in our mouth.</p>

<p>Apply Early and keep copies of everything you mail to the schools.</p>

<p>Listen to your child- I loved SPS but it just didn't do it for my son for some reason so he didn't apply.</p>

3

<p>When you go into an interview, don't go in trying to impress your interviewer (for example, when they ask you about yourself, don't go spewing out your resume... your application has all of that). Really try to establish a conversation with them, and learn their interests. Let them talk, and let them get to know YOU.</p>

<p>DON'T just base your information off of lookbooks... if you're serious about the school, find out all the pros and cons of them, and then visit. The internet won't help you decide whether or not you'll fit in... you will. You'll get that "feeling".</p>

<p>Hmm... maybe later I'll add some opinions I formed of the schools I toured :D.</p>

4

<p>I 100% agree with how to do your interviews. My first one at Exeter sucked, my last at Andover lasted over 2 hours and he calls me/sends post cards. Exeter was such a harsh experience... Now I think that Andover is my best bet.</p>

5

<p>The most important thing to remember about the interview is to be relaxed and to be sincere. Freaking out is never a positive way to begin an interview! Also, as elveedaily said, spewing out your resume, or trying to sound impressive will cause you to probably come off as pompous, and they're looking to get to know you, not necessarily your accomplishments (especially those already on paper). </p>

<p>One thing to do is to allow yourself to feel a little stressed before your interview. Stress releases chemicals in your brain that help you perform at your peak. However, don't let that worry turn into something negative; harness it and use it to your advantage.</p>

6

<p>Work on your essays/short answer whenever you have time, as early as you can. That way you have more time to edit, redraft, etc., until you are satisfied. Nothing feels worse than sending in an essay you KNOW you could've done better on, if only you had more time.</p>

7

<p>Begin the essays in the summer!</p>

<p>Many have the same themes, so start brainstorming on something you are "Passionate"; a mistake made & learned from; someone who hs stronlgy influenced you; favorite book, song, word & why.</p>

<p>A basic outline to these repetitive questions will be the backbone of all your apps.</p>

<p>=========</p>

<h1>Make interview appt as EARLY in the process as possible so you can get your pick of week/days mapped out.</h1>

<p>After SSAT socres are released stay AWAY from CC for a week -- The brilliant kids on CC will make you feel insignif. if your scores weren't 99.</p>

8

<p>I'd start the process in the seventh grade year. Many schools have open houses in the fall, and that's a wonderful, no-pressure way to visit a school, without the stress of applying (yet). It will also allow parents and children to talk about what they like, or don't like, about particular schools. </p>

<p>I'd also recommend that the student take the lower level SSAT in 7th grade. Take it cold, if possible. Applicants' scores seem to remain relatively stable. If the student scores in the 80's or higher, in SSAT percentiles, there's no need to spend a great deal of time and money trying to improve a score. If the SSAT shows a weakness in math, for example, there is time for targeted study, to try to improve.</p>

<p>Knowing a likely range for the SSATs helps immensely in trying to sort through the reach, match and safety schools.</p>

9

<p>Thanks for posting this thread it is very helpful, I'm obviously applying in 2010. I was just wondering when everyone would think it would be a reasonable time to request an application/viewbook? Should I wait till July/August or request it as soon as possible?</p>

10

<p>I'll copy and paste some of my accounts of Choate... My top-choice school and the one I am most obsessively dedicated to.
They are both ridiculously long, I apologize! But the first is my spur-of-the-moment, fresh from the interview impression of Choate. The second is a recount of all the things I like/dislike for the benefit of a poster who wanted to know about Chaote.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I felt WONDERFUL. I was comfortable, and the campus made me want to literally cry with joy. I had braced myself for disappointment, thinking that- Oh, it can't be the paradise I want it to be. The website just highlights the best parts. It can't be like this in reality.
It was...
AMAZING! I can't say it enough, I loved it. I raved about it during the entire 5 hour car drive home after the tour and interview. The presentation given at the Saturday Showcase was brilliant, the admissions people were kind and considerate, and I met with the volleyball coach.
The atmosphere is brilliant and comfortable, and I didn't feel out of place no matter where we went. The interviewer was kind and very accommodating. There was no anxious waiting in a waiting room outside her door, either- it was more of a reception with parents of current students and the other applicants type of thing. Wonderful.
I was interviewed by Terry Burditt (spelling? haha), a wonderful lady, very kind. She asked me how things were in the classroom, what I am passionate about, and how would my teachers describe me. We spoke a lot about my interests in volleyball and oboe, and what the school was like and what it offered.
The tour was very nice, even though it was POURING rain. The tour guide and I hit it off great, we each spoke a lot about our individual passions and she was great about taking me to places I wanted to see or where she thought I would like. I'll be a new fourth former, so I got to see the BRAND NEW, gorgeous 4th form girl dorms. It was great, and majority of the rooms are singles. The athletic and arts facilities were great!</p>

<p>The interviewer spoke to my mother, and said I was mature, poised, and she was very impressed. I would be a good fit in the school, according to her, and she also told me I did wonderfully.
I'm not saying all this to brag, but to tell people that cHOATE IS AMAZING.</p>

<p>(And I was totally right in assuming this would be my top choice school!!)

[/quote]
</p>

<p>
[quote]
The academics are superb, but that's to be expected of any school talked about on this board, so I'll only mention a few things. The classical/romantic language classrooms are full-immersion, meaning nothing but Spanish is spoken in the spanish classroom, nothing but french in the french classroom, etc. Chinese and the other newer, maybe more difficult languages are not full immersion. The arts and humanities department are very discussion based. They don't have a fancy name like Harkness, but that's basically the idea.</p>

<p>Athletics? Wonderful. I've only had real experience with the volleyball team, but teachers are very involved in coaching teams and every coach I've spoken to has been kind and welcoming. Their volleyball program is supremely top-notch, in my opinion. Is your son or daughter applying?</p>

<p>Music and Theatre are very big. An I.M. Pei designed arts center with a huuuge theatre, prop and technical rooms, practice rooms, just what an artist or actor needs. They performed Arsenic and Old Lace the weekend I visited, and the set construction was better than some college and professional production sets I've seen. Well funded, with an Arts Concentration program for those really, really into the arts. They have several student music groups, such as the Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble/Band (?), and then Choir, acapela groups, etc that run year round, mostly for credit.</p>

<p>Their student body is awesome. Very kind and welcoming, I spent a grand total of 3 1/2 hours on campus (saturday showcase, interview, tour) and felt like I could live there for the next 3 years (as I hope to!). My tour guide and I spoke like peers, not a upperclassmen showing a little kid around campus, and she answered my questions thoughtfully and knowledgeably.</p>

<p>The 10th grade dorms are new this year, and though I've heard some nasty things about their 9th grade dorms, I also heard from my tour guide (though don't quote me on this) that they were planning on upgrading the other form's dorms soon. I'll be a new 10th grader, so it wasn't really an issue for me, but the 10th grade girls dorms are fantastic. Clean, well-kept, and large rooms, mostly singles with a few doubles. I saw a double that was larger than my mother's college dorm room. They have big closets!</p>

<p>Some disliked the feeling of separation on campus, with a main road plowing right through the middle of it. I barely noticed it, though the buildings were a little scattered. the pool was no where near the gym (across the street and down some, I think?) and nearer the dorms than to the athletic facilities. The academic buildings were a little oddly scattered, also, but this was barely noticeable. I love the campus all around, even though it was raining horribly and we almost were drowned by the 2-feet deep puddles. My lucky tour guide wore wellies... I only had flats!</p>

<p>All in all, I felt a really cohesive, warm, and comforting campus all around me, one I could see myself living in and learning in and making friends in. I fell in love, and its a feeling that's stayed with me after two more tours of HADES schools and 3 months of speculating and applications worry.

[/quote]
</p>

11

<p>When you go to interview/tour, I'd recommend not wearing high heels. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I'm used to wearing them at important meetings, and though it wasn't uncomfortable, I felt so overdressed.</p>

<p>^ Okay, superficial...</p>

<p>On your tour, take it as an opportunity to ask your tour guide (who is usually going to be about your age and gender) all of the questions you don't feel comfortable asking the admissions office. Ask about food, about dress code, what they dislike most about the school, etc... it's refreshing to hear from somebody your own age.</p>

<p>Have a few questions about the school ready for your interview. Don't just make them up to have something to say... tour AFTER you've found out all you can about the school. Research some clubs you know you'd be interested in, and ask about student participation in them.</p>

12

<p>Write your feelings RIGHT AFTER YOU TOUR/INTERVIEW!! You'll remember alot of details that you will forget later.</p>

13

<p>Definitely remember to BREATHE. I was the most relaxed and natural at my first interview, contrary to the belief that the first will your your worst, because I had no idea how important it is! Actually, it was also because I was less rehearsed and more just saying what I meant than what I thought they wanted to hear. Do keep that in mind!</p>

14

<p>During your interview, be yourself. Do NOT lie. Interviewers have experience with liers and fakers, and will be able to see right through you.</p>

<p>Don't be afraid to email your tour guides with questions. If you think of a weird question that would be a bit embarrassing to ask the admissions officer, email them, they're always friendly anyhow. (I did this about 5,000 times)</p>

<p>Don't stress too much over March 10th, and remember to always have a safety school. March 10th is a long time away.</p>

15

<p>Latin55555, if you request information from schools online, most of the forms allow you to choose the grade and year of entry. Thus, you can specify that you're a 7th grader, interested in applying to 9th grade entering in 2010. Some schools may send you information right away, while others will send you a nice letter or email, informing you that they'll keep your name on file, and send the appropriate materials later in the year.</p>

<p>We requested viewbooks and such from schools during last summer. Some of the schools had materials on hand, and others sent materials once they had been printed. </p>

<p>I feel it's too early for you to be obsessing about next year's application process. Wait until late spring.</p>

16

<p>Seriously you guys, for someone who has done 7 interviews in 5 days, the one biggest singlehandedly most important admissions deciding adage and maxim.. you get the point</p>

<p>SMILE</p>

<p>in the interview, when you shake hands with the interviewer, smile, genially, from cheek to cheek.</p>

17

<p>I second what Saer said. Don't be fake or stiff or try to be too adult - be yourself, and mainly, show the interviewer that you're a true person. During interviews, the schools are more interested in YOU than your stats, as your stats are already included your application. Its good if you maybe wander from the "tell me about yourself/why boarding school?" paths during the interview, as it's conversation, not interrogation that truly shows your personality. </p>

<p>To freshie123: I sort of agree. If your a generally happy person, smiling is great. But if you're one of those intellectual-sensitive-funny-in-their-own-way types and smiling really isn't your thing, DON'T BE FAKE. I remember trying to be all professional and adult-like (which totally isn't me) and my interviewer saw right through me. Now THAT was a bad interview (pity, too, because I liked Choate).</p>

<p>Also, if you're in a hurry and cannot find time to write essay after essay, try the SSAT Common Application Essay (um, can't be bothered to find the link, so google it). Keep in mind that HADES schools (and some others) do not accept it, but many also do (Lawrenceville, Groton). It helped for me, as I was in a time crunch. However, if you have the time, don't use SSAT, as schools prefer their own questions. </p>

<p>Oh and - keep a copy of everything, even the teacher recs - as you never know when schools decide to loose something.</p>

<p>Hmm... anyone have any SSAT-taking tips?</p>

18

<p>the HADES school does accept the common app, though i guess that is the one provided by TABS?</p>

<p>personally i think if you want a good shot at the upper tier schools, you should write them individually. it makes you seem like you don't really care about them, that their school is just another one of the pack and you can't be bothered to care for them individually</p>