From Who Got Rejected So Much

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>OKay, first of all, I must let you know that my stats were NOT BAD. My SSAT scores circled the 96s, my grades were incredibly good (though not so good in 6th grade), my activities were very unique (I designed things for companies and stuff), etc. However, I got rejected at many schools- yes, the bitter rejection which I did not expect to see so much. And these are the reasons why I got rejected so much:</p>

<li><p>Financial Aid.
Okay, people say this doesn’t matter. However, if your financial information tells you that you live in a cave, DON’T SEND THAT IN. I got rejected at only the schools I sent the info to. To those I couldn’t, I got waitlisted. Wonder why, don’t you?</p></li>
<li><p>My visa status
Although a legal resident, I don’t have a green card. </p></li>
<li><p>I don’t know anyone.
I don’t know ANYONE who went to these schools. Not that you HAVE to know someone in order to get in, but someone I know got in with an average grade of 60% because her dad’s friend’s friend’s friend was another yet close friend of an Andover official.</p></li>
<li><p>Consistency
I’m somone who likes to try new things consistantly, which seemed like something the schools liked. However, maybe they liked to see some consistency? I didn’t really do an activity for more than three years each, because I like to try new things on and on and on.</p></li>
<li><p>Homeschool
Ah yes. One of the school websites openly said that they accept about 1% of all homeschooling applicants. Not that there are a lot, but still trying to be that 1% is hard.</p></li>
<li><p>Asian from California
They like to see some variety of students at their schools, basically in order to look good. IF i was living in China or something, than there’s a better chance of accepting me. But Asian from California? Totally typical- they are everywhere.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>These are my reasons (excuses?). Do not consider this as a ‘eh, i’ll be fine’ thing, since that is what I thought before. Not to be discouraging, but some of you WILL be disappointed, and you’ll get hurt. I didn’t know I’d get THIS hurt. When I got rejected I felt so worthless that I lost confidence in everything I did. I felt like I was a total loser, since the schools have just proven to me that thousands and thousands of other kids are better than me, and that I don’t deserve to be at a school like that where rich kids roam. Applying to these schools had given me some hope that maybe I CAN get away from this ugly streets of L.A., but no, you had to be NOT from L.A. in order to get away from L.A. </p>

<p>Good luck with your applications. And don’t make the mistakes I made, but NEVER be sure that you’ll get in. Open up some spaces at your local highschools; if you don’t get in to any schools and be late for your local one, the classes you might want to take will be all filled up and you might end up with a busy summer the next year.</p>

2

<p>This post made me feel like I shouldn't even apply. lol.</p>

<p>I'm applying for aid, I don't know anyone, I'm white.</p>

<p>I'm confused by the part about EC's. I have a lot of EC's, but they're not really consistent and the only thing I've stuck with is my passion for foreign affairs and languages, and the alto saxophone.</p>

<p>I don't think I'm going to include all of my EC's on the application because I don't want it to seem like I was only doing it for boarding school, and I wasn't. It's just that last year I told myself that I was going to get more involved with school, and I did little things like the Knowledge Bowl,(you had to take a test to qualify), the quiz bowl, which I loved, and the Geography Bee, which I came in second in the school last year. I'm pretty confident I can win next year...</p>

<p>So yeah.. I'm not really sure what I'm gong to include on my EC's list. Probably just Quiz Bowl, self studying Modern Greek and some Spanish and French, swimming, and maybe tennis.</p>

3

<p>I'm confused by the part about EC's. I have a lot of EC's, but they're not really consistent and the only thing I've stuck with is my passion for foreign affairs and languages, and the alto saxophone.</p>

<p>You hit right on the head, "I've stuck with my passion for foreign affairs and languages, and the alto sax.</p>

4

<p>PrEpKiD, why would post that? This is supposed to help people who are applying to bs, not make them feel like they don't have a chance. </p>

<p>
[quote]
Not to be discouraging, but some of you WILL be disappointed, and you'll get hurt. I didn't know I'd get THIS hurt. When I got rejected I felt so worthless that I lost confidence in everything I did. I felt like I was a total loser, since the schools have just proven to me that thousands and thousands of other kids are better than me, and that I don't deserve to be at a school like that where rich kids roam.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>When you start something with "not to be discouraging", that automatically means it's going to discourage people on here.</p>

<p>Most people on here are looking for advice on how to NOT get rejected, not to learn how it feels to GET rejected. I just don't think it was a very considerate thing to post. That's all.</p>

<p>However, I must add that the list of reasons did help your post to not be COMPLETELY discouraging, but it still wasn't the type of thing people on here want/need to hear.</p>

5

<p>Help! How does one go about doing the quote thingy?</p>

6

<p>It's hard to explain because it shows up quoted, but I'll try my best.
First, you type "quote" (not the " marks) in a set of bracets []. Then, yu type in the text that you want in the text box. When you're finished, type "/quote" (not the " marks) in a second set of brackets [].</p>

7

<p>This may be easier to understand:</p>

<p>[ / quote ] message here [ / quote ]</p>

<p>..without the spaces.</p>

8

<p>wrong.</p>

<p>the first set of brackets should not have the /</p>

9

<p>Right.. right. Sorry.</p>

<p>[ quote ] message here [ / quote ] </p>

<p>without the spaces...</p>

10

<p>Take heart, you never know what the admissions folks at these schools are looking for--my son had 90th centile SSAT scores, but a 3.2 GPA (mostly in honors classes) He is a top 2 sport athlete so that helped but other than working as an umpire and being part of a church youth group that was it for ECs.
He went 5/5 in admissions--got into Andover, Brooks, Lawrence Academy, Governor Dummer Academy and Buckingham Browne and Nichols-----
We did apply for aid and got it at all schools</p>

11

<p>Just dont get 20th percentile in reading comp like I did, or public school here you come.</p>

12

<p>What school did your son end up attending?</p>

13

<p>Didn't want to board so is at Buckingham, Browne and Nichols a wonderful private school in Cambridge, Mass
Interestingly enough--as it was a day school the price was "only 28K" versus 36K for the boarding schools and we received the best financial aid package at BB&N</p>

14

<p>Man, these schools are so expensive...</p>

<p>$35,000 on a HIGH SCHOOL education? A lot of people don't even make that much each year.</p>

<p>Unfortunately for me, my parents are middle class. Hopefully I'll get enough aid to attend. Thank God they don't check out grandparents when you apply for aid, or else I wouldn't get any. lol.</p>

<p>Couldn't your son be a day student at Andover? It's just a half an hour outside of Boston.</p>

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<p>You have to live in a town adjacent to Andover which counts us out of the day student option at Andover. Also Andover seemed too big and the academic rigor and college placement at BB&N are pretty much identical to Andover's</p>

16

<p>
[quote]
When you start something with "not to be discouraging", that automatically means it's going to discourage people on here.</p>

<p>Most people on here are looking for advice on how to NOT get rejected, not to learn how it feels to GET rejected. I just don't think it was a very considerate thing to post. That's all.</p>

<p>However, I must add that the list of reasons did help your post to not be COMPLETELY discouraging, but it still wasn't the type of thing people on here want/need to hear.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>i know enough to see the difference between what is encouraging and what is discouraging.</p>

<p>however, if someone had told me that there WAS a big possibility that despite my grades and ECs I'd get rejected at so many schools, i would have been more prepared.</p>

<p>And by posting the reasons WHY i got rejected, i am helping them understand how to NOT get rejected. keep consistency, don't send in financial aid if it has tons of 0s all around, etc. the other reasons were to let them know what prep schools prefer and what they don't.</p>

17

<p>
[quote]
$35,000 on a HIGH SCHOOL education?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>JK, which school did you look into on that?</p>

<p>the websites might say that...but if you live far, the travel (think about the holidays, too), the books (no, they are not incldued), etc. come around to up to fifty grand.</p>

18

<p>All of the schools I'm applying to say tuition and board cost around $35,000 - $40,000 per year.</p>

<p>I am sure there are other costs as well.</p>

<p>Prepkid, where are you going to high school?</p>

19

<p>i'm going to a local one. i missed out on a lot of classes, though.</p>

20

<p>I love you want<em>a</em>scholarship! Good luck!</p>