Geographical advantage

My daughter is applying as a 10th grader to Milton and would be a boarder coming from South Carolina. Any idea how many spots there are in that grade? The competition is fierce, I know, and I wonder whether geographic diversity plays into the decisions at all. Waiting until March is tedious as this is her one and only choice.

Milton is desperate for boarders and wants to increase their boarding population. I think you are in great shape! I am very familiar with the school. My son was accepted last year but went elsewhere. Great school!!

I’m not sure how one can opine that @alyssondra’s daughter is in “great shape” to get into Milton knowing nothing about her other than that she’s from South Carolina. Milton is highly competitive in terms of admissions, both for day and boarding. Like any top boarding school, Milton is interested in geographic diversity, indeed perhaps more so than others given that half of its population, by definition, is from the Boston environs. That said, it’s not going to get a student in who otherwise wouldn’t be accepted. If they had two candidates who were in every other way completely identical, but one was from South Carolina and one from, say, Connecticut, I think the SC kid would get the nod. But of course, no two kids are identical. So if the CT kid happens to also play the French horn, and they could really use some more good musicians for the school orchestra, then the geographic diversity may not win out after all.

@soxmom you are correct. I guess I assumed that if she was highly qualified (high scores and good grades) then being from SC would be a big advantage. Thanks for adding your commentary.

Thank you @soxmom and @Center. It also must depend heavily on how many slots they have opening in 10th - and I imagine it varies year or year. She has strong grades from a competitive academic magnet school, strong test scores and serves on a municipal youth court and does extensive service work. She was school president in middle school. But she isn’t a star javelin thrower or all-state bassoonist…Fingers crossed. Milton seems like a terrific school. Thanks again.