When people address that choose a school based on fit, I am totally lost. I am unable to answer this question. I asked my kids if they say define it. All three kids have been to prep school. We simply chose school based on based aid, but other than that no idea as how can choose a school that is more fit than others. In our case same prep school offered the maximum need based aid, and we went with that. It is among top 10. My kids were not athlete so we were just looking for a place where they can get classmates who are as driven as them. But we learned the most important lesson “Non Sibi” from the same school.
My only advice is student choose school which loves you back that means school give you admission, and in case if you need financial aid, school provides that to the maximum possible extent. I think all top 50 or even 100 so prep school school are offering excellent educations. Wherever you get admission, you will not go wrong. Good luck on March 10th.
DS and I talked about this today, actually. Describing fit is akin to describing someone who has the “X” factor. It’s just there. It’s different for every person and intangible. We applied to 11 schools— for some, we stepped on campus and observed interactions around us and DS came away with a “no—I cannot see myself here”. There were others that he could see himself there, liked the school & liked a bunch of things about it. But then there were two…that when he was done with the interview day, he just knew that he had found his spot. Everything just felt right. We can’t describe it but it’s just like “yes, this is it!” And luckily, one of those schools felt the same way about him and provided us with the FA we needed. I know this isn’t much help, but it really is so intangible and personal, that you really can’t pin it down to specific things.
“Fit” varies by family and by kid. One kid was passionate about a particular sport. She applied to one school, was accepted and did very well there. Another kid was really pretty ambivalent about the schools he applied to. He would “fit” in pretty much anywhere so his decision was more about the campus and the school’s offerings in his areas of interest.
It’s a school where your kid is comfortable when they arrive yet have a lot of room to grow. Often, admissions is better at seeing this than you are. (Trust me on this, and repeat it as your mantra right up to M10!) It should offer things that are what your kid does. And it should require them to stretch.
But yes, there are definitely schools where either you or your kid just don’t feel it. That’s fine too! There are communities YOU wouldn’t feel at home in, and schools are communities as well.
I would define a fit school as somewhere where you and your child are comfortable and happy but at the same time, your child is being pushed to be the best they can be academically and socially. Admission officers have been doing their jobs for a long time and do it well, so odds are that you will not get any acceptance letters for a school where you/your child will not thrive.
I think about “fit” quite a bit. I have three children and my youngest has special needs so we were confronted early on with his siblings’ school not being an academic fit. My oldest is applying to high school and there are so many amazing and wonderful schools out there and it is a big job figuring out the best fit. It is also a luxury to make that decision independent of financial aid and other considerations. So “fit” is different for every family. For me, fit means that this is a place where my child will thrive as an individual and reach her full potential not only academically but also socially/emotionally. That she will develop independence, confidence and maturity that will allow her to succeed in college and life. My own prep school was a top academic institution with a major focus on competition and athletics. They sent students to Div I athletic programs as well as Ivy League undergrad programs. The school (years ago) didn’t do much to prepare kids for the world they faced. The stress and pressure was immense and a lot of kids flailed academically and personally when they went off to college. For me, “fit” for my kids meant more than just words but a true commitment from school to make sure each student reaches their greatest potential, learns to be a true member of a community, gives to others not because it will look good on a college app but because that’s what they care about.