<p>Thanks so much, SevenDad. I’ll check out the recap.</p>
<p>Berkshire Lover: </p>
<p>Im a rising junior at Suffield Academy and I would like to share with you my experiences of going to visit schools and applying to them. I visited 10 schools and applied to 6.
After my tours I had a top 3. I narrowed that down to two since I gained acceptance at all 6 schools including Berkshire. I was between Suffield and Berkshire. The community at Suffield stood out to my because in my opinion, having a town near you and Dunkin’ on Campus helps and Berkshire is VERY WASPY…
My list was(6 schools):
Gunnery-CT
Blair-NJ
Berkshire-MA(top 2)
Suffield-CT(the best experience ever…) HIGHLY RECOMMEND
Hun School-NJ
Williston-Ma</p>
<p>Those applying for financial aid would be well advised to apply to more schools and to a range of schools. I suggest 8 schools as a minimum.</p>
<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I’m an incoming lower at Exeter. It was the only school I applied to.</p>
<p>If I had any advise to give, it would be to apply to more schools. Because now I’m starting to look at Andover and thinking, wow, what if I got in to Andover? It just opens more doors.</p>
<p>And also, please, please, apply for financial aid. It will save you a LOT of guilt down the line.</p>
<p>How ever many schools you decide to apply to, apply to at least 1 “safety” school. Make sure that school is one you would actually be willing to go to. </p>
<p>If there are no “safety” schools you find acceptable, then be willing to accept the possibility that you do not go to BS at all the next year.</p>
<p>Refer to older threads about how many, many applicants were rejected by ALL of the ultra-competitive schools to which they applied. </p>
<p>Sorry to be brutally PRAGMATIC…</p>
<p>How ever many schools you decide to apply to, apply to at least 1 “safety” school. Make sure that school is one you would actually be willing to go to. </p>
<p>If there are no “safety” schools you find acceptable, then be willing to accept the possibility that you do not go to BS at all the next year.</p>
<p>Refer to older threads about how many, many applicants were rejected by ALL of the ultra-competitive schools to which they applied. </p>
<p>Sorry to be brutally PRAGMATIC…</p>
<p>I agree with GMT. I like the number of applying from 4 to 8. I applied to 5.</p>
<p>Also, do make sure that you apply to at least one “safety” school where you would be happy to go to. I say “safety” because it does not necessarily mean worse in general, just a higher acceptance rate to where you think you might get in.</p>
<p>^^Another thing to consider: if you’re lucky enough to “strike it rich” and have to decide between schools, how many Revisit days can you realistically attend? I would think 3-4 would be the max, so depending on how well you choose your reach/match/solid spread, how many choices do you really want to entertain?</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the insightful comments. I also think I’ve been able to narrow it down to four schools with all of this great help and a bit of thinking and speaking to my parents. I have gotten one school that I believe to be a “saftey”, but, out of someone’s opinion, what is the acceptance rate that separates a school from being, perhaps a “reach” to a safety? PelicanDad, that’s also another reason to apply to about four schools, in addition to the fact that I think these are the schools that I love the most. If I were to be accpeted to two or more schools, it wouldn’t be that difficult to decide, I’d imagine, after the revist day. Anyhow, I really, really appreciate all of the help! I’m sure this thread will help others as well. Again, thanks so much!</p>
<p>Also, 13all94, I will look at Suffield in comparison to Berkshire, but I was curious; what do you mean by waspy?</p>
<p>WASP = White Anglo-Saxon Protestant</p>
<p>Apply to as many as you want to - remember you will probably apply to around 10 colleges. Good Luck!</p>
<p>We applied to several. I won’t state how many, but it depends how important attending boarding school is to you, what your other educational options are (for example, if you don’t get accepted, perhaps you’ll decide an exchange student program or going for an IB program would suit you in a few years as well).</p>
<p>If you applied to 10+ schools, perhaps they talk to each other and all find out about the others. Perhaps not. I know they do ask if youve applied to others. Practice conversationally how you’ll answer. You can love the idea of boarding school AND their school individually. They may see passion/dedication if you apply to only them or 2-3. But hey, especially if your strength is in math, sometimes it can be about the chances vs numbers. </p>
<p>Alot of applications are not necessarily silly OR impossible time/essay/interview-wise though most people seem to feel up to 8 is the most comfortable and sane. </p>
<p>Hopefully you can FEEL what seems right for you after looking over your personal best options - good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks so much! I think I’ve finally got the right number!</p>
<p>what makes you think someone would apply to 10 colleges? holy crapola! as a former college admissions counselor, as the parent of 2 college graduates, as a 3-time graduate of college and as an admissions rep, i would never suggest that someone apply to 10 colleges! if you can’t narrow down to 5, you are not ready to go to college!!!</p>
<p>Haha. I think it would be a too large of a burden to apply to more than five schools, college or boarding school. I’m sure though that some apply to that number of schools. I think I like the idea of showing true dedication to a few schools far better, but that’s just me.</p>
<p>@ Lisa,</p>
<p>I beg to differ on the “10-school” application theory. I think application process is dependent on what your options are.</p>
<p>We are a family that needs a lot of FA to make college possible. My d has dream schools and I live in the reality of the numbers. </p>
<p>My background/experience with education, college professor, from Chicago, I applied to 21 kindergartens for my d at 4 1/2. Seems silly, even as I think about it 12 years later, but she only got accepted at the tested schools (4), and not selected by the lottery (17) schools-go figure! At that age my d traveled 4 hours round trip just be be in a place were she fit in.</p>
<p>Will she apply to 10 colleges, I am not sure, but my d is returning to school as a junior with 10 schools on the list. I expect she will take some off and add different ones. But I dont feel ten is too many to apply to. </p>
<p>We are a minority, middle-class, non-legacy, family that wants a great education.</p>
<p>(warning- this reply got a bit long)…</p>
<p>Oh, I didn’t mean to imply one has to have a strength in math for the numbers of school applications to matter.</p>
<p>I meant that it can be considered, mathematically, a chances situation - chance and numbers (sprinkled with desire, need, goals) … </p>
<p>We chose to take control of what we could - that is, the number of schools to which we applied. So the following is what fit for us, in line with our desires and capabilities. 1 application may be all some strive for, want, and get; 5 may be comfortable; but as the previous poster stated, 10, 15, onward is not necessarily unfeasible nor impossible (for Kindergarten OR HS) - it depends on your desires in the end (college MAY be a different story as the kids are likely busier in HS so time may not make it as feasible… But we’re not ruling it out - below is why - of course, the question pertained to Boarding school apps anyway)…</p>
<p>Before we started in too deeply, around June of his 7th grade year, my son took a “practice” SSAT, without studying, the summer before real application time (real for him, but a “testing the waters” step to see if it was even a realistic consideration). We felt that money was well spent to either save us further time and funds, or give us a go-ahead. We also figured that no studying could tell us, if he had borderline scores, if studying might improve them. And he could decide if he wanted to put in that extra effort. So, with competitive results, we decided we weren’t nuts to consider the possibility and the next fall, he’d go for it. </p>
<p>We also considered that these schools are ultimately businesses and need to chose what works best for them. For example, if I’m an awesome thrombilator player but the school already has 10, then they may pass on me. Not because I’m not talented but because they want a variety of kids to compliment the community (and to not all be competitive directly with each other while there). So we knew “rejection” wouldn’t be a sign that he wasn’t good enough. But how would we know if he might’ve gotten into that school he didn’t apply for or who already had enough thrombilator players? We wanted to keep that “what if” to a minimum and know he really put in an effort. </p>
<p>Interestingly, we also looked at it like, if he didn’t get in, there are IB and exchange student programs as well as accelerated home study’s/college courses a HS’er can do … And atleast he’d get interview experience for college and life down the road. We just looked at it like there are many adventures in life. Many paths to take. Boarding school being an amazing one very worth trying for … </p>
<p>In the fall, we printed out a calendar. My son paced himself with essays and applications. Interviews were less flexible but were still possible. A plus is having winter break in there. The kids generally get 1-2 weeks to focus on their applications. Aimed for completion by the first of Jan so any accidental missed items could be taken care of. Mailed all probably by Jan 20… </p>
<p>Ironically or not, he got into his first choice/consideration. But also close to the last (not last preference choice, more like last we discovered and liked, so therefore added) with a sprinkled few waitlists in between… </p>
<p>Would we do it over again - definitely. What an amazing journey the application process alone was for my son (or I’d like to think so)… The people he met. The depth he had to look at himself and learn about himself. The writing and editing practice. The speaking experience and in the end, the confidence.</p>
<p>A student CAN get all the cool extras AND admission from a singular application. (On a personal opinion note, maybe a tad not in favor of “showing loyalty and dedication” - I wouldn’t only shop at one place for a car or house. This is a big decision. If one were set on one school and had dedication to only one school, I don’t disagree. If that’s what’s in their heart, desire, needs that’s fine. What I’m less supportive of is the idea of choosing only 1-2 schools to “show dedication” as it’s own strategy). So anyway, also, I’m not advocating a zillion applications or even 10. I’m not suggesting any number. I am just sharing a tad of our story, motivations, process, and experience and saying “plus 10” isn’t impossible. </p>
<p>In the end, the choice to embark on the application adventure, and how many is “right for one” depends on many factors including funds (for actual applications), time (to do them), need for FA (once accepted), and desire (again individual - for better education? to get away from the current environment? to have better facilities …), etc. </p>
<p>On here (cc), we each end up in some form of a social venn diagram if this application process. Meaning, we overlap just enough to share some experiences and give support to one another, but in the end, we are all in our own circles and have to make the choices that are best for ourselves. </p>
<p>Good luck all!</p>
<p>New–beautifully story!</p>
<p>Thank you! Hopefully it was sufficiently relevant to the original question. Take care. :).</p>