<p>Many people who come on this board are used to being on top, and their list of schools reflects the belief that they will continue to be on top in a larger, more competitive environment. As adults, we know that doesn't always happen, but as parents we might not realize this. That is why I always suggest that people look at a variety of schools. A safety school should not be added just to round out a list. It should be added because it is a good fit, but just not as competitive. No one should waste time applying to a school in which s/he would be unhappy. In some ways, selecting match & safety schools takes more time. </p>
<p>I tend to do overkill, so this is what we did. In May of 7th grade we toured 5 boarding schools without any interviews. This was so that we could get an idea of whether or not boarding school would be the right place for high school. In the fall, we toured 12 schools with interviews (and didn't miss any school days!). One or two were eliminated on the spot. After that, my son ranked them in 3 priority groups. He did applications for priority 1 first, then priority 2 next. After that, we agreed that he might as well not do the applications for priority 3 because he didn't like these schools that much. </p>
<p>In the end he applied to 7. Boarding school was new to us, so that is why we looked at so many.</p>
<p>Although we've been through this before, I'm finding this information to be invaluable. Many of us only gain wisdom through our mistakes, and my family is no exception.</p>
<p>Thank you, everyone for being so upfront and candid in your responses. This advice will be helpful to many as they go down this bumpy road!</p>
<p>I agree. While we are new at this, it has been great to hear so many different points of view.<br>
As I think about the whole reach, match and safety thing...I think I go back to my original thoughts on them. ALL of them have to be a place that he will fit in and feel comfortable. I'm catagorizing based on liklihood of getting in. There might be 6 reaches he loves (there isn't, but for discussion) - that makes no sense to apply to just those. However, if it is 6 matches, then that's different.<br>
It's easy to get caught up in a variety of issues surrounding this whole process and the whole spreadsheet ;)
It's nice to see other points of view</p>
<p>We had a tough time narrowing the list down. Our daughter applied to 8 schools - was accepted at 4, waitlisted at 3 (including her first choice) and rejected at 1. We are quite happy with where she ended up - a result of revisit days!</p>
<p>Shelley - did she end up at one of the acceptances or did she get into her first choice off the waitlist? Sounds like the former, but just curious.</p>
<p>my oldest child applied to five (got into three), my middle applied to four (got into all four), my youngest applied to six.(into three, waitlisted at 3)</p>
<p>we looked at a number of schools for each of them that they did not apply to. we looked at one of the schools for all three kids and all three applied there- it was different to see the school for each of my kids so I felt that that was worthwhile.</p>
<p>re the whole safety school thing- this came up for my two older ones with college too--- don't bother applying to a school that you don't want to go to!</p>
<p>That's how we felt; why apply to a school if you're not really interested in going. D#1 is choosing colleges based on where she would be happy to go. Her "safeties" are schools she would be perfectly happy to attend. Therefore, she has a win, win, win situation providing she gets in to at least one school.lol</p>
<p>She went to one of her acceptances. After the official re-visit day and then a second one to meet with a few teachers, our daughter made the decision. She also decided to take her name off the wait list. It all worked out very well for her.</p>
<p>I really saw the safety school issue much more clearly when the acceptances started coming in for my son. He was no happier after he had heard from two "safety" schools, one had given a full tuition merit scholarship. I thought he would have been relieved and happy to know he had acceptances in hand. He told me he would rather not go to college than to go to one of those schools! Doing those applications therefore, was a waste of time and money.</p>
<p>You have to love your safety as they say on the college threads. It's simply a school you'd be happy to attend and are fairly certain you'll be accepted.</p>
<p>That's how we're viewing safeties for BS apps. That's part of the reason we're referring to them as match/safeties. Since FA is a big factor for our family, you don't really know it's a safety until you receive the acceptance AND the FA!</p>
<p>Our situation was a bit unusual; my oldest visited pretty much every bs in New England (or so it seemed) with a friend and his mom (they went a bit early....7th grade....as the friend was moving out of the New England area and it would be easier to visit while they still lived here). They saw Exeter, Andover, Deerfield, St. Paul's, Taft, Groton, Milton, Choate, Avon, Loomis, etc., etc. The day my son visited NMH, he came home and said "This is the school I want to go to; I love the campus and the people....especially the people!" I had him apply to St. Paul's and Exeter as well. He ended up attending NMH, loving it, and at 22 is considering returning there to work eventually and says this is where he wants his children to go to school.
My younger son spent lots of time at NMH and knew it was where he, too, wanted to go. He refused to apply anywhere else, so it was very easy with only one app.</p>
<p>"Looked" at 8 (drive-bys): Suffield, Millbrook, NMH, The Gunnery, Berkshire, Miss Hall's, Canterbury, Williston. D eliminated Canterbury and Suffield immediately. Later decided NMH too big. Scheduled interviews at the remaining 5, but she cancelled Williston at last minute. Interviewed at remaining 4, did not apply to Millbrook (which disapointed M&D). Accepted at The Gunnery, Berkshire and Miss Hall's. She's at Berkshire, which we think is a great place for her (even though she called in tears the other night).</p>
<p>I applied to eight schools: Andover, Exeter, Deerfield, Groton, St. Paul's, Lawrenceville, Porstmouth Abbey, and Episcopal High School (Virginia).</p>