<p>Yesterday I found out I was accepted to Episcopal High School, but I was wait listed at Phillips Exeter and St. Paul's. Of course, the two schools that I get wait listed at are the two most attracting to me. I love EHS, but there is a peculiar feeling I am getting from the school. I don't know if it's because EHS isn't one of the "big schools", or because I would have to board so far away from home. I feel bad because EHS has treated me like a king because I am from New England, and to tell them, no, for schools that haven't said a straight up, yes, makes me feel really bad. I know the whole "love the school that loves you back" saying, but I am trying to love the school that loves me, but I can shake the odd feeling that is keeping me from loving the school. My L.A teacher is phenomenal and PEA loves her, which gives me a higher chance of being taken off the wait list, but I don't know which gamble I should take. Risk being taken off one of the wait lists, or go to a school that I am apprehensive about, and maybe not like it. Are these feelings normal? Should I go with the wait lists or EHS? What are my chance for the wait lists? Please help</p>
<p>Oh my god! I was accepted at EHS too!!! Love the school that loves you!</p>
<p>I feel the almost same way. I think some of your apprehensiveness is coming from the uncertainty of the reputation of EHS. But if you keep and open mind at re-visits, and try to not be impaired by your love for Exeter and St. Pauls then you can get a better feel for the school. I know that it may be hard, as I too have a similar dilemma, but I mean to be taken off of a wait list at schools that are so prestigious is like a 20-35 percent chance. And thats if someone who has similar talents to yours declines an invitation before April 10. Good Luck!! I hope you at least re-visit EHS.</p>
<p>You could lose everything if you don’t accept Episcopal’s offer and don’t get off either wait list. You know the saying, a bird in hand is worth two in the bush.</p>
<p>If your family can risk the amount of the deposit, you can accept Episcopal and then choose one of the other schools if they offer you a spot. Keep in mind that occasionally people from the wait list get their opportunity right at the start of the school year. By then you would have had to pay more than the deposit.</p>
<p>The deposit will buy you several months of time. I think most schools want the tuition or part of it by mid-summer. Also check carefully anything you sign. These are contracts. Make sure you will not be held liable for more than the deposit.</p>
<p>Hate to say this - but someone at PEA loving your L.A. teacher isn’t going to give you an edge off the waitlist. And both Andover and Exeter rarely go to the waitlist. </p>
<p>I agree with the others - accept the school that gave you an offer, and if for some reason, you are taken off the waitlist at another school, withdraw from EHS (which means losing the deposit).</p>
<p>But if you are thinking of turning EHS down for the off chance you “might” get into Exeter or Andover, you may end up with nothing to show for it.</p>
<p>You said EHS treated you like a king and now you feel “odd” about them. That’s sad. If you don’t love the school that loved you - perhaps you should just turn EHS down which might open up a spot for a student on the EHS waitlist. :(</p>
<p>Schools already factor in their “yield” when they accept students. A simplified example would be a school that has room for 100 new students. Their yield is 80%, meaning they can expect that 80% of accepted students will actually enroll there. So they will accept 125 students. 80% of 125=100, the desired number of new students.</p>
<p>The WL is over and beyond that. A school will go to the WL if yield is lower than normal or if somebody accepts their offer of admission but then changes their mind or for any other reason does not attend. And it’s not just a simple one for one. Maybe it’s a sophomore who changes their mind. If you’re a freshman that won’t help you. Maybe it was the proverbial tuba player from Montana, that’s not going to help you.</p>
<p>I would advise to NEVER give up an acceptance because you’re hoping to move off the WL somewhere else. Unless you absolutely do not want to go to that school, but you must have liked it or why did you apply? I understand that it’s not your favorite. Would you rather go to your local school than Episcopal? Because that could happen if you decline their offer.</p>
<p>The advice to get to know Episcopal better is good.</p>
<p>One word of advice: REVISIT.</p>
<p>First of all, EHS is not a school of “uncertain” reputation. EHS & SAS are the premier BS south of the Mason Dixon. EHS boasts 10 min access to Wash D.C. and all the advantages the nation’s capital has to offer. Senator/ Prez-candidate went to EHS. EHS also has a godzilla-sized endowment that is bigger per-capita than that of many ACRONYM New England schools.</p>
<p>And second of all, the chances of getting off A or E’s WL is nowhere remotely close to 20-35%. For E, it’s more like 2-3%. For A, it’s more like 0.002% to zero.</p>
<p>I was reading the Wait List thread and one post really hit home to me. It was saying “If it was the day before prom, would you take a chance with the cutest guy in your class that asked another girl first but then came to you and said that if she couldn’t go would you go with him, or would you go with the second or third cutest guy in your class that had helped you with homework and was a really good friend who, it turns out, had a major crush on you?” (BTW, I’m not sure if you’re a guy or a girl, but you get the gist right?)</p>
<p>@katriss, I also love that analogy by dodgersmom!</p>
<p>I apologize for the 20 to 35% comment… I forgot to move my decimal. Sorry!</p>
<p>Just accept the place some people got no schools.</p>
<p>@zanderjones,</p>
<p>There is nothing wrong about feeling the way you do. My son was in a similar situation last year. He only had eyes for Exeter. The WL letter he got in March was devestating. However he did get a spot at another very good school. It just wasn’t Exeter. I will tell you during the interview process at the other school, he was not feeling it. He couldn’t imagine himself there at all. However, after March 10 and we thought Exeter would never happen, he revisited the other school. He saw it through new eyes and began to get excited about it. The faculty was so enthusiastic and kind and welcomed him like he was already a part of the family. He was sold and all in for the other school. We paid our deposit and he was ready. </p>
<p>My advice? Please revisit EHS and try to forget about Exeter and what you didn’t get. Focus on what you did get and try to immerse yourself in the experience of being there. Picture yourself there and try to get a good unbiased feeling for the school. You may be surprised how your thoughts may change. </p>
<p>After that, if you are still longing for Exeter but could see yourself at EHS, then make the deposit with the knowledge that you will lose it if you do make it off the WL. I would never say it is not possible to make it off that list, my son did, but it is not probable. Most people will not make it off, so bear that in mind.</p>
<p>Look at EHS again. Do it for yourself. Good Luck.</p>
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<p>I’ll reiterate what ExieMITAlum said above: PEA doesn’t care who your L.A. teacher is, and her involvement will NOT help you get off the waitlist.</p>
<p>To be blunt, a waitlist is a polite way of saying “Don’t call us. We’ll call you.” If Exeter happens to need an underwater tuba player, and you happen to be one of the several underwater tuba players on their waitlist, you might get a call. Or you might not. They might decide to give the spot to an underwater basket weaver instead.</p>
<p>Your choice, at this point, is not between PEA and Episcopal. It’s between your local public school and Episcopal. And that decision is up to you.</p>
<p>I would say revisit and make sure you like it more than your default plan (local public high school?). Perhaps you have learned a lesson here that will help you in the college application process: Make sure your back ups are schools you would truly want to attend.</p>
<p>Dig deep and ask yourself if it’s the loss of the “big name” that’s making you feel bad, or the school that has “treated you like a king” that feels wrong in some way – revisit, spend time on the website, meet other kids that go there. Put the other schools (and their reputations) aside, and focus on EHS; gather as much information as you can, you’ve already started by posting here. </p>
<p>What’s appealing about a big name? Sometimes (not always) it’s about how others see us – “so and so is at Andover” or Dalton or Stuyvesant may cause someone to perceive us differently. X went to Brown, she must be a genius, etc. There’s nothing wrong with thinking that way, especially in this culture, but it’s not the whole picture. Is there something specific that Exeter or SPS have (other than names or being in NH?) that EHS does not?</p>
<p>Our circumstances are different, we’re re-evaluating our situation – it’s not even a week since the decisions came in. Our favorite school, hands down, is a hidden gem. Would we be swayed by a name, very likely, but if we’re rigorously honest, the school we like the best offers everything a bigger school does, and is probably the best fit, (and it’s closest to home.) </p>
<p>Good luck. There’s a lot of wisdom and experience on these boards – people who’ve had similar choices to make who are farther down the road – you’ll figure it out. Most people will never have the option to receive an education like the one you’ve been offered and don’t even know it’s available, it’s a privilege and an opportunity, enjoy it.</p>
<p>I would definitely revisit Episcopal High School and then if you still aren’t sure, call St. Paul’s and Exeter and find out where you stand on the Wait List. They will be honest with you.</p>
<p>EHS is not a school of drooling losers. The top kids there are not that different from SPS kids. The main difference is that there is a wider range of student abilities than at Exeter. The fame thing is funny, though, because kids in Virginia, Charlotte, and Charleston can say “I go to The High School” and people there know they mean EHS. Mention SPS outside of New England, and you’d get blank stares. According to my friends who work there, the massive endowment in part goes to high faculty salaries and retention–their fac turnover is ridiculously low, and their percentage of teachers with masters degrees is among the highest, which in my experience does say something good about the quality of the faculty. (My friends are pretty great, though, so I’m biased!)</p>
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<li><p>Going far from home is not for everyone. I think that’s why EHS doesn’t get the massive influx of applications that the New England schools do. It’s probably easy to get from the school to trains and airports, since it’s practically in Washington DC, but is it easy to get from trains or planes to your house on the other end? That’s a consideration.</p></li>
<li><p>I Agree with everyone else. This hoping on the waitlist is not very realistic. A waitlist is not an acceptance. You should be focusing on EHS vs. your home option. You are unlikely to get off any waitlists.</p></li>
<li><p>Congratulations on getting into EHS! It’s a great school with a gorgeous campus near a cool city. Lots of kids would love to go there; consider yourself lucky!</p></li>
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<p>Thanks to all who responded. Sorry it took me so long to acknowledge your advice. </p>
<p>@EHSWFSMBRGHOPE Congratulations on your acceptance! I will be re-visiting EHS, and I will keep an open mind like you suggested. I might be feeling apprehensive because of EHS’s reputation up North. Great suggestion, but regardless it is a great school and I will compare EHS not to SPS or PEA, but to my local school. Thank you for the advice!</p>
<p>@alooknac My family and I have discussed the financial situation. If I were hoping for SPS or PEA to take me off their waitlist more than wanting to attend EHS, I will not take another kid’s spot on EHS’s waitlist. If the re-visit goes well, then I will attend with a great spirit. If the re-visit does not goes as well as planned, than I won’t take a spot from another kid who really would love to go to EHS. Thank you helping me in a tough decision!</p>
<p>@ExieMITAlum I agree with what you said about my statement regarding my L.A teacher. It will not give me an edge over other wait listed students. It might have the potential to help, but would not give me an advantage. I took what you said about taking another child’s spot when I do not want to go there to heart. I honestly started to consider declining EHS because I did not want to take a more desired spot from someone else, but as I have done more research and have learned more about the school, I have come to love the school as much and if not more than SPS and PEA. Located just outside of Washington, D.C, the opportunities are endless. On Thursday, I can see Les Miserables at the National Theater, go to a concert at the Kennedy Center on Friday, and watch a Washington Capitals hockey game with dinner on Saturday, all for free. Also, the list of places the classes go to because they are related to the class are extensive. No other school can offer me what Episcopal High School can. Although it has taken time, I feel much more confidant that I would be successful and happy at EHS. Thank you for helping me realize what I could have taken away from someone else, and for showing me that if I don’t love the school, don’t go to it!</p>
<p>@katrissRed Great analogy, and thank you for sharing. I would probably go with the second or third cutest boy or girl (girl for me) in my class because they would chose me as their first choice. SPS and PEA did not choose me first, and I should go to the school that saw something in me that the other two did not. Putting this situation into something such as love is very useful, and sharing this with me helped a lot. Thank you!</p>
<p>@Girlboarder You are 100% right. Many got declined at five or six schools and received no wait lists or acceptances, and I am incredibly lucky considering my situation. Although, I will not “just accept the place” if it is not right for me. The last thing I want to do is to attend a school that is not right for me, when I could have attended another school that is right for me, while opening up a spot for someone else at EHS. I will make sure that EHS is right for me in the re-visit, and if it is, I will “just accept the place.” Thank you for helping me realize how lucky I am, and how humbling the experience is!</p>
<p>@NHMomof3 Most of all, I appreciate you kindness and excellent advice. I feel like you understood that just because I liked PEA and SPS more than EHS, doesn’t mean that I do not like EHS. I will absolutely keep an open mind during the re-visit. I will follow your advice, re-visit, and consider EHS for me. Thank you for your kindness, advice, and understanding!</p>
<p>@dodgersmom The decision is indeed between my public school and EHS. I understand that my chances are infinitesimally slim for getting off the wait list at either school, but there is nothing wrong with genuine hope and a positive attitude. I will take your advice and honestly compare EHS to my public school. If EHS doesn’t work out, than I will attend my public school and apply next year to five to six school tailored to me. Thank you for bringing my hope into reality and showing which schools I should be comparing!</p>
<p>@honorarymom I know that I will like EHS far more than my public high school, but the reason I would attend my public high school is to re-apply for five to six schools in the 2013 to 2014 school year. I will re-visit and look to see if I could go to EHS for four years and be happy with no regrets. Thank you for the advice!</p>
<p>@ackmom I might be swayed by the name, but ultimately I will try my hardest to evaluate the school strictly by the content of the school, completely disregarding the name. Hidden Gems are a fantastic! Good luck with your son/daughter! Thank you for the suggestions and words of wisdom!</p>
<p>@Albion I know that Episcopal High School is full of intelligent, capable, and mature you men and women, and under no circumstances a school of drooling losers. The more I look at the school, the more I realize how lucky I am to have been accepted, and the prospect of attending becomes more and more exciting. I will judge the school by its content, not the name. Thank you for the insight as to how others think of SPS and EHS, because it has helped me realize that a reputation based on a school’s name doesn’t mean the school is a better fit than another school.</p>