Is it too late? ::Jan. 6 SSAT::

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hi! My name is Christine and I'm new to the admission process. I am in 9th grade at a public middle school and am taking Gifted classes and accelerated math. My grades are currently not as high as I would like them for certain reasons but by the end of the year they should be at high honor student level.</p>

<p>My question is whether or not it is too late to start applying for 10th grade. I recently became interested in going to a prep school and didn't realise that ideally the admission process starts in spring. I haven't picked the schools I want to go to, or started test prep, or registered for the test.
If I take the Jan. 6 SSAT, will it be too late? And are there any applicants taking the Jan. 6 test? </p>

<p>I will also need finanical aid. Applying to boarding school was my idea so its up to me to register for the test. I think that if I miss the deadline for applying for 10th grade, it will be too late to go at all since I'm not to keen on repeating a grade (also for certain reasons).</p>

<p>Any insight is much appreciated. ^^</p>

<hr>

<p>on an unrelated note:
YES! I had to write this 3 times before it would save (I caught a computer virus).
Just venting. =]</p>

2

<p>I guess everyone is sleeping... I'll be back tommorow. ^^</p>

3

<p>No, it's not too late. You can even go standby for the Dec. test. Here is the ssat website: <a href="http://ssat.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://ssat.org/&lt;/a> . The Jan. test date is not too late for the standard admissions cycle. If I remember correctly from last year, application deadlines vary by school but start at the end of Dec. and continue through Feb. 1. Letters of acceptance go out around March 10th.</p>

<p>There are 3 main sources for boarding school information: <a href="http://www.boardingschoolreview%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.boardingschoolreview&lt;/a> , <a href="http://www.schools.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.schools.com&lt;/a> , and <a href="http://www"&gt;www&lt;/a>. petersons.com . Boardingschoolreview probably has the most information, but it is sometimes incomplete and inaccurate. Petersons includes info on all independent schools (day and boarding). You can order a free hardcopy reference on boarding schools from the schools.com website. This website has a wealth of information. </p>

<p>Admissions will judge you according to your current and past grades. Probably the grades they will see will be up to the first half of the year. There are many boarding schools from which to choose, and many do not require that you be an academic all star. I think they all want students who are eager to learn and contribute to the boarding community. </p>

<p>In general, those boarding schools with admissions rates greater than 30% will have some spots left after the April 10th contract committment. There is no guarantee that spots will be there, but I think historically this often happens. In general, the higher the admit rate, the higher the probability that there will be some remaining spots. It would be best to participate in the regular admissions cycle. After that regular cycle, it is harder to get acceptance because they are usually looking for certain talents or qualities to balance a class. </p>

<p>There have been many discussions on how to position yourself when applying for financial aid. You might want to search this forum for "financial aid." </p>

<p>Do your parents support your goals? That is very important.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

4

<p>chloesong, you have plenty of time. With D#1 we didn't start the process until mid-December. As Burparent notes, there is still time for the December 9th SSAT however, they will charge an additional (late) fee. If that doesn't work for you, Jan. test is also accepted by all prep schools.You may want to go to the boardingschoolreview site where you can order viewbooks of schools you may be interested in,
good luck!</p>

5

<p>It is not too late! You can download most of the applications from the schools websites. I think the trick will be getting your tours and interviews scheduled.
What type of school are you interested in? There are many people on cc who have gone through this and can give you some ideas about the various boarding schools.</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
there is still time for the December 9th SSAT however, they will charge an additional (late) fee.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Late registration closed on 11/24.</p>

7

<p>It's not too late - you can use standby registration. From the ssat website:</p>

<p>Standby Registration
• Closes online at 8:00 a.m. on the test date.
• Limited seating and locations, testing is not guaranteed.
• Online registration only, with payment by credit card.*
• Additional $55 standby fee.</p>

<p>To register for standby test space:
• Visit the SSAT web site at <a href="http://www.ssat.org%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.ssat.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>• Select from the list of participating test sites, noting that your desired test center may not accept standby registrations and that standby test sites have very limited seating available.</p>

<p>• When you register, check the number of standby testers already registered at your site; selecting a test site with a shorter wait list may improve your chances for being seated for the test.</p>

<p>• Complete registration online, including full payment by credit card.</p>

<p>• You will be assigned a standby queue number at the time of registration.</p>

<p>• Print your Standby Ticket online. (Required for admission to test site.)</p>

<p>2006-2007 Standby Registration Fee
$151 (US/Canada), $225 (International Sites)</p>

<p>*SSAT Fee Waivers may be used online. A fee waiver covers the $96 test fee only; additional late/standby fees must be paid by credit card at the time of registration.</p>

<p>Standby Registration Notes</p>

8

<p>"Do your parents support your goals?"
Yes although they are a little worried about sending me too far. I live near Philly so any school in the NE should be fine.</p>

<p>"What type of school are you interested in?"
A top school. Definatly a school that surpasses the quailty of education available at my high school and one that fits my interests. My goal is to become a doctor/missionary and graduate at a IVY League school so a school that is highly motivated and academically challenging. My favorite subjects are science and history. Least is math even though I am currently in Algebra 2. (I'm an Asian-American with musical abilities. I heard this puts me at a disadvantage when applying for college..not sure if it affects prep-school application)</p>

<p>I'm heavily involved in extra curricular activites and talented in playing the flute (I'm starting piccolo too =]). I don't know what my hook is yet but I'm thinking about it. My weak points are math and writing essays...</p>

<p>Mercersburg in PA sounds good because its kinda close but I'm thinking if its going to be several hours away, why not apply to some of the top schools as well? Andover seems nice too but I have to do more research. I'll probably benefit from a stricter school setting. I like dress codes as well. =]</p>

<p>It all depends on how well I do for the SSAT.. ahhhh its a bit intimidating trying to just survive school and venturing into this applying to prep school thing. I just got my report card and I have 3 Bs, 2 of them in majors and 2 Incompetes. The rest are As.</p>

<p>I'm worried about one thing though. I'll post after making dinner. ^^
Brb.</p>

9

<p>Hmmm standby testing sounds like a good idea. One thing that worries me is if I will have enough time to study if I schedule it for Jan. 6. Anyway I'll brb. Thank you for all the replys.</p>

10

<p>I haven't studied since August for the SSAT and I take it no December 9th.</p>

<p>BTW - I would just wait till January to take it instead of doing the standby thing. It seems pretty pointless to spend an additional $50 just to take the test a month earlier. Why not just spend more time preparing?</p>

11

<p>ChloeSong, it's not too late to apply to a prep school because you will be attending that prep school for another 3 years which = $$$ to them. If you were a junior applying for senior year at the prep school, they will not take you in. =/ People do not start a fire attack on me. -.-; Yesh I know what I'm talking about when it's about transferring.</p>

12

<p>Hmmm can anyone recommend a school? My parents would be willing to send me as far as Boston if I get accepted at a great school.Also how long did it take for other applicants to get letters of recomendation?</p>

13

<p>Oops make that 2 Bs. One in Art and the other in Science.</p>

14

<p>If you really want the top schools, look into AESD (Andover, Exeter, St. Paul's, Deerfield) along with perhaps Hotchkiss and Choate (I know there are many more; I'm just listing a few). However, they are reaches for almost everyone, and you need top grades, recs, test scores, essays, some luck, etc. to get into them, so it is good you are also interested in slightly less selective schools, like Mercersburg.</p>

<p>Remember, going to prep school does not guarentee Ivy League admission, not in the least. If that is the main reason you want to attend, you will probably not be happy in prep school. Many of these schools are almost like colleges themselves, and attending them to go to a specific university is like attending Harvard to go to a specific graduate school. If you have been to a specific Ivy that you have fallen in love with, that is one thing, but people tend get obesessed with the names and the repuations and often don't really know much about them. For example, Americans voted Princeton Law School was one of the top ten law schools in the country. The problem: Princeton has no law school. Don't fall into that trap. I admit, the Ivies are some of the best schools in the world, but you do not know that you will love going to them just because they are "some of the best schools in the world".</p>

<p>I don't know exactly what type of school you attend now, but if it is not a very rigorous school, you should probably work on getting your grades a little higher for the final grade report that is sent. I would not advise taking the December SSAT even if you can, because it is nice (or it was for me) to have a little time to prepare, unless you want the option of taking it over again. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, being Asian-American does put you at a disadvantage for prep school. As I said, it is very similar the admissions process for college.</p>

<p>Make a list of your top priorities for a school, and then from that look into the specific schools you want and try to craft a rough list. That's the best way to start. You can select from there.</p>

15

<p>prettyckitty has good advice. There are many boarding schools that routinely send their top 10 - 30% students to the most highly ranked colleges in the country. You need to be certain that you can be in this group if that is one of your goals. </p>

<p>Because you are not certain about what you want in a boarding school, you should spend time considering factors that are important to you. The school will become your home away from home. Here are factors that my son and I considered when putting together a list a schools: level of academic challenge, distance from home, dress code, religious affiliation or not, art requirements (he has a weakness in fine art), availability of his ec's, certain sports, size of school, availability of certain academic courses that he wanted, % boarding, quality of faculty, social life, study hall requirements, etc. </p>

<p>You should study the financial aid percent, total $s to fa, and how you compare to their accepted students. I suspect you want to be above the majority of their students for most schools to make yourself an attractive fa candidate. I see that you want to be a missionary. Perhaps you would be happiest in a school with a religious affiliation or a school with religious clubs so you will have opportunities to express your faith and be with other like-minded people. If math is a relative weakness, you should look at math requirements. There are many other factors that are probably important to you. You should give this considerable thought. </p>

<p>After putting together a list of preliminary factors, visit schools close to you that offer what you want. After a few visits, you will start to refine your criteria. For example, we did not know what size of school would be right for my son. After 2 visits to schools with 350 students or less, we knew that he wanted a larger school. </p>

<p>As a start to your search, you might want to consider Mercersburg (beautiful chapel), Hill and Blair (affiliation with Presbyterian church). There are 2 well-regarded Quaker schools in PA -- the George School and Westtown. You might want to look at them because I suspect they encourage religious faith. The most competitive school that is not too far from home is Lawrenceville. After you have completed a few visits, you can consider which (if any) of the very competitive New England boarding schools would be a good fit for you. There are also several top-ranked schools close to Washington DC, like St. Andrews (Delaware). It is best not to go to a very competitive school (or really any school) without being able to articulate why that school is a good fit for you. Admissions will not like it if you say that you want to go to an ivy league school so that is why you are looking at that school.</p>

<p>You should give this priority. Interview schedules are filling up fast. Schools will not be in session from around mid-Dec. to around Jan. 3rd. By the way, a few schools may still have open houses and receptions. This is a good way to get a sense of a school without having to interview there. I know Blair is hosting a reception in early Dec. (I know about Blair because my son goes there.) There may be a school fair not far from home, and this is also a good source for general information. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

16

<p>Thank you for all the advice! It really helps.
I do want to become a missionary but I want to be a doctor first. I didn't think much about religous affiliation until now. While it won't be the biggest factor in deciding which prep school, I will consider it thanks to you guys. ( Personally I don't really mind if the school isn't affiliated, I could always start a Christian Club. ^^)</p>

<p>While I do want to go to a IVY, I realise and don't expect prep school to be my ticket there. I just want to get a better/great education so that I'll be more ready for wherever my academic choices take me.</p>

<p>"I don't know exactly what type of school you attend now,"
I go to a public middle school and attend 9th grade. Right now I'm taking the most advanced classes available to me (except well there is a way to become more than 2 years acclerated in Math by taking a test by self-tutoring..but thats not for me. I'm content with 2 years).</p>

<hr>

<p>also to add to
"Do your parents support your goals? "
If I get in a very good school, they would be willing to send me, oh 6 hours away. Otherwise they want a very close school. Mostly I've been talking to my mom who lives with me. My dad lives in Korea because of his work and said to just try it. So while they are supportive, I'm doing most of the research.</p>