Is there more to it than this?

We moved to our current town a few years ago because of the excellent public schools. On the first day of middle, my daughter came home talking about going to the excellent prep school in town. It wasn’t part of our plan, but we’re trying to accommodate her interests and drive so here we are.

She is a 95 percent A student with two B+ over the past three years. She has always been decent at sport, but they aren’t a selling point for her. (She dances but I don’t think that counts.) Her first go-round SSAT scores were 80th percentile, but she’s taking them again next week and we expect them to go up a good bit (I’m thinking they’ll be between 85th and 90th) based on how much she’s been preparing. She also doesn’t have any remarkable community service. She does a peer partner program at school where she works with students with disabilities and is in a club here and there but that’s it.

I would say she is exceptional in two ways. First, she presents very well and will have excellent recommendations. (We commonly hear from teachers that they want to “clone” her; she reliably wins civic/character/leadership awards, etc.) I also expect that she will interview very well. She is also very talented in the performing arts, has lots of experience there, and will be able to show that off in the application via multimedia attachments, although they are optional.

While her application will be thorough and I feel like her essays will be strong, we don’t have any connections at the school and we aren’t working with any kind of coach or adviser. She is applying only to this school because she can be a day student there. We will need aid. I guess my question is: Are we being naive about the process? Overly optimistic? Does being a day student hurt her chances because of so many faculty kids? I feel like we’re going in completely blind and there are probably about a billion other aspects to this that we’re unaware of. Any advice/experience/guidance is very much appreciated!

I don’t know how competitive admissions are in the school where she is applying, or what the SSAT scores of admitted students are, but it seems to me that you’ve covered all your bases. You may want to prep her a bit about the types of questions that are likely to be asked during interviews. There are many CC threads on that. Likewise, it helps if she can articulate why she wants to attend the school and how she would contribute to the school community. She also needs to do some research on the school and have an idea what new academic, athletic, club, or service activities she may want to explore. It’s also good to be prepared with a couple of questions that are meaningful to her yet not readily answered on the school’s website. If the school offers shadowing opportunities for prospective students, that’s a great way of demonstrating interest while gaining first-hand experience to assess fit. As for need-based aid, that often depends more on the size and allocation of institutional resources rather than applicant quality, with better endowed schools being able to provide more FA than schools with smaller endowments. Good luck!

From the info you’ve provided, it sounds like your daughter is a relatively well-rounded “average” excellent student with some good ECs.

I put that word in quotes because I think you’ll find that kids like her are going to be fairly common in the applicant pool. Plus you have the fact that you need FA is going to work against you.

That said, there are all sorts of intangibles that are going to come into play…for example if A) your daughter’s performing arts talent is truly exceptional; B) the school places a priority on what she’s good at; C) the school has a need for someone with her specific talent…that could swing things in her favor.

As to your questions: No, I don’t think you are being particularly naive about the process. I can’t say if you are being overly optimistic because I don’t know what you think her chances are. Without knowing the school and how selective it is, I can’t say what I think her chances would be. I will say that if it was my kid, I’d temper expectations…especially if you are only applying to one school.

Since you seem to be new to the forum, I’ll just say that I’ve been through the process for prep/boarding school with two kids — both had mixed results but ended up at good schools (meaning better options than our local public school). I’m not trying to be a wet blanket, just trying to be realistic…which I think many folks who come to the forum are not.

Best of luck to your daughter.

Thank you, GoatMama and SevenDad. This is all very helpful and great advice. Her interview is next week so we’ll spend time this weekend going over/through this stuff. In the meantime, we’ll focus on doing everything we can to help her with the understanding that it may not be enough because there are many talented kids all going for the same thing.

I think just the fact that you’re asking if you’re being naive shows that you’re not. If you’re on these boards, you can see the odds are not great for many. But those kids aren’t your kid.

It sounds to me like your daughter is a strong student with a committed EC and some valuable community service. That’s plenty of qualifications for most prep schools. SSAT of 80th %ile is perfectly respectable, but if she retakes with a better score, it may open a few more doors to you.

So, her applications will hinge more on her essays, interview, and recommendations. Be sure to include a performance video clip, and a personal or special interest rec. from a highly supportive teacher.

And do be realistic. Hundreds of qualified, “academically admissible” students are declined and waitlisted every year. Being philosophic about that, and embracing other opportunities after a rejection are also valuable learning moments. One piece of advice we took to heart during the application process was to celebrate the journey, regardless of the outcome. It’s an incredible time for adolescent self-reflection and evaluation of personal goals. It’s also a lot of hard work. Ask your daughter to think about her plan for all possible outcomes (you should do the same). And then take her to her favorite restaurant the night before decisions come out.

And since you appear to be applying to a single local prep school, it would be worthwhile to evaluate that school side-by-side with the local public school. When we did this, We were surprised to find the LPS came out as the winner in 3 of the 20 categories we looked at, and was equivalent for many others. Cost was not the only positive. ?

I hope your daughter’s interview goes well!

If performing arts are her number 1 interest, you can also ask to meet with the appropriate department head the daay you tour orask to have their contact information so you can email with them. Since you are applying as a day student, you can attend some of the school’s productions on campus this winter too. Sometimes just making a personal connection with a teacher or a coach can help and having extra “facetime” can help. Good luck to your daughter! I think that her recommendations will be a real asset - schools like to admit students that teachers enjoy having in class. This seems obvious but it is often overlooked.

When you go for the interview, you can also ask how competitive it is for day students. There are some schools (Lawrenceville comes to mind) where an applicant has better odds as a boarder than a day student.

As you describe her, she sounds like the right “type” for the school but it really ends up depending on what the school needs in that year. It sounds like you are realistic about the possible outcomes , and I can’t agree more with the sentiment of celebrating the process. It’s a gift to a kid this age to think about how they want their high school experience to be, what they want from it, who they want to be. If she sees opportunities that excite her at this school, she can figure out how to pursue them elsewhere if it doesn’t work out. Great life lesson.

Good luck!