It's time to stop chancing each other and give back to future applicants...

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
41

@PhotographerMom: Your comment(quoted below) is really intriguing! For those of us just starting to make our lists (and applying next year) can you mention a few/handful of names making it to the top of these JBS matriculation lists? Much obliged! Thx!

“Here’s an interesting tidbit to ponder : If you’ve looked at JBS matriculation lists lately, you will see that many VII form kids/families are staying away from the schools most mentioned here on CC, and I can assure you that it’s not because they can’t get in! Keep in mind that most of these families have access to many SSs, and have already spent a minimum of 150K on their child’s education. Much, much more if they arrived at JBS via their PDS.”

42

I am so sorry - I didn’t see this until now @zixzax !!!

The faves lately seem to be the classic BSs like Berkshire, Kent, Pomfret, Canterbury, Blair, Gunnery, Suffield, Taft, Peddie, Brooks, Brewster, SAS, Tabor, SMS, Hill, NMH, Millbrook and Portsmouth Abbey- for coed.

All boys- AOF and Salisbury.

All girls- Ethel Walker ( is making a nice comeback ), Miss Porter’s, Foxcroft, Madeira, and Westover.

Hope this gives you some good leads for next year!! Good luck! :slight_smile:

43

@zixzax you should also look into Loomis, it’s a coed BS in CT

44

I guess now is as good a time as any to start mentioning St. George’s! :wink:
I would add it to @PhotographerMom 's list above @zixzax . Also Westminster.

45

Yes! Thank you, @GMC2918 and @jc570109 !!

46

Emma Willard is another all-girls’ school about which I’ve heard great things lately.

As a parent, and new to this whole BS thing, I second what @PhotographerMom says about doing your research and looking at schools with an open mind. Be honest with yourself about how you feel and react to different schools, atmosphere, pressure level vs. supportiveness, etc. and where you can picture yourself. Don’t limit yourself to the biggest names or the most prestigious. If your family has the ability, visit bigger and smaller schools, schools in different settings, co-ed and single sex. Be open-minded not just for the sake of casting a wide net, needing financial or having back-ups, but to find a school that is really you. As we get closer to drop-off day, I’m increasingly grateful for how certain my son was in his choice (Salisbury). I’m sure he will be nervous when the time comes, but given what a big decision it is (emotionally and financially, perhaps more so than educationally), I’m glad that he has never had reservations and has only been happier with his decision as the weeks have gone by. As the Mom, I know there are dozens of schools where he’d get a great education, but I want him to be able to go where he can be himself and be happy and comfortable. So, don’t limit yourself, think broadly and listen to your gut and any nagging concerns.

47

I am about to go on the second admissions journey (first was for junior boarding school) with SeriousKid and I wanted to say how helpful this thread is. The anxiety is setting in already, as time seems to be speeding up.

48

Don’t get too anxious bc everything tends to work itself out in the end.

49

One thing I would add is INTERVIEW AT A SCHOOL THAT YOU ARE ‘LESS INTERESTED IN’ FIRST. you won’t regret it. I just interviewed at Groton, one of my top picks, and I’m pretty sure I bombed. I think I still have a chance, but I was a nervous wreck. Definitely get the feel for those interviews at a lower preference school before you get at the big boys.

50

If you’re applying this year… this may be a helpful thread for you to read! :slight_smile:

51

Now that all the apps are in and you’re in the holding pattern from … ( fill in the blank :wink: ), please read the original post and consider contributing to the thread. Pay it forward! Thanks!!

52

I can’t believe I never saw this thread before today. So, first of all…I can’t second response #35 enough. If you haven’t read #35, read it. If you have, go back and reread it!

Now…it’s been said before, but I’m going to repeat it (no, not response #35)…BE YOURSELF! In applications, in interviews, on tours, in communication, in essays, in everything. Do NOT Zgive the answers you think they want you to give…they’ll know you’re feeding them a line.

Next…go back and read #35…don’t just apply to the schools you “hear” about!!! We had no idea about anything BS…none! We applied to the schools that market, that are listed in Forbes, etc. because that’s all we heard about…we learned the hard way that “casting a wide net” really meant dip into all of the oceans. We didn’t know. We got WLd at all schools despite having what kids here would consider a very strong application package. The one school we had heard nothing about, but just happened to stumble onto the campus accidentally one summer…well, that is now DSs home. Turns out it is a top notch school and rival to one of those Forbes favorites…and it is the perfect fit for us!

Don’t apply to schools you can’t see yourself at…because if you can’t see yourself there, you’re wasting everyone’s time. Plus, chances are, if you can’t see yourself there, the school can’t, either.

Lastly, DON’T put weight into the chance me threads. No one answering is an AO, you’ll either second guess yourself or you’ll get false confidence. I must be honest, those threads give me chest pain. I guarantee most applicants are BS qualified in one way or another…rely on yourself and your strengths, not what some anonymous person who isn’t making an admissions decision thinks.

Ok…I thought that was lastly, but one more thought popped in, since it’s not quite M10 yet. Some of you will be accepted several places…kudos to you & I hope you’re able to make an easy decision. Some of you will be accepted to none of your schools…I’m sorry for that, but do not think of it as a failure…I think you either applied to the wrong schools, you’re time wasn’t right, or maybe both. Dust yourself off, decide what you want to do moving forward and go for it! Whether that means applying to a rolling admissions school, waiting and reapplying for next year, or deciding BS is not for you…it’s up to you to decide. You won’t go wrong as long as you’re doing what is right for you. Some of you will get one acceptance (this one hits close to home)…you may feel rejected that the “chosen” schools didn’t choose you…STOP IT! The school that loved you and thought you were a great addition to their group chose you!!! You applied to that school for a reason!!! That school believes in you! Embrace it and celebrate!!!

Ok I’m off to see my DSs last hockey game…he is playing for the school that loved him and that he absolutely loves! We couldn’t be happier!

53

This probably sounds like bad advice but I think it helped me a lot: (if you don’t care to read this whole thing, just read the last two paragraphs)

I procrastinated my essays and all that for a really long time. Instead, I spent all my time reading all my library’s books about applications and stuff, and I got a really good idea of what to write about. I did have a really good idea of the prompts and I had been considering what to write about for a while. But I only started writing in December (maybe should’ve started in November or so but oh well). I think I really had a good understanding of the questions, and what would be best to write about by the time I started putting together all of my essays.

And I know this is said a ton of times but you HAVE to be special!! What are the things you think make yourself interesting? Don’t just try to act smart. If you’re going to boarding school, you can’t just be a student - you have to be a friend and an advisee and every other label. They need to be able to picture where you’ll be on a Saturday night, who you’ll hang out with during a free period, and what kind of PERSON, not student, they’re inviting to essentially live with them for a year. They aren’t looking for people who lock themselves in their room to study.

So don’t write about how you have good grades. I made a rule with myself to not make my essays look nerdy. My transcripts and my academic interests already spoke super clearly for that side of myself. Instead, you have to show your quirks. I wrote about how I liked to sing Hamilton with my friends in an awful high pitched voice because I can’t sing, and how I love chapstick.

Lastly, make friends with people outside of the admissions office. I have been in touch with a school’s Philosophy teacher who has been recommending me different books and people to look into. I’ve made a point in my correspondence with him to demonstrate my ability to provide substantial commentary on the stuff he’s introduced me to. I want it to be easy for him to picture me as a part of a classroom discussion.

In short, I think it’s most important to allow them to get a vivid image of you on campus: who you’ll be friends with, what clubs you’ll be in, and what you have to offer as a friend. While they need good students, you have to trust your transcripts, teacher recs, and SSAT scores to prove that to them. Allow every ounce of creative expression in your apps to show who you’ll be other than on your report card. The most important thing for them is that they can see the kind of person you’ll identify as - will you be a nerd or a jock?

In my opinion, no school has a specific preference for who they want. They aren’t turning people down based on personality. They turn people down because they don’t wish to be the ones trying to figure out who you’ll be at their school. You have to set your personality, interests, specialties, and identities right in front of them, in clear, plain sight. You have to make it completely obvious what you’ll be doing next year if you’re accepted.

54

I disagree with the last paragraph of the above post.

55

@woodcal03: Sorry, I just realized that you are an 8th grader.

While I do disagree with almost everything in your post, I realize that it has significant value in illustrating the admissions process from the perspective of a young applicant.

56

I did make that a little bit stronger than I really intended to. I think many schools certainly have preferences just due to decisions being made by humans with natural bias, although I don’t think they’re as decisive as they seem. I think the main statement is that they don’t care to do the digging to try to picture you on campus. If you really do see yourself there, you need to prove that to them in plain sight by showing who you want to be at their school so they can picture it just as well as you can. Does that make sense? I’ve been told I’m awful at explaining things…

57

@Publisher, lol - what else do you disagree with? And what do you mean illustrating my perspective? If I’m wrong, then don’t trust me; I’m certainly not a reliable source

58

I’m an adult poster. I think that your perspective is valuable, but I disagree. I doubt that any school wants an applicant “to prove that to them in plain sight by showing who you want to be at their school so they can picture it just as well as you can.”

Prep school is a time for exploration & growth.

59

Certainly agree - I know for a fact that my interests and personality will be completely different when I’m a senior in high school. But they also want to know who you are - and if they can’t tell the kind of student you’ll be on campus, I have high doubts they’ll accept you.

60

Prepare one or two good, insightful questions about the school prepared to ask at the end of the interview-it not only shows that you’ve done your research, but also that you as a student are invested in making sure the school is a good fit for you. Make sure the questions are something that cannot be answered by perusing a brochure or website. I did this in all of my interviews, and each time, my question sparked a whole new conversation. At one school, I was interviewing with a relatively new admissions officer who actually did not know the answer to my question, so we followed up later over email.

Also, start studying and writing essays AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. I procrastinated a bit doing both, and while I’m satisfied with how everything turned out in the end, it certainly added stress to the process. It wasn’t very fun finishing my essays between matches of a volleyball tournament the day they were due, or learning how to factor a quadratic 9 days before the SSAT. Start early, be prepared!