Hello. My daughter is a current 8th grader applying to all girls schools in the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic. I am curious if anyone has any experience with the following schools and the likelihood of receiving an academic merit scholarship:
Madeira (likely her first choice)
Grier
Linden Hall
Chatham Hall (she is applying for the Nilsen Scholarship)
Daughter is a strong student, straight As in advanced classes, and scored 99th percentile on the SSAT (99 Reading, 98 verbal, 86 Math). Her ECs include Model UN, Latin Club, flute, cello, drama, fine art, track, and Jiu Jitsu. She really is not athletic. She enjoys art and creative writing, and has won a short story competition.
We are not applying for FA, but are interested in whether Merit Scholarships are a possibility. All of the schools mentioned above do award merit scholarships, but the criteria for most of them is not clear. She currently attends a local, private, college prep school on a 50% Merit Scholarship, so finances definitely will be a factor in our decision making process. Has anyone received a substantial scholarship to any of these schools (or similar schools)? If yes, what about your application do you think led the school to award you a merit scholarship?
Thank you in advance for any perspectives or advice you are willing to share.
Not entirely certain, but St. Timothy’s might have merit scholarships, too? (It is an IB school, too…)
Thank you @CaliMex! Yes, a lot of the single sex schools do. We like St. Timothy’s, but our top 4 at the moment are Madeira (definitely first choice), and then Chatham Hall, Grier, and Linden Hall, but not necessarily in that order.
We loved Madeira until we saw the long line of cars picking up day students at the end of the day. Campus felt like a ghost town after their departure.
I also wish Madeira had a higher percentage of boarders, but it is a bigger school than the others we are considering, and the location, Co-Curriculum program, and block scheduling so far are outweighing our desire for a larger percentage of boarders. Daughter had a great overnight experience when she visited. However, even if she is awarded a scholarship, it still is a very expensive school, so not sure where we will end up
@SculptorDad’s daughter is at Grier. Not sure if he is around to comment on the merit aid.
Thank you! We do not know anyone who attends any of the schools our daughter is considering, so all insight is very much appreciated. We really don’t know more than one or two families whose kids have gone to boarding school, so the whole process is very foreign to us. Crossing fingers and hoping our girl will end up in the best place for her.
@southernfemmom A friend of mine and recently her daughter both graduated from Chatham Hall and speak very highly of the school. Chatham Hall used to give an annual $20K scholarship to one girl from my kids’ K-8 school to attend. They seemed to be placing a lot of emphasis on character in addition to academics.
Another friend’s daughter is at St. Mary’s, another all-girl Southern school, and is thriving there both academically and socially. Good luck with the applications!
Thank you so much @goatmama! I really appreciate you sharing your insight on Chatham Hall and St. Mary’s. Good to know about the emphasis on character as well; such an important focus for the high school years! Chatham Hall probably is my first choice, but daughter still likes Madeira. I’m hoping she will be awarded a scholarship, but am sure it is a very competitive pool. Thank you so much for your response!