<p>JK, you may consider looking at some safety schools. I'm not sure what Stevenson's accept rate is, but all the other schools you mentined, big and small, have accept rates below 27-28%.</p>
<p>JK- agree that you need some safety schools. If you are really set on boarding school, you want some safeties. Depending on how you do on SSAT and how your recs are, the MAPL schools might be at least a match (Blair, Hill, Peddie et al).</p>
<p>I consider Stevenson a safety. 43% acceptance rate. </p>
<p>prepparent, it's not really only the size at Groton and Middlesex, it's just the feel that I got from Thacher and Cate that made me like it better. Everyone seemed really cool with each other there. This was only from the video, so I guess I should visit the schools. </p>
<p>Maybe I could go some weekend in August. ?</p>
<p>JK- 43% acceptance rate means less than HALF of the applicants get in. How is that a safety?</p>
<p>I consider it a safety for me.</p>
<p>I can get a pretty good education at a local private day school. It's not like boarding school is my last chance for a good education.</p>
<p>Based on our D's experience applying to boarding schools in New England last year:
- being from another part of the country is a plus [when we visited Exeter they have a map with pins showing where each student comes from. Note the huge glob of pins in New England...they like applicants from other states]
- being a strong student from a public school is a plus
- SSAT scores are just one indicator they use - especially for verbal scores.Quantitative scores are a better indicator for them.</p>
<p>Main advice: be yourself in the interview. Be confident, friendly, interested. Don't sweat it. These schools want a 'profile'...a mixture of kids from different backgrounds. Many qualified applicants are not accepted and you shouldn't feel bad if that's the case. The more schools you apply to, the better the odds (and it is to a certain degree a numbers game). While your visit will give you a better sense of the school, its the revisit days that really will help you make your final decision if you are fortunate enough to end up with multiple choices.</p>
<p>Good luck...don't become obsessed with this process. Have fun!</p>
<p>Thanks, sheffield.</p>
<p>try not to let this process drive you crazy. how old are you, 13? when i was 13, i could barely handle applying to the three schools i looked at, and by the end of the process, i only liked one school and if i hadnt gotten into it i would have just gone to my public high school. based on the fact that you are 13 and have such a good handle on the process already, ill assume that you are far more mature than i was, and less overwhelmed. i say, apply to no more than 5 schools that you really like (even if they are really different from eachother, its natural to like different things about different schools). i bet youll get into at least one. this process is not as bad as applying to college, mainly because if you dont get in anywhere you can still go to school somewhere else. plus if you dont get in this year you can apply again for sophomore year or as a repeat freshman, TONS of kids do those things (but tons of kids dont apply to 10 high schools). just be yourself in your application and prove to them that you would be a valuable addition to their student body. also go outside and have fun. its summer!</p>
<p>Thanks, collegedropout. :)</p>
<p>Yeah, I'd like to narrow down my list to about five or six. (Andover, SPS, Deerfield, Exeter, Stevenson, Cate, Thacher).</p>
<p>That's seven... ughh. I'm thinking I should get rid of a California school.</p>
<p>Once again, does anyone know if the horse program at Thacher is mandatory?</p>
<p>Personally, I think 8 is good. Due to the number of schools on your list that admit 20% or under, I go with a slightly higher number of apps.</p>
<p>Well, I'm kind of counting on getting into Stevenson. Their acceptance rate is 43%.</p>
<p>I don't think I should add anymore schools that are so selective. Lawrenceville is a little less selective, though, so I don't know.</p>
<p>JK, L'ville is very selective. JK, if your'e more interested in the NE colleges versus West Coast, SGS would be a better choice than Stevenson. If you prefer the West coast than maybe Stevenson would be better, maybe. SGS has a very good reputation. Check it out closely.</p>
<p>I looked at SGS' website. It doesn't look that good to me academic - wise.</p>
<p>Lawrenceville isn't as selective as Andover or SPS. Lawrenceville's acceptance rate is 29% and Andover's is what... 22%. I agree there's not much of a difference, but it's still different, you know?</p>
<p>It's not that I prefer west coast to east coast or east coast or west coast. All the schools in different areas offer unique things. Stevenson has the awesome campus and good biology courses. Andover has great academic courses and a diverse population.</p>
<p>bumppp . . p</p>
<p>Was at St George's this winter for a hockey tournament just before Christmas, it was pretty nippy but the setting was still breathtaking.
The chapel when decorated for the holidays is lovely.</p>
<p>You really should take a look at this school...the few kids I know who went there are now at Ivies so it must be a pretty good school</p>
<p>St. George's is beautiful and it have A-1 academics. There are many great small prep schools (200-400), but, imo Groton, Middlesex, and St. George's are the top three. I'm sure I have forgotten a few that fit the bill, and for that I appologize.</p>
<p>Well, no sooner I send my last comment off........and I remember St. Andrews in Del.</p>
<p>If you're going to apply to a lot of schools. Make sure you do the essays/personal statements efficiently. I applied to 6 schools and slacked off. The fact that I applied to many schools sort of lowered the quality of my essays because I was in a rush. Though I know it's my own fault and you'll probably do things right. But just a friendly reminder</p>
<p>Just wanting to bump this up so we can stop wasting so much time answering Jonathan's thousands of questions. Jonathan, enough already! Time to figure this stuff out!</p>
<p>Sorry to be harsh, but this seems a bit much.</p>
<p>Yeah, dude! And jonathon - you haven't given your teachers the recommendation forms YET? How do you expect them to do their best to write you a good recommendation when you've procrastinated so much??</p>