Need Advice.

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>alright so im and going to be in 10th grade this year and i am interested in applying to boarding school for my junior year. </p>

<p>For my whole academic life i have got nothing but A's and B's, execpt for last year. My parents were going through a very ugly divorce and i got dragged into it. which affected my grades. i only ended up with a C average. and i know thats pretty bad if i wanna apply to boarding school. but what i was wondering was, if i got some really good recommendations, got straight A's this year, wrote good essays for the application, and do pretty good in the interviews...you think i stand a chance? </p>

<p>please give me any advice you have.
i know 11th grade is hard to apply for in the first place, but i really want this and i would greatly appreciate your help. </p>

<p>thanks.</p>

2

<p>There is an educational consultant who sometimes posts on this board. You might want to find her and pm her to ask what she thinks. Her board name is edconsutant22.</p>

<p>I am guessing that if you bring your grades up high this coming year and take challenging courses that there are boarding schools that would be interested in you. </p>

<p>If you can afford it, an educational consultant would be helpful to guide you to the schools that would be a good match. Try to find one who specializes in secondary school placement.</p>

3

<p>Most boarding schools are full of C students, it's just the 15 or so most talked about here that aren't. I don't think St. Paul's or Andover is going to look past a year of Cs, but the vast majority of boarding schools will have no problem doing so.</p>

4

<p>"Most boarding schools are full of C students, it's just the 15 or so most talked about here that aren't"</p>

<p>Kersten -- The above is an exaggeration. What I suspect is true is that a B student (from a school in which a B is still a good grade), who is also personable & well-rounded, would have a number schools interested in him/her.</p>

5

<p>Maybe if you explained the circumstances to the schools, they would be more understanding of your grades, especially if you showed significant improvement for this year. This would show them that you're motivated, hard-working, and smart--you just had a really tough year.</p>

6

<p>As long as you keep it from getting whiney and focus on what you learned from the experience of the divorce situation about yourself, it could make a good essay topic as well.</p>

7

<p>I highly doubt the "top" schools will look past a year of C's, even if the circumstances are explained. But there are many schools which will. Which ones are you interested in, and do you need financial aid?</p>

8

<p>FACT: There are many more boarding schools for straight C students than there are for staight A students.</p>

9

<p>Kersten - </p>

<p>Pay no attention to the "nattering nabobs of negativism" (quick quiz: who coined that phrase?). There are many excellent schools that will take on a student who has had a bad year as long as it is demonstrated that it is behind them. Yes, it will take some explaining (as you expect), but it is entirely doable.</p>

<p>I agree that a consultant who specializes in prep school placement could be helpful in your situation as they should have a better idea which schools are more accommodating to your particulars.</p>

<p>Now, besides being an A/B student in your past, what else can you tell people about yourself - ECs, Sports, Arts, Special interests??? That is always helpful when asking for a school suggestion.</p>

<p>And of course, why do you want to go to a boarding school? What are you looking to find? What is important to you? These things you will need to discuss with any consultant you find and of course will be asked in any interview.</p>

<p>And of course, private messaging is often a better forum to pick the minds of those whom you think may know something about a particular type of school or a particular interest.</p>

10

<p>kersten2392 - please take note that not all comments are intended to help you. some people come here to hurt others, for whatever reason. be mindful of who you pay attention to.</p>

<p>my advice would be to, of course, continue getting those straight a's. when it comes time to apply, make sure that the admissions committee understands your situation. i myself moved around a lot, which affected my math achievement (since so much of it is based on previously learned concepts).. i got a's in math, and finished classes (4 years+ of math this past year) at a rapid pace, and got high score on the math ssat test, yet I still wasn't doing precal as a sophomore like some advanced students (although most high schoolers don't even take precalculus in their senior year or later). i made it clear that i was fully capable with my scores. they learned about my background in the interview and in essays. just make it known.</p>

<p>but, i still think you have a slim chance of getting into the most competitive schools with a c average in recent history. even if you show that you turned it around and whatnot, i highly doubt it. admissions officers are tough (because they have their pick of top students) and if they see that you got a c average because of a messy family problem, they may just say, "well, what the hell are they going to do with the pressure of a competitive classmates and an intense environment for 2 years? how will they handle that pressure?".... these people don't have to make accommodations for anybody. they have plenty of kids with a's and unique backgrounds that they don't need to bend for anyone's recent family problems.</p>

<p>there are other schools which will, though. i'm not sure if these are the what you're interested in. some are therapeutic, for troubled teens with different problems (drugs, not reaching potential, abuse, depression, not interested/focused in school). there are some "lower-tier" schools, often times smaller with "nurturing" (key word they use often..not sure if it's "nurturing" or not) environments. they are less competitive, less intense, and less tough to get into. however, because the majority of these schools lack large endowments, financial aid is probably paltry. if you don't need financial aid, then you may have found your match, but if you do, then you may have to offer something special that they really want (basketball star, student of color, or, perhaps, a shining student who is significantly more advanced than others at the school). but then you need to ask yourself if that is the best choice for your academic future.. going to a boarding school possibly worse than your local public school for the sole sake of going to boarding school.</p>

11

<p>wow, thanks for all of the information guys.
i know that i would not get into a "top school"
but i really just want to go to a somewhat good prep school.
i was thinking of applying to tabor academy as a reach school, because i live in a city which is right on the water and i have grown up sailing.</p>

12

<p>Pay no attention to the "nattering nabobs of negativism" (quick quiz: who coined that phrase?)</p>

<p>William Safire, when he was some Republican's speechwriter. (Ford? Nixon? Bush pere?)</p>

13

<p>spiro agnew</p>

14

<p>It figures to be a parent who would get it. Yup, William Safire coined it, and it was first used in the political arena by Spiro Agnew (right era, though!). I believe Bush the elder used it as well.</p>

<p>He also used it with another hilarious aliteration in one speech </p>

<p>"In the United States today, we have more than our share of the nattering nabobs of negativism. They have formed their own 4-H Club -- the "hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history."</p>

15

<p>Now you see, Bush the younger couldn't even pronounce most of those words. Sorry to all the loyal bushies out there.</p>

16

<p>don't think the grades matter at all, folks... they don't really measure anything except the teacher's opinion about the student...</p>

<p>as long as you can show them what you are capable of [standardized tests, essays...and then awards, ECs, any sort of recognition], and you measure up to their standards, then those Cs mean nothing</p>

17

<p>Eh, I have to disagree. I remember the Andover head of admissions saying that grades are one of the most crucial elements, and that the SSAT's are secondary to grades.</p>

18

<p>i think grades matter, but not as much as some people think they do. </p>

<p>i got into andover applying with a handful of c's on my report cards. as long as you make up for it with other stuff....</p>

19

<p>Kersten,
I'm the ed consultant some of the other posters mentioned, you can pm me and I'll give you some ideas. And yes, of course there are many many wonderful schools out there for you. Your profile is very typical--kids sometimes slip for a year, but it's easy to recover, particularly in a new school. A school like Tabor might be a good one. A lot will depend on your SSAT score. If you PM me and tell me what you scored, in percentile, in any other standardized test you have taken, I can give you a range for what you will probably score on the SSAT which will help you focus on some schools.</p>

20

<p>My D transferred to Tabor Junior year. She is now a senior, and I think chose it partly for the marine science studies as well as location. She found it difficult at first, but by the end of junior year became class president, an officer on the Tabor Boy, dorm proctor, and tour guide. She also does theater in the winters. I think it has been a wonderful place for her.</p>

<p>Let me know if you have any questions.</p>