Hello! I’ve just found this page (late in the admissions process), but I have a few questions:
I am a graduate of one of the schools my child is applying to, so my child is a legacy. I believe the admission rate is around 35%. My child has very strong grades, EC activities, recommendations, etc. My child took the Dec SSAT so we do not have results yet (what is the typical turnaround time?) but he/she indicated that it was easier than expected and only skipped/guessed on a few questions. This is the school that I would prefer my child attends, but I understand that admission is never guaranteed. How many other schools should we apply to? We are limited geographically and I don’t want to be more than 6 hours driving from the school. We have traveled to and interviewed at one other less desirable school and have an interview booked for January at another desirable school in our geographic area. We are not applying for FA.
How much weight do you give to postivite, handwritten notes from AOs saying “we hope to see you again soon” etc.
How do you avoid other schools acting “put off” by the fact that your child is a legacy at a competing school? I got this vibe at the other school we visited.
It depends.
In the application and parents’ letter, do indicate that it is your first choice school and if accepted, the child will attend the school (if it is the case.)
Other than that, I will just have a plan B. Maybe there is a local day/private school that fits your need.
We are using the SAO app, so we could not mention specific schools that way, but we did indicate during our visit that we would attend if accepted. I’m still nervous though. There are no private day options in our area - only public or parochial (not better than public). Other children from our area who I do not think are as strong of students have been admitted recently, but did not attend.
If your child has good stats for the school, is a legacy and full pay, I think the odds are very good. You just need to understand what the school is like today (vs when you went there) and be sure it’s your a good fit for your kid.
The notes mean nothing in terms of admissions.
You have made it clear that your alma mater is the first choice and I suspect the other school sensed that as well. They also probably picked up on the fact that you see them as a default. It doesn’t mean you won’t be admitted, but they want to admit students who really want to be there so could count against you. If you genuinely have interest in a few other schools, it’s probably good to apply (and be prepared to explain what appeals to you about them thst could keep them in the running against your #1) “just in case”. Know that this strategy creates the possibility that your kid prefers one of those to your alma mater in the spring.
My hunch is that you are fine, but if you are set on BS, you may want a slightly stronger back up plan.
I don’t think I gave them the impression that they are our back up choice, but I think they assumed this because of my relationship to the other school.
And assumed correctly, as it turns out.
In addition to everything else admissions need to deal with, they are also concerned with yield management. You cannot overcome their initial thinking that school A is your first choice (which it is), but you can explain what attracts your to school B. You (and your kid) need to do homework though, and not simply spout platitudes about school B.
“I had a great experience when I attended School A, but there are many reasons why your school might be an even better fit for our child. For example…”
@busymommyof4 The November SSAT scores came out 11 days (I think) after the test. I was told by a mom in November that they came out 10 days after the test but I think I checked on the 10th day and had to wait one more day. So around 10-12 days.
Thank you @Dogsmama. I hope they come out before Christmas. I’m anxious about them because we didn’t have time to do a lot of prep and we can’t do the re-take date in January.
Regarding the non-legacy school, the only reason it came up was because I mentioned having gone to BS myself and said that I wanted my children to go as well. However, I did stress that we were visiting several BS and I would leave the decision up to them. Also by “less desirable” I should have said that school B didn’t have all the programs my child was looking for, but is still a very nice school and a viable option if my alma mater doesn’t work out or isn’t their 1st choice. I did tell my child that for our next visit we will do our best not to mention my alma mater or any other school if possible to avoid this scenario.
My child is also currently applying and is a legacy at one of the schools. While neither of us brought it up at interviews at any of the non-legacy schools, so no interviewer asked either me or my child about it, all the applications I have seen ask where the parents went to high school, so they will know if your kid is a legacy at another school, even if you don’t mention it at the interview.
I have wondered how being a legacy will affect my child’s applications at the non-legacy schools. I wonder if it will hurt and how much it will hurt. We did stress at his interviews the things we liked about their schools, many of which are quite different from the legacy school, but again, it is not clear to me whether being a legacy elsewhere may just be a negative.
The parent essays in applications all seem to have a “why our school” question. This would be a great way to talk about how you had a great experience but because of x,y,z this (non legacy) school is a better fit for your child.
I think it’s fine to say, “I loved my school and would go there again in a heartbeat. Having been to BS, though, I know how intense the experience can be and how important fit is. My kid isn’t me, and here’s what appeals about your school and what we’re exploring.”
Overall, I think AOS like the children of BS alums because they understand what it is they are signing up for. So it need not be an issue at the non-legacy schools if framed right. And genuinely.
Every school which we visited asked my kid what schools they were going to apply to. So it’s likely standard protocol. All were in the same category ( in terms of competitiveness) 10-20% acceptance. They did ask why transfer from excellent public school A to excellent BS B? I think they want to know that the kid is interested ( and not just the parent). They also want to be comfortable that the kid understands the work load and /community level of involvement. They also seem to ask questions to uncover if anyone went to private high school ( again commitment and understanding). Yes, legacies definitely have a different standing but we do know families where kids went to a different school ( though not that many). BS interview parents because they can tell a lot by getting to know the family better. IF the family has done their homework they’ll have the answers to the likely questions.
Also, if you attended a highly intellectual school where sports wasn’t mandatory and your kid is an athlete then you can address the questions from school B easily. Each school had a definite feel and so did the kids. You could tell what was valued in each place and what type of kid would be attracted to that school.
[q]Regarding the non-legacy school, the only reason it came up was because I mentioned having gone to BS myself and said that I wanted my children to go as well.[/q]
In view of gardenstategal’s comment about admissions officers liking children of BS alums, which sounds right to me, is it possible that the sentiment that “I wanted my children to go as well” is what caused the reaction you encountered? More particularly, is it possible that it was interpreted as something you want, as opposed to what your child wants? Just thinking out loud.
I think I said something along the lines of BS was a great experience for me and I would like to offer them the same opportunity. On paper I think we are very qualified for the school, but I understand they want to maximize their yields, so that makes me wonder if we should submit the application there or not. At this point I guess it’s just the fee since we’ve completed all the work and the interview, etc.
Again, I would say that the parent essays are a great place to explain why X school is perfect for your kid even though you went to Y school. Remember something that happened on your visit that points to why the school is great for your kid so that it doesn’t seem like you are “just saying what they want to hear.”
Unfortunately we are using the SAO application for all the schools, so it doesn’t allow us to address individual schools in the essays or parent statements.
Ohhhhh. We are not using SAO so I did not realize that. We are using Gateway and Ravena so all our essays are to a particular school. I wonder if you can just send an email to the AO at all the schools you did not attend and just write a “why this school” essay. Surely it cannot hurt, especially if you feel that it was an issue.
