<p>I know that this board is mostly kids and parents but I thought I'd say hello and see if anyone has any questions about boarding schools for me. I work at a private K-8 school as a secondary school placement officer. My job is to help the graduating 8th graders find a high school, so I have the benefit of seeing lots of applications and getting to know the schools well.</p>
<p>I hear many kids and parents mention this board, so I thought I'd check it out. Congratulations to all of you who had acceptances. And to those who did not, remember that you can still apply late to additional schools.</p>
<p>I have Guidance Counseler at my school who has pretty much the same job as you, and I know your job may be a little bit stressful at time. Congratulations on havingsuch an interactive job!!! The woman at my school helped me get into Phillips Andover!!</p>
<p>welcome!
Yes I have some questions . One of my sons likes to go to (junior) boarding school in the USA (we live in france )he's in 9th grade, average and his english is intermediate. What to choose? Is it too late?</p>
<p>Welcome! I, also, have a question. My son applied to three NY-area independent HS, and was waitlisted at two, and rejected from a third. This is despite extremely high ISEE scores and glowing recommendations. He is now in a public school and so we did not have the benefit of someone like you. I'm wondering now whether we should have used a private consultant. I was appalled at the idea originally, but now that he is almost certainly facing a suboptimal public HS, I'm kicking myself for not having done this. Should we consult someone if we decide to reapply for 10th grade, when admissions are even more competitive?</p>
<p>I'm sorry that you didn't have better luck with admissions this year. The NYC schools are so difficult to get into---a lot of it is a numbers game. I think that consultants can be very useful. I worked with some families privately, outside of my school, and I'm shocked at the mistakes that some people make. Interviews, in particular, are a trouble spot for a lot of kids. </p>
<p>Most applicants to boarding schools do work with consultants of some kind. Either their K-8 school provides one, they are in a Prep for Prep type program which provides one, or they hire one. So with everyone else getting help, I think that the people who go it alone might be to some disadvantage, although of course many of them do fine. But for NYC private schools, there is only so much a consultant can do since it is almost an impossible situation to get in at some grade levels.</p>
<p>At this point, you could try boarding schools for your son (it's not too late), but for the day schools, things are tough at this point.</p>
<p>Welcome aboard edconsultant22! It is good to have set of eyes with experience around. </p>
<p>I think you will find besides this year's applicants and their parents, this forum is populated by some of us who have gone through the process in previous years (mine started 9th grade in a BS last fall) and a few current and ex prep school students. </p>
<p>While most of the older members have some background in the admissions and FA process, our experiences have been limited to those immediately around us - some with different sets of schools, some with experiences related to other aspects of the prep school experience such as athletics or arts.</p>
<p>It is great to have someone who does this for a living around. While it wouldn't be right to ask you to provide professional services for free to the members here, I think there might be some general help that you might be better positioned to provide from your experience that would be very useful.</p>
<p>You mentioned applying late to additional schools. There are several regular members who have had the misfortune of not being accepted or being waitlisted to their chosen schools. I was wondering if you could spotlight a couple of these additional schools that in your experience have been excellent opportunities for some of your clients. While many of the students have been applying to the better known schools, there are still many more out there that can provide a far better overall educational experience than all but the best of public schools.</p>
<p>And most importantly right now, which ones are the most likely to be considering late applications.</p>
<p>Sure, I'm happy to help. I think the thing that surprises people is that many schools are still looking for students throughout the spring. Some schools never fill up at all--but those aren't what most people are looking for.</p>
<p>Top schools which consistantly have openings in the spring are Hill School, Kent, Loomis Chaffee. I use those three schools every year when people call me in APril, May, even June. Most of the single sex schools also have space available until summer. The names most mentioned on here, like Exeter, Andover, Lawrenceville, generally don't, but I've heard of it happening occasionally.</p>
<p>The other thing is that most schools don't want it to be widely known that they are still accepting applicants, so they don't publish it. But of the 50 or so boarding schools on the east coast, I would say that all but 15 or so are still considering applicants in April.</p>
<p>NYMomof2: Why don't you consider having your son reapply as a ninth grader again? That's very common in boarding schools and I think it would increase his odds as opposed to trying to get in as a 10th grader.</p>
<p>to the poster who asked about whether the schools want a complete application when applying late--yes, of course. You have to interview, get teacher recs, essays, everything. They aren't lowering their standards at all, just opening it up to the many excellent students who decide on boarding school later in the year, as well as those who were rejected from other schools. It can be tough on families to start all over and visit schools again, but that's what you have to do.</p>
<p>Thank you very much, edconsultant, for the advice. We have not wanted to consider boarding schools, but perhaps we should. Our son does not want to leave home; he goes to CTY each summer for 3 weeks and says that that is as long as he wants to be gone. I looked up two of the schools you mentioned on boardingschoolreview.com, but could not find Loomis-Chaffee there. I did find their website. </p>
<p>keylyme, Thank you for the suggestion. We may have to consider this, although I'm not sure it would make sense. My son is already accelerated 2 years in math and one year in science. This summer he will take a HS-level honors science course through CTY. One issue with staying in the public school system is that I am afraid they will not be able to occupy him for 4 years. He is already on track to exhaust their math offerings by the end of sophomore year, and I don't think the science situation will be much better. We are really looking for very rigorous academics.</p>
<p>NYMom, do you live near a Community College? My son pretty much exhausted everything his school could offer him in the 7th and 8th grade as far as math was concerned. They were very flexible and allowed him to take classes at a nearby Community College ( we did have to provide the transportation for him, and he still had to take the tests for his "in school" class).</p>
<p>Hi, twosonmom. We do have a nearby college where some of the students from our local HS have taken math courses, usually when they are seniors. We may have to do this at some point, although I think online courses may serve us better. My son has supplemented his school math with EPGY and, at the moment, an online course from artofproblemsolving.com. He finds that these online or distance-learning courses are better than what he gets in school; they go deeper into the material. EPGY now has an entire online HS, but I can't imagine my son doing HS this way, with no social interaction.</p>
<p>My son did some of the JHU CTY distance learning classes, but after awhile they became a little static for him ( this was more than 6 years ago, so I am sure the programs have changed a lot since then ). The Community College experience was nice because not only did it give him an instructor he could ask his questions to, ( because the had lost me a LONG time earlier!!) but it also exposed him to a diverse student population.
Good luck with with your son, I can understand what you are going through.</p>
<p>ed: If you wouldn't mind, I'm curious about your comment that interviews are a trouble spot for a lot of families. Could you elaborate some? </p>
<p>We purposely did not coach our daughter on either her essay or her interview. We wanted them to see the "real" her. Now, as we sit here waiting for a decision, I'm questioning that logic.....</p>
<p>MA mom, We did the same thing! No input into the essays, no preparation for the interview. We, also, wanted the admissions officers to see the "real" person. Our son is quite articulate, and very clear about his reasons for wanting to change schools. He is shy with adults he doesn't know well, though. </p>
<p>I'm kicking myself now for not having consulted someone for help. It might have made a difference.</p>
<p>Since two of you asked about interviews---yes, I see it as a huge trouble spot, even with bright students. Kids often have problems talking about themselves--they give one word answers, they show no interest in the school, and just give an aire of boredom. Often they are truly interested in the school, are articulate, have things to offer, but in an interview just volley back yes and no answers. ANother big issue is when the student mentions how they would prefer to go to a different school, or how they might now want to go to boarding school at all, but are only considering the option. </p>
<p>I'm also surprised at how these kids often feel they did "really well" in the interview when in fact they didn't. I have done practice interviews with kids who are unable to name the author of the books they mention having read, unable to talk about what they are studying in history class, unable to discuss what they might bring to the school, unable to say what they like about School XYZ, but will then return to their parents with a big smile and say how easy the practice interview was and how well they did. </p>
<p>As parents, I recommend that you tell your child what an interview is like and what to expect. Of course they should "be themselves" but there is a difference between interviewing and talking casually. The other big surprise is that parents are being interviewed in a sense too. Parents who don't show up, don't engage admissions officers in conversation are only hurting their child. Unlike college, where interviews don't count for much--it is an essential part of the boarding school process. </p>
<p>That wasn't the problem for me. I talked so much about everything, the interviewer kept telling me, OK, GREAT! and then she just moved on... She didn't say much in the parent interview except that I did well.</p>
<p>hah , dancer . same with me .
i thought i did well because i covered everything i needed to tell her about myself & everything flowed together .</p>
<p>...
a UPS truck just PASSED my house.
i hate my life .</p>