<p>Jonathan I know you don’t like what people on this thread are saying, but all their trying to do is help. They could maybe say it in a nicer way though. Just think if you really want to go to boarding school and if you really do, then give it a shot. However it does give a somewhat bad impression that your current school your going to now is really good and your leaving after one year. Also it’s gonna be tougher down the road for you. Just saying.</p>
<p>The schools I’m applying to are need-blind, so decisions and FA decisions are made separately.</p>
<p>I don’t know why you guys keep saying this is going to effect me down the road at my current schools. It’s not! No one knows I’m even applying, except for a few teachers who said they wouldn’t say anything.</p>
<p>Your teachers know. The school counselor knows. They talk to other teachers and administrators about this. And, of course, you know. That’s a lot of people who have actual, direct knowledge.</p>
<p>Then there are the people who don’t know that you’re applying to boarding schools, but they do know that you’ve got one foot in school and the other foot somewhere else…because people pick up on these things. In an office, the people who have resumes out often can’t hide it for long. At school, where a number of people are already in the know…good luck. I recall numerous threads last spring from distraught applicants who fell victim to their boarding school quest being leaked out. But people know that you’re lukewarm to the experience that they’ve embraced…even if they don’t know that you’re applying to boarding schools.</p>
<p>And forget about the financial aid. The advice you’re getting isn’t about your admission chances. It’s about your long-term success. For several years you’ve spelled out in detail what you’re all about and this is about which schools you should be attending. The one you’ve found seems like an excellent fit for you. The ones you’re applying to don’t. Financial aid or not. And, considering you haven’t visited the schools you’re applying to and are still asking for the most rudimentary information about several of these schools, adding schools to your list within the past week or two, there’s no way you can make a credible case that these schools are a great fit for you.</p>
<p>Ride the rocket ship into college instead of running into a brick wall.</p>
<p>And, again, please…for your own sake…find adults who disagree with Periwinkle before you make that decision to run upstream against the wellspring of reason. You really are shortchanging yourself by floating out applications. If you go forward along this course, you’ll be well into March of your freshman year before you can focus on what’s most important. That’s just not good at all.</p>
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<p>How would you know that? I’ve been to Andover and I feel it would be a great fit for me. I think ALL the schools I’m applying to would be a great fit for me. Of course I don’t KNOW since I’ve only visited Andover, but all the schools that I’m applying to offer something special that I really like. I’m going to apply, regardless of how many posts you make in my threads discouraging me. We will see what happens on March 10.</p>
<p>Two years of a posting record, sub-50% SSATs and my actually having been to said schools and having an idea of what they look for…and don’t bend over backwards for. You may think they have lots to offer, but they’re looking at this in both directions and they want to admit the applicants that have the most to offer the school, too. And the schools you’ve limited yourself to are drawing from the most competitive applicant pools in the nation.</p>
<p>As for what happens on March 10…this is NOT about your chances for admission! This is about what you ought to do to be successful through high school…like getting on with your freshman year for starters.</p>
<p>I know you’re going to apply regardless of how many posts I make. I just hope you talk to some adults who understand all this and they give you advice on what to do…and you respect them. Somewhere there’s got to be a rational adult you’ll listen to. That’s what I’m hoping for.</p>
<p>Just wondering Jonathan, have you shown any of these posts to your parents? Do they realize how competitive the schools are to which you are applying? Are they aware that the average SSAT score for these schools is 90% or higher and that the majority of kids have a 3.8 or higher from their previous school? Do they think you have a chance of admission?</p>
<p>It seems as if you have been taking on a lot of responsibility that usually falls to parents: filling out the financial aid forms, the application forms, even paying for the application fees (that is something my kids would never do 
.) I just wonder how much your parents support your decision and how involved they are in this proccess. </p>
<p>You have to understand Jonathan, if you had made your list of schools in October/November and scheduled the phone interviews at the same time you had your SPS interview, you would have received completely different comments from members on this forum. We all may have said “It’s a long shot, given the 45% SSAT scores, but GOOD LUCK JONATHAN! We wish you the best!” The reason you are receiving all of these comments now is that at the 11th hour, you suddenly decide to add 6-8 more schools to your list. You are not a guy who just found out about boarding schools, like some of the new kids. You have been on this board for a long, long, time–over 4000 posts. One would have expected you to have had phone interviews, written, edited, re-written all of your application essays, filled out all the forms, submitted recs to the teachers, months ago. Instead, as of a couple of days ago, no interviews were scheduled (other than Andover/SPS), some schools said they were no longer doing interviews, you hadn’t given the recs to your teachers, and you were still asking others for their opinions about what the schools had to offer.</p>
<p>It is because of your actions in the past few weeks that has raised the red flag and created a situation where total strangers feel compelled to speak up. Not to diss you, flame you, or make you feel bad. We are voicing our concern because we see you going down a path that will probably end in failure. (Failure meaning not being accepted at a boarding school, and perhaps, creating a negative environment for you at Greenhills.)</p>
<p>Again, I believe all of this would have had a different outcome, had you made your list in the fall and followed the same procedure you did for Andover and SPS. </p>
<p>I hope you share these posts with one of your parents, so that they can offer you some sound advice and guidance. We’re all just middle-aged adults who can’t help posting, even when we know it is all for naught.</p>
<p>I’m only applying to four schools because I don’t have the time or money to send eight applications.</p>
<p>I’ve told my parents that the acceptance rates are 20%, and that I need to retake the SSAT to even stand a chance. I’m retaking on Saturday and hopefully I will get above the 50% mark. </p>
<p>Also, none of the schools said they have finished conducting interviews. They just said they aren’t doing phone interviews this year. Since I narrowed my schools down to four, I only have to schedule Taft’s interview. I got a message from a Taft admissions office asking which times would be good for, and gave me the available dates. I have to call back tomorrow. For Groton, I have to replace it with two additional recommendations–not a problem. My applications are nearly completed and I have the rest of the week and all weekend to change some things.</p>
<p>For us old folks who’ve been around the block a few times life doesn’t hold too many surprises. As you grow older you’ll see things have an order. So I for one will learn a great deal if you get into those schools, even if you get a 90 on your SSAT retake (if you do, they’d want a retake anyway based on the SF poster). </p>
<p>So I’ll be back in March to see if you’ve proven a lesson for us to take note of. I wish for you good guidance and strong focus.</p>
<p>This is ridiculous!!
I don’t understand how you can come to a board and ask for advice and not take anything from it.
Also, the schools are going to completely look over your middle school grades because frankly there are kids with b’s and c’s who got in the 80’s on the ssat on their own (me for example last year) How can you have straigh a’s and get below 50%? It just baffles me. Also, you say that the schools are need blind but, just because they say it doesn’t make it completely true. It is sad I know but, you have to be realistic. I just have another question. If you get in to these schools and don’t get financial aid are you still going to attend?</p>
<p>just a question: why does China and Korea come out a lot when talking about prep schools?</p>
<p>Because China and Korea are probably the two countries from which the most international students apply. </p>
<p>Also–I know this entire post is unrelated to the topic–but a couple pages back someone talked about HKIS. I know people who go there that are applying and am extremely confused by the post.</p>
<p>“also ps. a lot of kids who live in hong kong and attend HKIS or neother international shcool have to be non chinese citezingship
i attended hkis for 4 years and you had to be american or another country’s citezinship”</p>
<p>boo x - It means that for a student to be able to attend an international school, like HKIS, that student will have to be a citizen of another country. To put it simply, they cannot be citizens of Hong Kong, if they attend HKIS. They cannot be citizens of China, if they go to an international school in China.</p>
<p>I’m just going to offer my thoughts on all this, although I have no experience in the whole BS application process. I am just an applicant. I think that, Jonathan, if you’re only applying to four schools and your applicants are nearly completed, then go ahead and good luck on the SSAT. I’m not going to discourage you because I admit that even I have a very slim chance for acceptance, and yet I applied to some “reach” schools. I like to think of this as an experience wherein I can hopefully learn some lessons. But in case you still didn’t get a good score (like below 50%), I think you should really look at your entire application with an unbiased eye, and somewhat prepare yourself for March 10. All I am saying is that although the SSAT is one of the least important aspect of the application, it still plays a part. Remember that you’re appling to SCHOOLS. Even if you have the most awesome ECs out there, you still need to be a good STUDENT in terms of academics. How else can they determine that you will pass, if not excel, in their school? </p>
<p>Again, just my thoughts… and good luck.</p>
<p>cate_intl, the reason i was confused is because I know for a fact that is not true. I have dozens of friends at HKIS who are Chinese citizens. HKIS is an American-based school, and they also have a huge American population. As far as I know citizenship doesn’t really play a part in application there.</p>
<p>As for the actual topic of discussion, I think cate_intl echoed many of my own thoughts.</p>
<p>Actually, in my country, this is not true either. We can apply, but some international schools try to limit the percentage of locals. But based on what you posted above, I think the poster meant what I explained. No idea if it was true or not, I was merely stating how I understood it.</p>
<p>A little off topic, but not all international schools follow the same rules. There are schools that are only available to international children; one does need to be a citizen of another country. Additionally, there are international schools that accept students from every national and ethnic origin.</p>
<p>Hong Kong International School falls into the latter–you can be a Chinese citizen and still attend HKIS.</p>
<p>cate: oh, I know you weren’t trying to mislead me or anything. I think all (international) schools strive for the same situation as yours, looking for diversity.
jennycraig: exactly.</p>
<p>Hi, J1. I’m new to the board and a parent. I’ve probably only read 1000 of your posts so far and an even smaller fraction of the other avid posters, who know much more about BS admissions than I. I’ll chime in on your situation only because I may offer a newer perspective than the other parents, certainly not a better one.</p>
<p>I think you should apply to your schools, retake the SSAT, schedule your interviews (if you can), get the extra recs to replace interviews, etc. You may get in, you may not. Your life isn’t going to end either way. Go for it. Just be aware that the advice you’ve gotten here is good advice. Manage your expectations and your relationships at your current school with the understanding that the perspectives of those on this board may be a “little wrong” but probably not a whole lot wrong.</p>
<p>I encourage you because I’m a contrarian, too. Did my “own” thing in high school and college, defied adult advice at certain turns–often a bad idea but sometimes it came out in my favor. I even made my living as a contrarian, so I know it takes some grit to deal with people telling you you’re going the “wrong way.” You seem to have that grit.</p>
<p>The only thing different from your current path I’d suggest is that you stop spending time on this board. You’ve gone from being a neophyte on the topic to, essentially, an “expert” for your age. You’ve gotten loads of good advice from an entire community to the point where you have come to a major difference in opinion with that community. As a fellow contrarian, I’ll tell you that THIS is exactly the time to, well, disappear and go get things done, both in the BS process and in school.</p>
<p>Believe me, disappearing at the right time is hard but it can be fruitful. You leave in your wake tens of thousands of words of good advice, practically a manual on the anatomy of BS search and application for kids similar to you and not (and many parents because of all the advice you solicited.) It’s a nice legacy. Maybe, in a few months, come back to thank those who clearly have your interests at heart, no matter what the “outcome” of your current BS efforts are. Whether you “get in” or not doesn’t really affect your legacy. Rather, your spirit and self-starting nature and curiosity, all of which led to many interesting discussions, are the valuable parts. Each individual student and their family have to make the final decisions about BS and deal with the results of the process. A roadmap of the journey is all we should really ask of this community–and you’ve given an awful lot.</p>
<p>So, thanks and good luck. I do hope you land a spot at a school you dream about (“the grass is always greener in the other feller’s yard…”), but more importantly, I hope you take all the talent, curiosity, moxie and spirit you’ve put into this board and apply them to all the fun things you have left to do in your education, both high school and college and beyond. In the end, having fun is what it’s all about. Go play, read, learn, explore, teach and have fun. Your “work” here is done. Let the dreadful bare their dread. Now kick the CC habit and go kick some butt!</p>
<p>Jonathon,
Below a 50% on your SSAT with good grades does have an impact on how you look. If you really want to be serious about applying to what many consider to be “reaches” you may want to stop posting on C.C. and start studying for Saturday’s SSAT. Last night for instance, you posted at 5:34pm, 5:36pm, 5:57pm, 6:01pm, 6:05pm, 6:29pm, 7:42pm, 8:00pm, 8:12pm, 8:17pm, and 8:57pm. Two and a half hours of mindless occupation. Your concentration for anything else is being compromised. If you were my child I wouldn’t let you apply anywhere until you showed more dedication to what counts. You can’t be serious about any of this. I half think you don’t even really exist. You’re really some 40 year old wanna be prepster who lives in his mother basement.</p>
<p>Burgherdad – I pm’d Jonathan yesterday with pretty much the same suggestions, but you worded it much better! Hopefully he reads your post – excellent advice!</p>
<p>I think everyone here has great dvice, but telling jonathan to give up now isn’t okay.</p>
<p>Jonathan, you don’t have the best stats in the world with those ssat scores, but a lot of other things come into admssions. I think you should definitely still apply, definitely still try, and just know that a 20% acceptance rate is very small.</p>
<p>if you give up now you’re going to be sixty and look back and think “i wonder if i could have gotten in”. don’t ket that happen to you. if you try and fail, at least you’ll have known you’ve done youre best. I don’t know what kind of package you’ll get in march, but i do know that if you stop the process now and don’t get a package at all, you will regret it. </p>
<p>best of luck to you on saturday!</p>