<p>Ever since I found out that boarding school may be a real possibility for me I have been obsessively researching schools. At this point I probably know more about Andover than the students actually attending PA do. </p>
<p>Anybody else or am I just crazy?</p>
<p>The probability that you know more about Andover than current students is ~0. :))
But good luck to you.</p>
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<p>If u are only considering Andover, then u are CRAZY. No matter how good you think your profile looks, getting into Andover is a crapshoot. </p>
<p>Expand your list and don’t fall in love w any school until AFTER you get the thick envelope on April 10th.</p>
<p>I’m not ONLY considering Andover, but it’s my top choice. I don’t have to go to boarding school anyways, so it’s not about just getting into a school- it’s about getting into a school that I can be passionate about. </p>
<p>There are MANY schools to be passionate about-- it’s obvious u have not seriously examined any others.</p>
<p>I strongly suggest u find out what your SSAT scores are first, before you fall further in love.</p>
<p>93 average (lowest score in math, but I think I can bring that up) on my first try. I have a 2100 on the real SAT. I guess I’m doing decently on the standardized tests. Even though I’m not exceptional in that department, I think I could bring it up and work to do my best!</p>
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<p>What purpose does posting this serve? </p>
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<p>Or this? </p>
<p>Thank you bullneck I was wondering the same thing, but I didn’t want to start anything…</p>
<p>You’re welcome. </p>
<p>IIRC, SkiEurope goes to one of the HADES schools. So the fact that he’s still posting on the (I want to get into) Boarding School board today means that he either wants to share useful information on the topic or ■■■■■ those who are in the situation he was in a couple of years ago. </p>
<p>The answer to your first question is school pride. If a stranger that doesn’t even know you comes in and says I know more about your school than you do, a lot of people with a great amount of school pride would jump in and ridicule that statement immediately. It’s quite a natural reaction.</p>
<p>The answer to your second question is to temper expectations. A bit more heartbreaking to get rejected not anticipating to get accepted than to have everything planned out for when you get accepted and be rejected instead.</p>
<p>And it’s really not constructive to insinuate someone being a ■■■■■. </p>
<p>What purpose did posting that serve?</p>
<p>Ah, I see. I can understand it, I only meant it lightly though. </p>
<p>I’ll live if I don’t get in. I’m always prepared for the worst possible outcome and I will hype myself down when the time comes. I’m enjoying looking around though. </p>
<p>@grace567: I strongly encourage you to look at many schools, especially at this point in the summer/application process. There are plenty of institutions with great facilities, teachers, programs — and yes, prestige, if that is an important factor for you — out there beyond Andover (the school you seem fixated on most). Best of luck.</p>
<p>My advice as a parent who has gone through the process with two kids already? Don’t spend too much time on CC.</p>
<p>I completely did not heed that piece of advice. I’d recommend it though.</p>
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<p>I wouldn’t advocate ridiculing someone who is enthusiastic but somewhat naive (at least one this topic). Even a cursory reading of her post reveals that. Surely you don’t follow every “natural reaction” you have? The thread title alone should have alerted everyone that it would be a lighthearted thread. </p>
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<p>There’s a difference between helping someone temper their expectations and making snotty comments. When rejection arrives, and it will (in different forms, in different endeavors), Grace will have to learn to handle it emotionally and then address it strategically. What SkiEurope wrote added no value. </p>
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<p>I didn’t insinuate. </p>
<p>SkiEurope has “questioned” at least one of my posts in the past month or so. I believe he occasionally strays across the boundary of useful discourse. </p>
<p>@grace567 The best advice I can give is to click on SevenDad’s “One Family” post and read it in it’s entirety. Then close your browser.</p>
<p>I would most definitely deter someone from commenting that. Maybe ridicule was a questionable choice of words, but if someone stated that they knew more about something that gives its students a great amount of pride, that is a completely justifiable reaction.</p>
<p>Bolding is [ b]word[ /b] without spacing, by the way.</p>
<p>And where you find snotty I find satirical. Two different viewpoints, I suppose.</p>
<p>And, frankly, that was insinuation, definition-wise.</p>
<p>Everyone “strays across the boundary of useful discourse” sometimes. I know I definitely do it all the time. That doesn’t make me a ■■■■■(although I did post a ■■■■■ thread one time, satirically, I might add), and that doesn’t make skieurope a ■■■■■ either.</p>
<p>@mrnephew You’re trying very hard to excuse him. </p>
<p>On a slightly different note, perhaps you can tell me what connection John Paul Jones has with the Lawrenceville School?</p>
<p>You say excuse, I say defend.</p>
<p>The revolutionary sailor? His death precedes the foundation of the school, so I’m not aware of any connection there.</p>
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<p>Really? Because the connection is, you might say, written in stone.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>@mrnephew There’s plenty of time to ask your friends or email one of your teachers (though it’s past midnight). Maybe you’ll come up with the correct answer eventually but for now the truth is quite obvious. </p>
<p>That’s the trouble with a place with so much history!</p>