Only 4 Schools

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Reading the posts here I am a bit worried. I only applied to 4 schools it seems that 6-8 is the norm. </p>

<p>I visited the schools to see how I felt at them I wanted to make sure the sports I play Football, Baseball, and Track & Field were decent teams. I wanted to meet with the players and coaches to see how they were. I knew because my sister and her friends went to boarding schools that the educational level at these schools would be off the hook, so that wasn't a concern. Also I wanted to see the science departments because I LOVE SCIENCE. I took the schools I felt the most at home at and I applied to them... now I feel maybe I should of added a few just incase</p>

<p>I do not have the resume of the typical boarding school applicant. I do charity work because it is something my mom has always had us do every year. I have never kept track of it or the hours like others have posted. The mission district goes thru so many people trying to get a letter of recommendation was a nightmare; the people in charge are new and the ones who aren't and know me aren't allowed to write letters. </p>

<p>I applied to Deerfield, Exeter, Lawrenceville, and Culver Military Academy. I have spent the last 4 summers at Culver in their Summer Program. I like everyone at Culver but I am an athlete and I wanted exceptional teams as well as education. </p>

<p>My sister went to Choate and recommended Deerfield. She said she hated it when she toured but it would be perfect for me I loved it instantly. Her godfather went to Andover and insisted I go there I loved Coach Lang and Coach Mo couldn't stand the school. I visited Exeter because my sisters best friend growing up went there and said I should check it out loved it loved it loved it!! Bonus Phelps Science Center. ☺</p>

<p>Northfield Mount Hermon, Choate Rosemary Hall, The George School (why? :-/) Hotchkiss, Taft, The Putney School (again why? :-/), The Stevenson School, Concord Academy and The Webb School all were I felt no good for me in one way or another. I found The Lawrenceville school at a ten school admission. I visited it and loved it. I think it was the most diverse school out of all the ones I visited.</p>

<p>The last few days I have been going thru the posts here on the forums and I wonder now if maybe I should of broadened my choice of schools. I am an ok student by that I mean I have B’s. I go to public school and a really bad one here in Los Angeles at that. When I was two our dad died and the next year my sister left for boarding school her godfather paid for it. So I didn’t have the advantage of a private school education like she did. My SSAT scores are low compared to everyone here on the forums. I re took the test this month but have yet to find out how much my scores improved.</p>

<p>I wish I had found these forums a year ago. I hope that by only applying to 4 schools I haven’t ruined my chances of getting into a good school.</p>

2

<p>Congratulations on your careful process. You looked at many schools and selected just the best fits. That is a good approach.</p>

<p>All the schools you picked are really tough academically. So based solely on “B-grades at a bad public school and lower SSATs”, you have some risk. In hindsight, I wish you had applied to one or two schools that have higher acceptance rates. On the upside, your email was pretty well written so I bet your essays and interview were good and maybe you have some other hooks. You are probably competing more against other applicants like you from public schools in big cities than you are against the highly coached and tutored prep kids. So no way to know except to cross your fingers for March 10. </p>

<p>While you wait anxiously, is there anything you can do? You could do a search to find 1 or 2 more schools that would fit what you want and where you think you would have a higher chance of acceptance. You will then be prepared to apply to these next year if necessary. Heck you might even call them now and see if there is any way to apply and qualify for any financial aid you need, despite the late date. No harm to ask.</p>

<p>The other productive thing you can do is work on your current grades. If you do not get accepted anywhere, and you end up re-applying next year, getting the best grades you can will help.</p>

3

<p>Low scores from a bad public school won’t necessarily hurt you - it depends. Most schools know that public schools are focused on state exams and AYP and those tests don’t help prep students for entrance exams (college or BS). However, Exeter will be the first to tell you that if you’re in a public school with less academic rigor, you’ll need straight A’s to show you’ve got a fighting chance of getting up to speed once on campus (the workload is many times more rigorous than what you’re used to.)</p>

<p>But never say never, I’ve seen motivated kids without the right stats get into top schools. What I would suggest is to not worry about the “stats” getting posted on College Confidential. This board is self selecting and the resumes posted don’t necessarily reflect what Adcoms are choosing in the final rounds.</p>

<p>It’s too late to worry if you’ve already applied. Just keep your fingers crossed. It only takes “one” school to say yes.</p>

4

<p>There have been numerous discussions about “what’s the ‘right’ number of schools to apply to”. And the answer is the rather dissatisfying “It depends.” It’s really an individual decision. What’s right for one applicant may not be right for another.</p>

<p>As a parent who went through the process with a child last year, I personally feel that 4-6 is a doable number (especially if some or all are schools that have unique applications). More than that, and I think you’re spreading yourself too thin, time, energy, and idea-wise. Less than that, and you have to feel awfully confident about your chances — or have a very strong local backup option. Not everyone agrees with me.</p>

<p>Last year, my daughter applied to only 3 and was accepted at two. She was an exceptionally strong candidate academically, and we have a great local day school option. If we didn’t have these working in her favor, I would have advised her to apply to more schools.</p>

<p>There have been discussions about the merits of going wide vs. going deep. It seems as though you are very familiar with BS, and that you’ve thought quite a bit about your “apply to” list in terms of fit, so hopefully at least one of the 4 schools will feel the same affinity for you. I think many kids/parents underestimate how hard it is to get into the most selective schools (such as Deerfield, Exeter, and Lawrenceville), and apply exclusively to these schools at their own peril. I for one, have seen enough “Will a low SSAT hurt my chances for Exoverhotch Academy?” threads. In a few years, will these same kids apply to Harvard with 1900-level SAT scores? </p>

<p>FWIW, The George School and The Putney School are great schools for the right kids, so no need to be so judgmental of them.</p>

5

<p>I’m a great fan of doing this oneself . . . but it’s this kind of thread that really highlights why boarding school consultants are so helpful.</p>

<p>It’s all well and good to have looked at a number of schools, eliminated some, and selected others that you decided were just right for you. The problem is that someone (and this is where that consultant might be helpful) also needs to consider whether you are right for these schools.</p>

<p>In other words, the kid who does months of research and finally decides that Exeter, Andover, Deerfield, and Hotchkiss are the only schools worth applying to also needs to consider whether he or she has a prayer in heck of getting into those schools! In other words, it’s a two-way street. And if you’re going to do this on your own, then you need to take a good, hard look at what you’re bringing to the table: grades, relationships with teachers, extracurriculars, standardized test scores, etc.</p>

<p>No matter how good your instincts are, and how solid your reasons for rejecting School X, School Y, and School Z, if the only schools that are left have an acceptance rate in the teens and regularly reject kids with straight A’s and perfect SSAT scores, then you need to rethink your list . . . unless you feel strongly that you’d be a competitive candidate in that pool of applicants.</p>

<p>In this case, the OP clearly put a lot of thought into selecting the four schools on that final list . . . but three of those four are ridiculously difficult to get into. As SevenDad said, you’ve got to have a huge amount of confidence in yourself and a really good local school option for that strategy to work.</p>

<p>I am curious, though, what it was about George and Putney that made you dismiss them out of hand, if you wouldn’t mind sharing.</p>

6

<p>^All the parents have given you really awesome and insightful advice (as always :slight_smile: ) but I guess I’ll jump in. :smiley: </p>

<p>It’s good that you have one not as selective school on your list (Culver). Actually, a guy in the grade above me last year applied to Culver (he’s the only person I know who’s been through the application process) and got in. He didn’t have stellar grades, had a mid-60 SSAT, wasn’t too involved, and was all around an average kid. But, then again, their acceptance rate is quite high. He ended up not going there - he actually decided he didn’t like it during Move-In day. I don’t know how this things happen but they just do haha. IMO, it gives you a leg up since you’ve spent a few summers there because they already know about your personality and your interest in the school. </p>

<p>Back to the OP, I think it’s okay to have four schools if 1) you’re a strong applicant 2) you feel the right vibe from them/ the “fit” and 3) at least one has a %>20% acceptance rate. Plus, there’s always next year/rolling admissions. For now, just remain hopeful until M10, because only time will tell. :))</p>

7

<p>“In other words, the kid who does months of research and finally decides that Exeter, Andover, Deerfield, and Hotchkiss are the only schools worth applying to also needs to consider whether he or she has a prayer in heck of getting into those schools!”</p>

<p>Seconded. And that’s not even considering the kids who seemingly spend days/minutes of research and quickly make their apply to list based on criteria like “most prestigious”, “top-tier”,and “best”…;-P</p>

8

<p>Four schools isn’t a bad number. Hopefully, you will get into one. Stay positive. A friend of my son’s applied 4x (7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th) and finally got into 10th grade at her “choice” school. Be persistent. And guess what, when she gets her Exoverhotch degree, no one is going to ask her if she entered in 9th or 11th? BTW, I like that, haven’t seen that before, “Give me an ‘E’!” What’s the mascot, though, a blue liguilla cat? Okay, gettin’ punchey for sure, this whole long process has really been a brainstrain.</p>