Our love for the schools that loves us is growing fast.

I hope that if you reapply off of a previous year’s waitlist that the school provides some incite on how to make the app stronger

He was waitlisted at Exeter and St. Paul’s yet rejected at St. Marks and George School. He can do the work and usually does well. The policy of no late homework at his school hurts him. He needs substantial Financial aid so maybe that could be it. I have no idea. I think I am going to wait until the end of this week/beginning of next week and call the schools to ask how he can improve his application for next year. Maybe that can give me some insight for next year if he decides to apply again.

“The policy of no late homework at his school hurts him.” This is true at most schools and definitely true at boarding school. If he chooses to reapply, he should work hard on the organization and maturity it takes to get work done and turned in on time.

@doschicos. You are correct. I am going to take @SculptorDad advice and look for some executive functions skill classes for him. He will have a year to work on those skills. He did get accepted to one school. It was what I thought was an extreme safety school. I don’t think it will provide the rigor that he needs so we will go to revisit day and decide whether he should attend there or wait until next year.

Sounds like a good plan, @queenmother. Taking that step over the next year will set him up well for high school anywhere and build a strong case for those schools where he might reapply.

@queenmother Have you looked at Solebury? They have a strong learning services department.

@queenmother The EF (Executive Function) things are usually workshops where a parent and the child attend together, to learn ways to improve EF over time. It teaches you how to train EF, rather than just teaching EF.

Very nice story. Thanks for sharing. Boarding school is not the end, but just the beginning. I’m sure your daughter will do fine anyplace that she goes. Good luck!

Congratulations on your daughter getting a generous FA package! May I share my experience about my son who had a full merit scholarship at a private day school before he went to BS? Due to a bunch of circumstances, my son ended up at a mid ranking junior high school, below his academic level. But there were benefits to being the big fish in a smalll pond. Because the other students looked up to him, he was thrusted into leadership positions he had always avoided. At first he was reluctant but he soon grew to enjoy these roles. The top 15 students in the class of about 160 always ended up at the top universities and as long as he kept up his grades, my husband and I LOVED the financial pleasure of a private school education at no cost. Without hesitation, we accepted the scholarship and took him off waitlists. We Loved the School that Loved Us.

But into his second year, the other top students began considering application to more rigorous schools… Some became tired of always having to initiate activities. Others wanted more stimulating ECs and clubs. Some asked for higher level work and had teachers say,“We are not that kind of school.” It was at this time that my son decided he wanted to go to a top BS with inspiring teachers and classmates. Being the big fish gave him the confidence, the class rank and the ECs to do so. He has great appreciation for the private school and often visits when he comes home. Despite getting FA, we are still making a big financial sacrifice for BS. But he loves being at a school which offers endless opportunities, with great teachers and classmates.

With your daughter, her rejections from schools maybe social based. Despite her impressive achievements, being homeschooled and not heavily involved in group sports, schools probably wondered how well she would adjust to BS social life. If she proves to succeed socially at Grier, IMHO, she would be a strong candidate for the BS more to more academic level. In any case, good luck to her exciting new life at BS!!!

@Disneymama Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful story. It is greatly helpful!