<p>There are over a thousand chance threads, as you can see.</p>
<p>Almost everybody have the same incredible stats, essays, recommendations, interviews, grades and SSATs.</p>
<p>How is it, that the Admissions Officers can pick the best students out, when the majority of them are the same? What makes the students POP out at them?</p>
<p>If their parents/grandparents have been at the school/work at the school/made a big donation or other contribution.</p>
<p>The head of admissions at my kid’s school once said, “If I were only looking for smart kids, I can find all the smart kids I need in the Boston area.” She then said she was looking for “nice kids”. What’s a “nice kid?” The dean of alumni affairs defined it as, “a student with whom I feel comfortable babysitting my kids”.</p>
<p>Beyond that, I noticed that most of the students are extraordinary and passionate about something beyond academics. This drive comes from within. It’s not something the parents made them do. A student came in as a strong softball player. She got injured by a line drive to her face. She couldn’t play softball anymore so her math teacher suggested she try a new sport, crew. She ended up getting a medal in crew at the last olympic games.</p>
<p>Qualities such as these are revealed in the recommendations, essays, and extracurricular activities during the application process.</p>
<p>Don’t believe everything you read on the Chances thread. It would be the very odd man out post to see someone write about being average in just about every category. It would also be very refreshing.</p>
<p>Someone once posted about an incoming class being like a bouquet of flowers. Sure, you could have one grand bouquet of perfect red roses, but that would be boring and there is no shortage of perfect red roses. To continue this analogy, schools want variety in their bouquets. They want daisies, irises, lillies, carnations and maybe even a difficult orchid or two. In fact, schools might pass over lots of roses in favor of these other oft times overlooked flowers.
Perfect red roses don’t always stand out anymore.</p>
<p>zp</p>
<p>@AngEverlasting,
I have a few explanations for this:</p>
<p>1) Most kids on chances threads probably exaggerate themselves a bit. And sometimes, it’s hard to tell if an essay or a recommendation is “good.” So, a lot of the stuff on those threads is just fluff.</p>
<p>2) From what I’ve heard, (and keep in mind, I’m another applicant, and not an AO) AOs like kids who are passionate. Most of these chances threads I see do not convey any sort of passion. Most of these kids are either not involved enough in ECs, or involved in too many. So, they really aren’t passionate about much. Those kids will not get in.</p>
<p>3) Recs, interviews, and essays help determine the “cream of the crop.” Some kids who are applying to prep schools can’t write for their lives. Also, some kids could be disruptive or disrespectful, which will show through in their application. </p>
<p>4) Andover said on their website that “75% of the applicants were ‘academically admissible.’” And just because a candidate is “academically admissible” doesn’t mean that he will be admitted. For example, a kid with a 75% SSAT score and straight B’s is probably “academically admissible.” He’s probably not getting in, but they could admit him.</p>
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<p>I don’t look at the Chances forum. It’s a waste of time. You only know your grades and SSATs. You don’t know how your recommendations, essays, and interviews compare to the rest of the pool. </p>
<p>Some schools invest a great deal of effort in informing their students they are “the cream of the crop.” It works for them, I suppose. As March 10th will be here soon enough, please consider that a number of elite college officials have admitted that they could have chosen an entirely different class from their applicants–and it would have been just as competitive a class.</p>
<p>In other words, take neither a rejection nor an acceptance as a verdict on your innate worth. Choosing to leave home to attend rigorous, academic high schools puts you into the small group of people who have the drive and potential to change the world. No matter what happens on March 10th, remember that.</p>
<p>I would add “opportunity” to that list of why kids go to boarding school. Boarding school is simply not an option for too many kids for reasons beyond financial. Just look at the number of posts that begin “my parents won’t let me go…”</p>
<p>ifax108, I know that many things on the chance threads are much of an exaggeration and fabrication. I never have believed any of it, nor will I ever. I completely agree with your second point. There are two types, the ones who have a laundry list, and those who have too few. I guess that’s not what the AO’s are looking for. Like what ZP said, they want VARIETY and DIVERSITY. But it must be difficult for the AO’s to pick out the very few orchids out of the thousands that are bursting to get in, wouldn’t it?</p>
<p>I guess that’s what the essays, recommendations, and interviews are for. </p>
<p>Periwinkle- The Prep School Chances are truly a waste of time. And yes, I have been thinking about the ups and downs of being rejected on March 10th. I’m ready for it.</p>
<p>branenburg5- I completely agree with that.</p>
<p>Everybody, there’s a thread just created by AlexThePerson on the chances forum. It’s very useful. Go look at it for yourself. I hope it will give some people a mindful of what the Prep School Chances forum is all about.</p>
<p>There’s 20% they know they want, there’s 20% they know they don’t want, it’s the remaining 60% that they just don’t know. It is not an easy process, in fact, it is incredibly hard work to build a class within the boundaries or limitations as defined by each school. Who wouldn’t want a nice kid, coupled with being a great football, hockey and lacrosse player with A/B grades. That combo is actually a dime a dozen in my town and the surrounding towns. Which by the way, neither of my sons fit that model, but they sure tried hard in whatever they pursued. The schools look for character, sociability, integrity and do they want to be living with that kid for the next 4 years. IMO, one of the most important factors is what is he or she is going to give back to the school. The schools gives them the tools, will the student come through for them? Of course, there is so much more to building a class, from looking for that under water tuba player, to rolling the dice on a kid they think that if just given the opportunity will exemplify the school mission. It’s not an easy process and they’re not all necessarily the cream of the crop either.</p>
<p>For the 75% who are admissible—</p>
<p>then they look for URM, needed athlete/orchestra player, legacy, those that they think the elite colleges are also looking for</p>
<p>I also think there are more female applicants, and probably more Asians, so those two categories will find it harder to get in</p>
<p>Here’s my food for thought: </p>
<p>I believe that extroverts have a distinct advantage for admission to any program or school that requires an interview. Introverts add balance to any group, and may be overlooked because it takes them a while to warm up to a new person/situation. The Gifted Development Center claims that 60% of gifted children are introverted, and up to 75% of highly gifted children. Assuming this is fairly accurate, how many Aos will look beyond the shy kid in the high pressure interview and see that they might be the sort they want to brag about as an alumnus a dozen years hence?</p>
<p>it is true that introverts will have a harder time, but there are more introverted types of high school’s as well, anywho, introverts at least on definitional term will be less helpful to school environment, and if they’re paying it’s fair that you get the best students, and it’s not only brains, but being nice, is it unfair to the nasty geniuses? Lol just contemplating, my sister is Introverted, so yeah… :)</p>
<p>This is where the skill of the interviewer comes in. Some of them are very good at drawing out the introverted types. I have known introverts who won’t shut up when asked about something they are passionate about.</p>
<p>It’s funny, I was looking through the personality thread in the prep school cafe, and it was exactly 50/50 for introverted/extroverted. I guess on CC (we- the extroverts) aren’t a minority after all :).</p>
<p>I agree with neato. I have an introverted kid who does just fine one-on-one, especially with adults who take him seriously and in small groups where there’s something real to talk about. It’s social chit chat and loud, busy places that he has difficulty with. However, I don’t think introversion and shyness are necessarily the same thing. As I understand it, introversion has more to do with being motivated/rewarded from within where extroverts require more affirmation from others. If that’s the case, an introvert may be at more of an advantage in an interview–less anxious about what the interviewer is thinking of him/her?</p>
<p>shushugah, I didn’t mean to imply that introverts are “nasty” or “not nice”. Where did you get that idea?</p>
<p>My impression is that extroverts tend to have stronger interpersonal skills and more outward energy, but introverts tend to be able to think deeper and with greater complexity. Of course, this is not always true. Neither is better, just a difference in personality depending on how much of yourself you show to the world: extroverts are not necessarily loud, and introverts are not necessarily quiet.</p>
<p>I’m borderline introverted. Yes, it does take me a while to warm up to a new situation and open myself up but once I do, I can be a very interesting conversationalist. Extroverts tend to have a stronger first impression and relate better to the general public, but introverts tend to leave with a more lasting impression. I think that is one of the best skills a boarding school interviewer can have–to draw out the personality and passion in the introvert. And imo, schools need both introverts and extroverts in a student body.</p>
<p>I agree that a healthy group should have both introverts and extroverts. My son who is applying this year is an <em>E</em>, and I think he impressed AOs with that. I am wondering how my <em>I</em> child may fare in a few more years. She definitely does open up when she talks about her passions, but I do think it will take a savvy interviewer to encourage her to show herself that way.</p>
<p>Introverts get accepted too.</p>
<p>Believe it or not - the schools are not just cherry picking the “cream of the crop.” In fact I really detest that term. They’re looking at a range of personality types, academic experiences, life experiences.</p>
<p>There is no one-size-fits-all applicant. And different schools have widely different personalities - which is why fit comes into play.</p>
<p>In many ways - Adcoms are becoming very astute at choosing students who have the capacity to meet meet their challenges AND challenge themselves in pursuit of a personal best.</p>
<p>So they will choose some already maximizing that at their current schools and need the “next” level. And some who are not maximizing their potential because the climate isn’t available in their current setting and would thrive if given a better academic environment.</p>
<p>Hard to define - which is why I think people mistake Andover’s discussion of “75% academically qualified” as meaning the other 25% are “lesser than” or URM’s, etc…</p>
<p>I recently heard a story about a young student (white male). The Adcom had to convince the committee to take him. He wasn’t qualified based on stats relative to other students - but the Adcom had a gut feeling and a personal recommendation from a principal he trusted. The kid went on to graduate valedictorian four years later.</p>
<p>That’s why school recommendations are so important. And being yourself in an interview - not the student you hope they want to see.</p>
<p>Rellielou, when it comes time to schedule interviews for your daughter, you might want to tell the scheduler that she’s somewhat introverted and ask if they have an admissions officer who is known to be particularly good at drawing kids out. Every interviewer has a different style. The lady who scheduled my daughter’s Exeter interview was amazingly helpful, telling me, “Oh, you don’t want that time because she’ll be hungry AND nervous and kids tend to not make sense in those cases…” She was great.</p>