Plans to celebrate?

Prep School Admissions Prep School Parents
21

Here is my advice from 5 years ago when my son was going through this:

The decisions for the TSAO schools come out at multiple points throughout the day. The first one I believe was Exeter, who sent out an email at about 5 am. The non-TSAO schools sometimes send them out earlier. A local private day school near us had already sent a postal mail acceptance about a week prior. You might consider asking your child to not check any of the decisions until after he/she comes home from school. Especially in case of a rejection/waitlist, I wouldn’t want my child to be in front of your friends when they open the decision. I’d rather they be home with me.

Several of the TSAO schools will send out admission packets on M9 with the intent of arriving on M10. In the past, some parents have signed up for all of the various arrival notification services (Fedex, UPS, USPS, etc) to get advanced warning. Andover for example sent a Fedex package to our home which was mailed on M9. Some other schools wait until after M10 to send out the formal package.

I would also be prepared for rejection. Get something comforting to your child: favorite candy, food, etc. so that you can offer right away. Definitely would not recommend buying any school apparel until after the acceptance is in hand. Plenty of time to do this during the revisit days.

In terms of how to celebrate? We went out for dinner nearby. I think most of the decisions are out by 5 pm. You could also consider a movie, ice cream, etc.

22

Every year I post that feverishly checking Fed-Ex, etc. does not send a good signal to your kids. If any of you plan to do that, please don’t let your kids see you. You’ll send the message that this is way too important to wait until the date you were told to wait. And if that package doesn’t come, no words or facial restraint on M9/10 will override the message sent beforehand.

Please don’t be that parent.

23

I never even saw where there was an option to select notification via FedEx, etc…

24

I couldn’t agree more, @ChoatieMom .

The craziness and anxiety ( surrounding FedEx packets ) is always way off the charts.

FWIW- Several years ago ( on CC ) an accepted Andover kid told another Andover applicant ( still waiting for his package ) that " If you didn’t get your Andover package yet you got rejected " and then he wandered off and proceeded to gloat unmercifully on every thread he could find. It was unseemly and hurtful- plus he had absolutely NO WAY of knowing if that was even true.

The kid still waiting for his Andover package said that he was shellshocked and logged off. He never logged back on. I still think about that kid every M10.

As far as CC goes…: By all means CELEBRATE your acceptance, but have a heart and support each other , too. I know that this should go without saying, but please don’t be that kid- if you’re a kid reading this.

I think some people underestimate the pain WL families endure M10-A10 - which I guess can be easy to do since it’s not like these families are sitting around your kitchen table with you …

IDK… Maybe take a day off from creating M10 threads like – I can’t choose between PA, PE and Groton- Help Me!!! Or my personal favorite : Which is better : Andover or Exeter ??? - and just imagine the people who just posted their WL or Rejection results sitting in the same room with you…

Because in many ways - they are and many will continue to be thru A10.

Accepted Kids : If you’re super excited about what to buy or pack - there are at least 20 threads and your new student handbook to get you started. Want to decorate your unseen BS room on M10 ? Maybe hold off a day or two before starting a thread because there are at least 20 threads you can read for inspiration and you can also refer to your brand new student handbook for rules and guidance!

Is Photograhermom a wet blanket?

Yes… Yes, she is.

But… support for fellow applicants / parents and a little grace can go a long, long way - especially online on a day like M10.

Oh, and parents - if you want to be surrounded by torches and pitchforks - just start a M10 thread comparing L’Ville’s College Matriculation list to Exeter’s list… Because now you’re really asking for it. :wink:

Good luck! I’m actually kind of bummed that I won’t be posting from a pub on St. Patrick’s Day this year. If I didn’t know the answer to a question about a specific BS or the name of a new Head coming in at whatever school , I was surrounded by family members and people who did , and it was fun. Maybe a little odd considering the time, place … and all the usual St Patrick’s day madness around me, but it was definitely fun. :frowning:

25

For those of you who are confused…

Each of the major express delivery companies offer a service that notifies you whenever a package is coming your way. You can go onto their website and register. Then once something is accepted for shipping with your address on it, you’ll get an automated email with the sender name and zip code. This only works for the schools that mail their packages ahead of M10.

Things may have changed, but I recall several schools that mailed packages to arrive on M10: Andover, Hotchkiss, Deerfield and Taft. There may have been others, but I can’t remember. Andover was the only one that used Fedex.

I didn’t know about these services 5 years ago when my son applied. But if I had known, I would definitely have signed up. Not to gloat. But the advanced warning would have been nice to prepare my kid for an impending rejection. There are those who like to rub in other people’s faces…but certainly not what I had in mind.

26

@sgopal2 - thanks! Presumably there’s no package if it’s a rejection? The timing of M10 makes it so confusing this year. I wonder if packages will be timed to arrive on M9 or M11 or after. I’m guessing Sunday delivery is pretty expensive!

27

But don’t almost all schools now notify via email or online portal? Making the fedex madness obsolete.

28

@dogsmama1997 - have your schools contacted you about notification? Only 1 out of the 3 we applied to has given us information on how/when to access the decision.

29

@busymommyof4 yes, I’ve gotten emails from the schools we applied to about notification (last one came today). Two will be by email, one by portal. I think they also mail stuff but we have a mail checking problem (laziness) so electronic notification is best for me anyway!

30

You’d think so- right? But practically everyone here applied to Andover so… the madness is a little hard to avoid. :wink:

31

@PhotographerMom - we didn’t apply to any schools in New England, but I think the madness here is contagious. I’m a nervous wreck! I’m ready for this coming week to be over so we can return to a normal level of crazy at our house!

32

@busymommyof4 - I hear you! :slight_smile: Fingers crossed!!

33

Oh, it’s not my nature to be nervous about stuff like how I’m going to find out. I’m nervous about the decision but not the logistics.

Andover is notifying via portal too though (I checked the thread, we aren’t applying).

@busymommyof4 I am 100% sure that schools will let you know. Don’t be nervous about this part. It’s in their best interest to make sure the notification process runs smoothly.

34

Oh, and some schools ( outside ten schools ) will call with happy news on M9, so don’t be like me and answer an unknown number with contempt in your voice - on that day anyway . I did that once and for the next two kids, I let calls that day go to VM. It actually worked out better because they got to hear the news when they got home… Well- after I listened to the message 500 times. LOL

There was a mom a few years ago- who either steamed or froze the letters open and then resealed them because her child was away somewhere… She was so funny - I wish I could remember the thread.

35

I was signed up for FedEx notifications last year and got no notifications for packets that arrived on M10 and those that arrived later. At the very best, it might only partially work for some schools and is absolutely not worth the brain damage. We will not be doing so with kid #2.

36

@busymommyof4: Now this is from my recollection of nearly 5 years ago, so it is probably a bit imperfect. That year, M10 was in the middle of the week. Now that M10 is on a Saturday, I’m not sure how this will impact things. But here is what I can recall:

Andover: mails acceptance packet via Fedex to arrive on M10. Packet was at our front door around 1 pm. Decisions online around 5 pm
Exeter: email with decision around 5 am, packet arrives a few days later
Choate: decision via online portal (4 pm), then packet arrives a few days later
Lawrenceville: decision online portal, then postal mail later
Deerfield: USPS Priority Mail packet arrived on M10, then a few days later a magnificent tube filled with goodies (poster, letter, candy, etc). Deerfield definitely had the nicest acceptance package.
Taft: USPS regular mail with packet. Arrived on M10
Hotchkiss: USPS priority mail arrived on M10

I doubt that the schools are still using the same method. A phone call to each of the admissions offices may clear things up. As pointed out above, the absence of receiving a tracking email is not indicative of anything.

37

We are signed for tracking and notifications with all carriers - FedEx, UPS, and USPS - for reasons unrelated to BS admissions (we get medications, some shipped on ice, that have to be delivered without signature). Because of this service, we knew about two admissions as early as M8, as we got notifications of packages for us scanned at two specific BS locations. One was FedEx, the other USPS. On the heels of another admission we knew of even earlier due to a scholarship interview, these notifications helped defuse anxiety and resulted in a rather anti-climactic M10. I totally get what people are saying about waiting until you’re supposed to know, but the service is useful in many ways; getting an M10 sneak peek is just another perk. (That is if schools are still sending packages; our experience is from three years ago so I don’t know what the current practice is).

38

I too have received instructions on how to access decisions. Not one mentioned anything about mailing. They ran the gammit from the school portal to gateway to an email being sent by the school.

39

All our emails stated we would be notified at 9AM EST. Including many of the schools you listed. Also there was no mention of packages arriving by mail. I hope I didn’t miss something.

40

@momensa, the mailing of packages is separate from the electronic notification of decisions, and it won’t be mentioned in any email with instructions how to access the admission decision. All schools notify applicants about admission decisions electronically (email, portal, etc). In addition, some schools mail packages to admitted students, in which they include congratulatory gifts and school swag. As packages are timed to be delivered on the same day as the electronic notification, they have to be shipped a day or so in advance.