Thanks everyone. Regardless of why the other kids got in good luck to them. At this point my son wants to focus on the next step college admissions. If anyone can advice on west point that would be helpful. I would rather have him not attend a military academy but at the end it is his life and we need to support him in what makes him happy.
Does anyone know how to write a polite admission rejection letter to your interviewers?
@kc2022 In regards to West Point, they have a lot of summer camps that take place on campus. If any are of interest to your son, it may be worthwhile for him to go and experience the campus.
@KC2022
We were just learning about the BS application process last year and that some BS would meet your full financial need if you are accepted, so my son last year applied to 6 top schools. He was waitlisted to 5 of them. He did not cast a wide net, but he applied only to the schools we knew about at the time. He was a 99% SSAT kid, minority, above average athlete, geographically underserved region, excellent recommendations and mostly great interviews. I was not impressed with his essays last year (or this year, for that matter). This year, he was accepted to his top choice from last year with a note from the Rector that he was one of his interviewers top two choices. Same kid, same scores, same essays…who knows? At this point last year we were feeling pretty down about the whole thing. I’m really glad he wanted to try again this year, because I truly believe this is the best option for him right now.
Thanks @KentuckyMomma,
Congratulation on you kid getting accepted to their first choice. We are a asians and the others kids we know who got in are minority as well but not asians. Our son told us he wanted to go to BS for his school , we told him to take ownership of the whole process, which he did: filling the applications, getting his references, scheduling the interviews and campus visits, etc… From my perspective he put a lot of effort in and to that he see was not accepted and no reason was given.I just feel that given the time, effort, energy these applications take, along the campus visits, interviews, is it worth the time if the selection process is opaque?. Isn’ t it disturbing for a student to do 9 th grade in one school and the 10th grade in another. The schools have the applicants invest so much energy but do not do the same when sending the results to the applicants.
My son’s current public school is K-12, so he didn’t switch at 9th grade, so we didn’t have to consider two transitions. I I don’t know whether he would have thought about reapplying differently if he had had to switch to 9th grade. He was really disappointed last year, but it was a great chance for him to realize that there are plenty of other kids just as smart and awesome as he is out there. That, in and of itself, was a valuable learning experience. This year, he applied with less enthusiasm than he did last year - I believe as a self-preservation mechanism. He didn’t let himself get his hopes up. As his mom, that was hard to watch. On decision day, his response to his acceptance was still careful. It has taken this past week for his enthusiasm about attending BS to come back. I do think, in the grand scheme of things, the disappointment last year may have been really good for him.
Best of luck in deciding what is best for your DS.
@KC2022 I would be interested in PM’ing you but it appears that one needs to have 15 posts before this feature is activated on one’s account. I’m new here as well, so need to post a few more times before I gain the same access.
@vwbug25, I don’ t have the pm feature either.
Exactly, the school doesn’t make you, you make your school. Great post.
Hello All,
My son was wait listed in few of the top schools. He is a A+ student with excellent sports at state level, music, academic awards, excellent recommendations, community services etc… SSAT in the 90s;
No FA required…
There is no real scale, I can see why he was on wait list. But, anyhow, after reading these postings from different members, I feel better. It is not the end of the world. I hope I can get him to move on…
@victory99 we know how you feel. This has happened to my son and he has many of the qualities you have listed above. We did not apply to schools which were not higher level (in selectivity) because we were not going to sacrifice 4 years of him being away from us unless the school gave him more opportunities than the one he is currently attending. We are satisfied with his current private school. He’s going to do fine when it comes time for college admissions, no matter where he gets his high school degree. I am sure your son will do the same. Best wishes!
@TryHardForLife , by “Does anyone know how to write a polite admission rejection letter to your interviewers?” Do you mean a letter notifying they will not be attending the school in question?
If you think the AO did an exceptional job, write the AD.
If they were professional but not engaging, an email letting them know as early as possible that you are greatly appreciative of their effort and attention but chose another school, that helps them focus on the kids that are undecided.
They all understand attractive applicants are going to be accepted to multiple schools, and can only attend one.
@KC2022 I highly encourage your child read “The Gatekeepers” about a year in the life of Admissions Officers and applicants at Wesleyan. My son’s school required it for a college skills class, and it really helped him understand what AO’s are looking for and how to present himself. The process is FAR more arbitrary than kids tend to believe.
It reminds me of a friend who is a fisherman. He came home with what appeared to be to his wife a minimal catch: and was unhappy. His wife responded, “Well, did you expect to catch ALL the fish?”
@victory99 Unfortunately, these days, you need a hook. It’s so competitive and there just aren’t enough seats.
Please bump this to another thread - one I can’t yet find - but thought this question may be relevant to post March & April 10th advice - has anyone out there received their placement tests? Were the tests online or paper? If so, if they are school specific in their creation, what impressions of the placement tests for the school do you have now that it’s post March 10th?
@Golfgr8 I’ll try to find it. I think it’s titled after enrollment
Thanks, @buuzn03 ! My Post March 10th Advice is … wait -I’m so anxious that I couldn’t find the right thread…it is to realize that some of us are still recovering from March 10th :bz
Two years ago, my only 97% SSAT but with some impressive achievement child, due to my poor advise, applied mostly to top ranked BS, and while wait-listed by some, accepted by none. I mistakenly beloved that only they could properly support my child and afford our FA need.
Fortunately, she also applied to a few of not-so-top BS, and was admitted by one with need fully met, and has had two amazingly growing years both academically and socially. Her not-so-top BS turned out to have plenty of students, some of who became my child’s close friends, with similar level of intelligence and knowledge to her. For college admissions, I believe that she has a better chance for the most selective colleges if she wanted them, as a result.
You may still have that choice even if your child wasn’t accepted by any. Post M10 two years ago, I also learned that there are many great schools outside top 20 in ranking, still with spots to fill and have not full but substantial FA left for those qualified applicants without an acceptance.