<p>Along the lines of this discussion I have a question
So my little sister was rejected from Exeter, and I currently go there tell me if this makes sense:</p>
<p>She plays basketball, volleyball, and track
she has been dancing classical ballet for 10 years
she’s been playing the piano for 10 years, the saxophone for 3 years, and just started the french horn
volunteers at her school and library
has been in 3 different schools for the past 4 years
has had mostly straight A’s and got in the 90’s on her SSAT</p>
<p>And they called us today because they said she was in the top 25% but got cut when it was cut down to 19%
she wasn’t even waitlisted, and she only had 1 B+ in social studies</p>
<p>please, if anyone has input I would appreciate it, thanks</p>
<p>gc, doesn’t exactly feel like preferential treatment, does it? Both DS & I are BS alums, and chances are strong our DC will attend a different school from either of our alma maters. Of course it would feel better to have the decision be in your own hands, but I hope your child has some good opportunities come their way tomorrow and that they can forge ahead making a “new tradition” for themself.</p>
<p>goodchoices, have you asked them how many legacy kids have applied this year, and what the admit rate for the legacy pool is? That could shed some light on whom your DC is competing with. My sense of the process is that they may have a plan as to how many legacy kids they may take this year (among the qualified and admissible). It is unlikely that a non-legacy “took away” a legacy spot.</p>
<p>joexeter, I am actually surprised they gave you such a “specific” explanation on how your sister were out of the game. Again, I think she’s competing with other kids with similar legacy status, from the same region and of the same gender ect. for a limited number of spots.</p>
<p>DA, I can see where you are coming from. I was told the girls were more competitive than the guys this year. But to be rejected? I just wanted to know if there is a way for her to be on the wait list instead. Her application wasn’t horrible. I just feel that this reflects on me too, I am a high honor student and exeter, a varsity athlete, I take latin, and I play three instruments. I feel now that I should of lobbied her talents to my coaches and teachers so she could’ve gotten in easier. But I don’t know.</p>
<p>is it possible that since these top school endowments have grown so large that they dont feel the need to give legacies the tip they once had? I’ve known several families that had legacy kids not admitted and it was always devastating. Much more for prep school than for college.</p>
<p>joexeter, your sister is not alone. We learned this afternoon that my d was waitlisted at PEA where my son is a prep. They even told us what her ratings were from the 3 people who read her file. My d is also a very very strong candidate. It’s just really hard to get into these schools.</p>
<p>I didn’t expect any kind of preferrential treatment and it was nice that they called. To be WLed at Exeter is still a good sign and I’m just glad that she has other schools to wait on. I’m going to be running in all kinds of directions next year getting my kiddos home and back again during breaks.</p>
<p>That’s exactly what I’ve been wondering all day. I’ve heard of siblings who apply at the same time and who are both accepted or rejected. For convenience of the family. But you do have to take into account the dynamic of the family. My sister has seen me go off to Exeter for the past two years and all of a sudden she is hit with the reality that she can’t do the same. I mean she applied to 4 other schools. But our confidence is shaken to whether or not she will be accepted to the others.</p>
<p>neatoburrito, my family’s main concern was just that, running around during parent’s weekend or bringing us home on the same plane. I mean on a personal level, I know the admission officers and the faculty that looked at my sister’s application and now I feel that it is almost my fault that she didn’t get in.</p>
<p>joexeter, you are a good brother, but I don’t think there’s anything you could do to make the outcome different. Don’t put that burden on your shoulder. And I honestly don’t think - at all - that the rejection from Exeter means she won’t have favorable decisions from other schools she has applied to.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, it’s just been a rough day already and I’m not looking forward to tomorrow. But everything happens for a reason, so I guess the best solution is to pick up my feet and hope the best for my sister. I wish you guys all the best too thanks.</p>
<p>Joexeter, it is NOT your fault. My son was thinking the same thing and I firmly believe that there was nothing that either one of you wonderful big brothers could have done to change any outcome. My son is taking it harder than my daughter.</p>
<p>It’s become very hard at Exeter for anyone to get in because the numbers of applications in general are climbing.</p>
<p>Good stats only tell part of the picture. Your sister didn’t do anything wrong. In a different year, with a different mix of kids, she’d likely rise to the final list. It just depends year to year.</p>
<p>Sometimes it’s not a bad thing for siblings to have “their own space” at a school. If she made the initial cut, she’ll be in good position at other schools as well. The advantage to having a sibling at BS (or a parent who did) is that Adcoms at other schools know the family already knows what they’re in for and can help with the transition.</p>
<p>One downside to the courtesy of advance calls to legacy/current student families is that you have to live with a disappointing decision for a day before good news comes in from elsewhere. Good luck, everyone.</p>
<p>One advantage to the courtesy call is that it allows the parent who may be emotionally attached to the decision to process some of their emotions in private so that they can be the calm, rational, mature adult they want to be when their child opens the letter.</p>