Hi guys,
I go to a Pre K-8 private school in the New York area, and as you all have probably heard, both parents and schools are very competitive when it comes to school placement.
I am applying to a good number of private day schools in the city, as well as Choate, Andover, and Exeter. There are only around 30 kids in my grade, and about six people are applying to Andover, three to Choate, and three to Exeter.
My school has many bright and driven kids, and the average SSAT/ISEE test scores for my grade are probably in the high 80’s - low 90’s, and almost a third of the kids have mid-high 90’s, myself included.
Our admissions counselor (we only have one because of the small grade size) has told the parents and students about how she has started ‘talking’ with the schools, and to my knowledge, we are only going to be accepted to one school on Feb. 10/March 10, as my school wants to have their students going to well-known schools (for other parents to see).
My question is, realistically, how many schools do you think I can be accepted to, and how many students do you think can be accepted into one school from the same school? I have an average relationship with my counselor, and I know that she, in a way, controls our acceptance/rejection to many schools that are looking for students at my school.
As a side note,
I am an Under Rep. Minority, I have a 4.0 GPA and good test scores (96% Verbal, 99% QR, 99% RC, 93% MA on ISEE)
I also think that my EC’s could be a hook, as I am on the national team for my #1 hobby (not naming here), BUT I know that I am surrounded by peers that also have great test scores and EC’s (Carnegie Hall piano players, perfect AMC 8 scores, etc.)
Thank you for the help!
“perfect AMC 8 scores”
Don’t let the competition scare you! It would be very rare for private school kids in NYC area to do that well on the AMC8 (or AMC10 or 12) - the overwhelming majority of perfects will be from public school: Hunter College HS for the AMC8, Stuyvesant and Bronx Science for the 10 and 12. (And New York City traditionally is a weak part of the country for math talent.)
Perfects on any of the AMC contests are a big deal. You might want to confirm if what you are hearing is actually true. The math world is fairly transparent - names of competitors, schools, and scores for the top kids are available here:
https://amc-reg.maa.org/reports/generalreports.aspx
The interface is a little clunky. Use the drop down menus to select the test, and then select “Perfect Scores” in the next menu. AMC8 scores for 2017 are not listed yet, but I doubt the kids or schools have the information yet either.
If I had a dime for every Carnegie Hall piano player… I’m totally serious! What’s up with that?? The line forms to the left. OMG.
You seem to suggest that your SS placement person is moonlighting as a horse trader 
which can be true on some level and not uncommon. Yes, the schools you name will take more than one kid… sometimes ( depending on school ) quite a few more! The thing is… it usually varies from year to year and the schools you name aren’t always the " IT " school.
Honestly, I’d actually worry more if Taft was on your list and you really wanted to go to Taft!
I’m a little surprised that your SS Placement person/school has put such an emphasis on those schools in particular . Most private school SS placement lists don’t highlight one set of schools over others because they want to convey depth, reach and strong relationships with all boarding schools. Frankly, as a parent, I’d be put out and question this approach because it isn’t reality based or even good marketing. Most people coming out of JBS or a private day school know better. Thank goodness you have great day school options. All the best and good luck!
@SatchelSF, I am aware that perfect AMC 8 scores are very rare, being that I took the AMC 8 these past three years, but I have one friend that got a 25/25. Although he is an outlier, even in our school, there are plenty of other kids that have gotten 23+, as well as good scores in MathCounts (our school participates). NYC private schools are known for the children of the ‘NYC Elite’, but surprisingly, my school seems to be an exception in that there are many kids that moved from Hunter to my school, and almost all of the 8th graders last year who took the SHSAT got into Stuy, or whatever school they may have put as their first choice.
Anyways, thank you, and I will try my best to focus on myself, and not the competition!
@PhotographerMom, thank you for the advice! As you mentioned, there are multiple ‘Carnegie Hall piano players’, I don’t know why so many people get the opportunity to play at Carnegie!
The school I am at is relatively new, hence the small class sizes, and I have a feeling that most parents who apply to the ‘prestigious’ NYC private schools aren’t looking for a school with depth and reach with all High Schools, but a one-way road to Trinity, Horace Mann, etc. (The prestigious schools)
Again, thank you, and I am pleasantly surprised to hear that schools take multiple students from the same school!
With regard to Carnegie Hall piano players, both of my kids were ‘invited’ to a competition that involved playing at Carnegie Hall. We heard that it was legit but passed as it really smelled of pay-to-play and fishy at that. It might explain why so many kids can claim to have performed there though.
Awesome @rukthecook on your AMC participation. Keep going! Hope to see you on the leaderboards in the 10 and 12 and AIME in the future. Best of luck!