Over the past 2 weeks I had the opportunity to talk to several alums and current students of Andover and Choate, and a consistent answer I received when asking them questions was that Reapplicants, those who are applying for a second time to the school, are given preference should they meet the admissions criteria. I was wondering if there was any truth to this because while I am sure as an alum and current student they have a lot of insight regarding the school, I am not sure if this information is valid when it comes to admissions. Do boarding schools actually give preference or some sort of advantage to reapplicants at their school?
If your re-application is "viable ", meaning it shows you could handle the work, and if you show growth since the previous year, yes, it could help you. Not a preference per se, but it shows determination and a real desire to attend the school, both of which strengthen the application.
Reapplying will not help if you resubmit pretty much the same application. You will need to throw yourself into your next year with renewed vim and vigor. Nor will it help if you were turned down because it looked like you might struggle academically.
It is about yield management. You want the kids you admit to actually enroll. If you had two otherwise equal candidates, you might assume the reapplicant is more likely to enroll because they loved your school enough to apply twice (or more)!
I disagree. Most repeat applicants would apply to the same number or MORE schools. Reapplying demonstrates character and a commitment to go to BS, but not to a particular BS, which would be considered for yield management.
@Altras Most re-applicants do NOT apply to the same exact list of boarding schools that rejected them their first time; most drop a few schools, keep a few, and add a few others.
If you are applying to my school for the second or third time, I assume you really like my school because it continues to make the list. I naturally assume you are more likely to enroll in my school than someone who has never applied. Of COURSE it is about yield management.
If your theory is correct, than an AO at a school to which you’ve never applied before, should be more likely to admit you upon hearing you’ve applied to OTHER schools (just not his/hers) for 2-3 years running. I’m pretty sure that is not the case.
Do you really think Andover is more likely to admit a sophomore who confides this will be his third time applying to Groton, but only first time applying to Andover? And that they’d choose this candidate over someone equally qualified (with the same ECs) who was applying to Andover for the second time?
@Altras, @CaliMex I was told by several AOs that it shows commitment to attending boarding school and that they are truly passionate about attending said school, however, an alumni interviewer for 2 schools says that reapplicants are more likely to enroll should they be accepted. I just don’t know which one would be a larger factor and how large of a factor they would actually be in the admissions process. It is definitely not as helpful as a hook or legacy/sibling connection, but I am assuming it helps somewhat regardless of which of these 2 views the Admissions office take on it. Any Thoughts?
I was told that some reapplicants are prioritized because it shows their confidence, bravery, and passion in learning or any aspect of their school. Addtionally they have presented their grades and stats up for inspection yet again, showing their dedication to working hard and fighting for what they want. Two of my friends who are elder than me have applied, been waitlisted/rejected, and applied again to see a ticket to their dream high school.
@CaliMex Most students reapplying have a list with many of the same schools, a few schools are dropped and several schools are added as safeties. Like first timers, they’re happy to go wherever they get in (or the best fit of their options). The are unlikely to reserve themselves for any one school (unless they learned nothing the first time around). As their lists are likely to be larger, they are statistically a worse bet to any particular school; so, going after them for yield management would not make sense…in my respectful opinion. However, I am not an AO, so I will avoid definitive terms like “of course” or other down speak to opinions expressed in this thread or others.
Again, reapplicants do demonstrate strong character and commitment to boarding school, in general; so that should be be viewed favorably in the eyes of ALL schools to which they apply.
@Altras You’re wrong if you think it has nothing to do with yield management. And you’re wrong if you think an AO doesn’t prefer a strong candidate who is reapplying to THEIR school to an equally strong candidate who previously applied to OTHER schools.
@CaliMex you should pump the brakes a bit. @Altras provided a very reasonable counter-perspective. Now you are replying and basically attempting to shout down the thoughts/points of @Altras. Take a deep breathe @CaliMex.
Most reapplicants are reapplicants at more than one school.
Personally, I hate the term yield management because it means different things to different people but to some it means simply that a school is maximizing the percent of admitted students who attend for no other reason than boasting that x% of admitted students choose them. I don’t think this is the goal. Tbh, the best way to do this would be to take the kids who seem like they won’t get in anywhere else, and it’s pretty clear they don’t do that!
But enrollment management, otoh, is a big deal at most schools and it’s an art form. Schools are trying to create a class that will be a community and have the mix of attributes that community needs. So if all the boys who are admitted decide to attend and none of the girls do (as an extreme example ), that’s a problem. Likewise, if all the lacrosse players turn them down.
AOs do not admit kids they think will not attend. Nor do they admit kids who do not seem to understand what the school is. A reapplicant is clearly interested and hopefully has had plenty of time to “get” what a school is. And a reapplicant is unlikely to choose to stay in their current school. This is to the benefit of the reapplicant.
But picking this student over a first time applicant who is also very strong – not going to say that will happen or if it does, it’s because the AO is more certain the reapplicant will commit.
@CMKDad Perhaps I did not understand @Altras’s rationale. Perhaps you can do a better job of explaining it?
As @gardenstategal pointed out, AOs want to put together the ideal class, but also want those offered admission to actually enroll. It makes sense to me that they would prefer to offer a spot to someone who has demonstrated more interest by reapplying despite a previous rejection or waitlist… I don’t think you get extra points for having previously applied to OTHER schools only.
Just curious. An AO would know if a particular applicant had applied previously to the school they work for, but how would they know about that applicant’s re-app to any other school? No one confides this information, so the AO is only working with the knowledge that this particular student is applying to this school one more time, and that does show ongoing interest. What the AO does with that information is anyone’s guess, but I’m going with @gardenstategal’s explanation.
@CMKDad I like that phrase, pump the brakes a bit, going to use it with my kids. Might come in handy too with drivers ed around the corner.
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