<p>Well, suddenly I've decided that I should apply to more schools, just in case I don't get into my top choice, which are three HADES schools, and two others. I need to apply to more just in case I don't get into those. </p>
<p>What schools seem safe to you? Are there any schools that can possibly offer full scholarship? Ones that aren't as difficult to get into as GLADCHEMMS?</p>
<p>C’mon, Ang - You’ve been on this board long enough to know better than to ask us that! First, what’s “safe” for one student isn’t necessarily “safe” for another, and what’s going to be a fit for one also isn’t necessarily going to be a fit for another. It’s time for you to do your homework. Get to [Boarding</a> School Review](<a href=“http://www.boardingschoolreview.com%5DBoarding”>www.boardingschoolreview.com) and see what schools look interesting to you.</p>
<p>You can sort your results by the size of the school’s endowment to help you guesstimate how much financial aid might be available . . . but don’t discount schools just because they don’t have hundreds of millions of dollars! Many of the smaller schools have significant financial aid budgets - often larger than you might expect. I know of at least one smaller school that takes a great deal of pride in how much financial aid it’s able to offer.</p>
<p>The question first, though, is to find a school you like. No point in finding out there’s financial aid at school “X” - which offers sheep shearing and calf-roping - unless that’s what you’re interested in!</p>
<p>Sorry dodgersmom… I should have known better than to ask that. I do understand that “what’s “safe” for one student isn’t necessarily “safe” for another, and what’s going to be a fit for one also isn’t necessarily going to be a fit for another”. </p>
<p>The issue here is that… well I truly do love all the schools that I’m applying to. You have no idea how much… but I need a back-up plan. I honestly do want to get accepted at the schools where I’m applying to, but I need to be prepared for the worst that could possibly happen. </p>
<p>There are just way too many students applying to these schools who are exactly like me. Well, of course I’m not going to apply to a school JUST because it’s offering me full FA. I’m going to look at the school, and then if I really, truly love it, then I will apply.</p>
<p>No apologies necessary - and it’s possible someone on this board will have a great suggestion for you! In the meantime, see my PM . . .</p>
<p>Thanks a lot dodgersmom! I’m reading it right now. :)</p>
<p>Check schools with a Jan. 31/Feb. 1 deadline.</p>
<p>While FIT should always be the primary assessment, certainly looking at acceptance rates & average SSATs can help you get a sense of whether or not a school might be a solid shot for you. Still, I think sincerity in the application comes into play–regardless of how well your stats match up or exceed a school’s norm, if you aren’t genuinely enthusiastic about the education that institution has to offer, it’s likely to come through one way or another. There are a LOT of schools, keep looking for ones that that feel like a positive fit.</p>
<p>No safety school for us. Either all or nothing. Our local public school is quite good and should provide the safety we need.</p>
<p>Rather than think of certain schools as safety schools, think of them as likely schools. That means that you are likely to be admitted based on what you offer the school. If you are not happy with your local options, it is a very good idea to find some likely schools that you will be happy to attend. Many schools can be very generous with financial aid if you offer them something that they cannot get from the usual applicants. Some schools offer a range of academic options which reflects a range of students’ academic abilities and interests. Just because a school isn’t discussed frequently here doesn’t mean that it is unworthy. There are many strong schools overlooked. If they didn’t offer a great education and boarding experience, they would have gone out of business a long time ago.</p>
<p>"No safety school for us. Either all or nothing. Our local public school is quite good and should provide the safety we need. " </p>
<p>Amen to that , WBJC2BS! All of my schools are GLADCHUMMS level so I would not say that I have a safety other than my current HS haha</p>
<p>look at schools with rolling admissions</p>
<p>My local public school was ranked one of the top in the sate, so if I don’t get in, it’s not the end of the world.</p>
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<p>Not really a viable option for a candidate seeking significant financial aid. Schools with February deadlines are a better way to go. In order to increase the chance of a financial aid award, the OP really should aim for consideration with the first round of applicants.</p>
<p>If you have no local options, I think it’s smart to apply to one or two “likely” schools. In our case, my son applied to one with a much higher admissions rate and much lower SSAT average than the HADES…BUT that was also a great fit for him (in his case, athletically)…better, in fact, than most of the other schools. I think that helped them see that our interest in the school was genuine, that it wasn’t just about having a back-up. </p>
<p>A school with a smaller endowment will still provide generous, grant-based aid to the right candidate. But do your homework, as Dodgersmom suggests. Look on Boarding School Review for schools that meet your academic and EC needs and interests. It’s also a good idea to check their FA policies–some will meet FA with a combination of grants and loans (not workable for us), and others primarily with grants.</p>