<p>okay, i need a safety school. A really good school with higher acceptance rates and a big scholarships. Any ideas?</p>
<p>hmm.. northfield mount hermon is excellent with a 51% acceptance rate and 44% of students on FA. check it out at Northfield</a> Mount Hermon School</p>
<p>If you live in Portland, I know there's a few really good private day schools such as Catlin Gabel and Episcopal. I think Episcopal is boarding, also. :)</p>
<p>What about Westminster or Loomis?</p>
<p>is loomis considered a safety?</p>
<p>Westminister has a 27% admit rate. Loomis a 34%.
I wouldn't consider either of them a safety school.</p>
<p>what is the point of a safety school for prep? it makes sense for college since you need go somewhere after high school. unless your high school options are crummy, i would not apply to any prep that i thought was not worth investing against in terms of visit, interview, application, testing, etc. of course i have a good local option so not sweating that possibility.</p>
<p>what is the point of a safety school for prep? it makes sense for college since you need go somewhere after high school. unless your high school options are crummy, i would not apply to any prep that i thought was not worth investing against in terms of visit, interview, application, testing, etc. of course i have a good local option so not sweating that possibility.</p>
<p>We are looking at a safety in terms of a much better option than our local public, but one that we are very confident he will be accepted. Needing financial aid throws a wrench into ANY plan so no school is really a safety at this point. The idea is to have choices on March 10th. You are lucky NHfootaller, that your local option IS your safety.<br>
What we have done after our visits is say "is this school going to give you a better education and be a better fit for you than our public high school (which is 3 miles from our house)?" If the answer if not yes, then we don't apply - no matter how "easy" it would be for him to get in.</p>
<p>
[quote]
what is the point of a safety school for prep?
[/quote]
Great Question.</p>
<p>There are lots of situations that make sense. You mentioned having crummy local school options. And crummy can come in many senses of the word. Most people here think of the academic options (lack of AP classes, etc.). The families of the students who were profiled in that Salisbury piece mentioned physical safety of the home neighborhood. In their case they did not have a "safety school" and probably should have, as kids with a strong desire to escape those situations should have the opportunity. In our case, while the course seletion was OK, the quality of instruction and overcrowded classes made the experience very poor. </p>
<p>And you yourself probalby would not be looking at prep schools if your local high school was playing for state championships. Likewise with us, the lack of local travel hockey teams and the weakness of the high school programs(goaliegirl would be starting in net on any team in town and could skate out as a skater on the 2nd line of any team in town) was also a deciding factor.</p>
<p>There are, however, many full-pay students at less competitive boarding schools who also have legitimate reasons. And believe me, if you can afford $40K per year for a boarding school, you probably can live where there are top level public schools. If you can afford the $40K you are looking for something else besides the difference in educational quality (not that 2nd tier HS are any less rigourous than top quality publics). Many parents value the independence that a boarding school experience adds to their children. So even a "safety" school is better than public in this area. And when you look at the college matric lists of the 2nd tier safety schools, you find that these schools have excellent reputations for placing students at colleges where they will do well. If you read over in the Parent's section, you will find no end of posters lamenting the 200 or more to 1 student to guidance counselor ratios at even top rate public schools. Basically, at most public schools, the college guidance job is more about promoting basic awareness of application needs (SAT registration, application deadlines, FAFSA, etc.) than getting to know each student and what type of college environment would be best for him or her.</p>
<p>And of course, there are the families where the parents are overscheduled professional types (travelling executives, et al) who may have household help (nannies, etc.) during the children's formative years, but the nanny is not an answer to a teenager needing structure. And not all of these kids can buy their way into top tier boarding schools despite the popular myths about this. So you will find these types at safety schools as well.</p>
<p>I'm sure there are other examples of legitimate needs for safety schools.</p>
<p>Great post Goalie Dad!</p>
<p>So, would anyone consider St. Mark's as a safety school? or should i search for another safety?</p>
<p>goalie dad, thanks for the thoughts. you make good points. boarding school is more than book and sports which are the two most talked about things here. there is the experience which raises maturity.</p>
<p>herc, safety is relative i guess. i think st marks is a decent school but if you walk on water then it is a safety.</p>
<p>I'm not applying to any safety schools. The public school system in the Chicago suburbs are damn good. If you public schools suck then apply to a safety. </p>
<p>Linda S. -Loomis has a 43 acceptance rate, not 34. I'd consider it a target/safety.</p>
<p>oooooooohhhh, i didn't notice thata bout loomis! i'm already applying there, so that's great news!!!</p>
<p>my advisor's nephew goes to northfield mount hermon and really likes it there</p>
<p>my mom's friend's son is a boy who's parents are divorced and mostly lives with his mom, although his father would be the obviously better choice. it doesn't help that she is also in and out of the hospital a bunch leaving him hanging out in the er a lot. he applied to boarding school for that reason, although sadly he got waitlisted/ rejected. safeties really depend on each situation</p>
<p>MsckittlZ10 - 43% for Loomis? humm. When I did my "spreadsheet" in September I checked BSR (I know, not always accurate, but I thought maybe I had reversed the numbers) they listed 34. I just checked now, it says updated 11/28/07 and listed it as 39%.<br>
A quick glance on the Loomis site and I didn't see the number anywhere.
Loomis had a very different feel from any other school we visited because of the high number of day students.<br>
Certainly on your list NellyRae, Loomis would typically be "easier" to get into than the others.</p>
<p>thanks everybody!</p>
<p>footballer....just because a school has a higher acceptance rate, does not necessarily mean it offers a less rigorous or lower quality of education. It is just not necessarily as prestigious. This is often the result of factors other than just academic rigor. Therefore, attending one of these schools is often a much more valuable experience than one's local public hs.</p>
<p>keylyme, i was not knocking any schools. the point was that i would never apply to a school that i had no interest in attending. it had nothing to do with acceptance rates. andover and groton are great schools but no interest here. governor's is not as prestigious but not for me either. i limited my interviews to only five schools of interest then cut from there. some people may look at a dozen schools. that is cool but just not what i did. the schools i will send apps to are of real interest and not the place for me to go if i dont get in elsewhere. i have a new and good public HS with honors, AP and even IB options so i can afford to apply to fewer schools than most. sorry if i seemed to slight any one school or person. i was just asking the question and speaking about my own point of view.</p>