Hi CC! I have come here to ask for some advice on whether or not I should reapply to some of the schools I was waitlisted for this year. This year I applied to alot of low acceptance rates schools with only one back up school. (Please don’t bash me for this, I already know I made some mistakes). The schools I got waitlisted to are Choate, Deerfield and Thacher (I know, Thacher is a bit out of the place but again, I can do nothing about it now) Right now I am gna be at my local private school and it is okay if I stay but I really do want to reapply to those three schools because they were all my top choices. Would I have a disadvantage If I reapplied?
If you are able to demonstrate through your application some sort of growth, then you will not be disadvantaged for reapplying. Growth can come in the form of maturity, accomplishments, new interests, just anything to show that you have “improved” since you last applied.
Are you going into 9th grade? If you do decide to reapply, you’re not limited to only those three schools. Most BS accept a fair amount of 10th grade students, so if you would rather be at a BS than a day school you might as well add a few more to next year’s list.
Thank you for the response! Yes I will be in 9th grade this coming fall. While I do know that I’m not limited, my parents don’t want to go through the hassle of applying to many schools like we have done in the past, especially considering we were not that successful. Will this year be as competitive as last year? I hope I can improve my application enough to be accepted to at least one of them.
The answer to this likely varies from school to school, but at this point, it is mostly speculation. Some schools over-enrolled their freshmen class, which may or may not lead to fewer 10th-grade spots. Other schools did not report over-enrolling. This past admissions cycle was unusually competitive for various reasons, almost all due to covid.
Reapplying should be considerably less onerous than it was the first time around. You’ve already been through the process, so you’ve likely ‘learned the ropes’ and will be more efficient this year.
Without knowing your interests or preferences it is difficult to make a recommendation. Schools have different cultures, academic strengths, and overall structures. Before researching any schools, you should think about what exactly you are looking for in a BS. Why do you like the three on your current list? Are there certain characteristics that they all share? What type of experience, academically and socially, are you trying to find?
Here is the “hidden gems” thread. It is a good resource to read through while trying to form a list.
oh yeah sorry i should have written what i liked about them and what my interests are.
Overall i didnt think that my application was that strong (which i still believe) My only strong extra curricular is debate where im pretty competitive winning awards and things. i recently started golf but im not good at it. my ssat scores were 81% for math 99% for reading 99% verbal, with an overall of 97% i think. my grades are okay, a few Bs but i hope to get only As in 9th grade. i didnt do any community service because there wasn’t that many opportunities for me in my area.
overall, im interested in going to a school that is academically challenging which I think all three are. I was drawn to thacher’s astronomy program, not so much the horse program but I would be okay with it. Also i liked the community atmosphere of the school. I liked choates balance of stem programs and their strong humanities program because while my extracurricular is debate, in my free time i like to learn about science and space so i thought it would be a good fit for me. I liked my interviewer for deer field, i believe he was the director of admissions there and he seemed really smart and made me more interestedd in the school when i realized deerfield also has a big emphasis on community.
Overall, im interested in a Community + Good Academics school.
I’d turn that question around. What do YOU think you could improve on/change? Were there things that, as you thought about them, you were thinking “I wish I would have…” or “Why haven’t I,?” Maybe you wish you had spent some time exploring something new or following up on your own outside school. Maybe you realized you could have had more of a relationship with teachers or mentors or that you could have studied differently.
That will show growth and make your application stronger. If you really want to go to BS, in addition to reapplying, add some other schools to your list. People say this all the time here on CC, and it’s true – most of the BS have excellent academics and will provide an incredible experience. You will not be “settling for less” if you expand your search beyond the list of schools everyone has heard of.
now that you say it, i think there are many places where I could have improved and where i will be able to improve this coming fall. thank you for the response! do you have any recommendations for other schools that i could apply to?
It really depends on what you are looking for! Everyone here knows I am a huge fan of George School (which has a riding program on campus – suggesting that because you liked Thacher, so thinking maybe that’s an interest). It is culturally quite different, but they have MUN, great STEM, excellent arts, golf. Definitely not as selective as some, and very diverse and friendly.
Many of the Mid-Atlantic schools are less difficult to get into (less of a BS tradition in that area.) You could look at Peddie, Blair, Hill, Mercersburg – all somewhat different from each other but all are excellent.
Kent also has riding. NMH is a wonderful place. St. George’s has one of the most spectacular settings. Tabor has some unique programs.
Take a little time to go down the rabbit hole of looking at these schools online. Most have created quite a bit of content during covid, so you can get a feel for them without making more of a commitment than your time!
Community + good academics can be found at most boarding schools.
I am a big fan of the Millbrook School. They don’t have a riding program (though they can arrange riding at a local barn) but they are the only school with an accredited zoo. They work with endangered species breeding programs, e.g. for red wolves. I have seen the zoo be life changing for some kids. Not something you can experience at a local public school – or private, for that matter!
thank you for the response! I’ll look into the ones you mentioned! I’ve already learnt so much more about boarding schools because of all the responses! I didn’t know that this many schools had a horse program
thats really good to hear! millbrook school definitely sounds interesting and worth a look into. I really like animals too so the zoo aspect makes it immediately exciting. thank you for the response!
We were told by the admissions director at a HADES school that reapplicants get a closer look, particularly if they were waitlisted the year before. Shows continued interest. (My kid was waitlisted the first go-round, but accepted the following year as a repeat freshman).
