Hi,
I wanted to know what role sibling priority plays in term of admission process. My first child is attending one of GLADCHEM schools and we want our second child to attend the same school.
These schools are very selective so we wanted to know how much advantage our second child will have vs rest of applicants.
Well, I know four sibs currently at one of those schools, so I think it helps. But it’s probably more helpful that they are all great students.
Most schools will give preference to a sibling as long as they think the student will do well there. It helps create a family feeling in their community, it makes the parents more likely to donate, they know it simplifies the family calendar, they know you understand what the school is, etc. At the same time, they also know that if the second kid doesn’t thrive, the goodwill they have from the first kid will likely evaporate. You may want to ask yourself if this would be your first choice for your younger child if the older sibling were not there.
I’d recommended having some other schools that are a good fit on your list because odds are excellent that if it doesn’t work out at the sibling’s school, it’s because the AO sees something in your younger child that suggests they won’t thrive there. With that said, yes, you probably have an edge.
Sibling legacy confers a very big admissions boost at the tippy tops when:
I would say it is the biggest admissions boost apart from being a superior athletic recruit.
Simple answer: it matters a great deal, especially if the sibling currently there is excelling.
The other sibling applying still needs to be capable enough to do the work, but for most of these schools they have many many more people who can do the work than they have spots. Really, the bar for “those who can do the work” is lower than you’d expect, because they have to account for athletes and legacies and others already, even for the Exeters and Andovers of this world. So, if she can get into that mix, she stands a great shot. Of course, having a good holistic app is important too.
Thank you all for the responses. This is very helpful. I did hear a few cases where siblings didn’t get in but I don’t know what the underlying circumstances were so it is great to get a consensus view that sibling priority is a big boost to the admission process.