Some basic questions...

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>I am new to prep school admissions, so the following questions may seem basic. Still, I would appreciate any responses from those who are knowledgeable or experienced.</p>

<p>First of all, what, in general, are the most important factors in prep school admissions? I assume the most important factors (in order of decreasing importance) are:</p>

<li> Grades</li>
<li> SSAT scores</li>
<li> Extracurricular activities/sports</li>
<li> Interview</li>
<li> Personal essays</li>
</ol>

<p>Am I wrong here? Are there other important criteria? Am I correct to assume that personal essays are even less important for prep school admissions as they are for college admissions?</p>

<p>What kinds of SSAT scores would be considered good for the following schools?</p>

<li> Exeter</li>
<li> Taft</li>
<li> St. Paul’s</li>
</ol>

<p>And what kinds of SSAT scores would be considered good for the same schools for an applicant who has good hockey skills and is perhaps being recruited by the coaches?</p>

<p>Can anyone recommend good books to read on prep school admissions?</p>

<p>Thanks very much for your help!</p>

2

<p>Some of the answers you need may depend on the class year of the applicant (i.e. a freshman or a junior?) </p>

<p>We were told that essays were extremely important in the BS process and in the smaller private colleges, but that they have minimal impact in the larger private and public schools.</p>

3

<p>they all play a part...but if u r coming in as junior or above....u probably want to have a special hook, or maybe are a recruited athlete</p>

4

<p>Sorry. The applicant is currently in the 10th grade. And I understand that all the factors play a part, but I am trying to gauge the relative importance of each factor. The applicant is a recruited athlete (hockey).</p>

5

<p>There is actually a very large thread about this somewhere. It is relatively new and discusses the most important factors in the admissions process.</p>

<p>Someone help me out?</p>

6

<p>How important is it to your s/d to continue to play hockey in prep school? What level of hockey is your s/d currently playing? Are his/her skills amazing enough to be recruited for his/her age level?</p>

7

<p>Got you covered ChaosTheory</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=240110%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=240110&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>My reply is #10.</p>

<p>My D was a recruited hockey player. If you would like to discuss more offline, please PM.</p>

8

<p>if the applicant's a hockey player, how much the coach pulls him/her is really the deciding factor..of course, the rest of the application cannot fall apart....</p>

9

<p>BTW, Godot, I'd say it is going to be difficult to start the process (if getting noticed by the coaches is important) this late in the season. Not impossible, but difficult. Hope the applicant has a top rate hockey resume.</p>

10

<p>A good book for someone who is new to boarding schools is "The Greenes' Guide to boarding Schools." Online references are <a href="http://www.boardingschoolreview.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.boardingschoolreview.com&lt;/a> , <a href="http://www.schools.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.schools.com&lt;/a> and <a href="http://www.petersons.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.petersons.com&lt;/a> (day and boarding). This board has become a wealth of information (and some misinformation!). Many schools still have openings after contract signing in April. However, the standard Admissions cycle is best because they are forming the class and tend to fill it with talents & types they are missing later. It is very likely that the 3 very competitive schools you mention will not have any openings after the standard cycle.</p>

11

<p>I don't believe grades only count..however, they DO play a large role.
EC& stuff also counts.
BUT
i believe passion and love for the school matters. If you truly love it, they would recognize it.</p>