<p>Dorms for incoming third-formers have been posted.</p>
<p>I know my D will want to check that out. How do we see it? I looked on directory and housing information via the parent portal and only saw the 2012-2013 information.</p>
<p>Not entirely sure where it’s posted, but my two boys found the info. My returning son obviously knew awhile ago, but his little brother (who will be an incoming third-former) found out a few days ago. I will check and let everyone know where to look.</p>
<p>Housing for returning students was posted on Blackboard before we left, and new students were listed on there. About an hour after the housing documents were posted, they removed the new students. Blackboard requires a current student login, so only new students with siblings/friends at the school who looked right after it was posted would be able to know anything. Housing for new students should be posted officially sometime around August 1st.</p>
<p>Pelican16’s answer is the one I received from my older son. Looks like the posting of the new students was a bit premature.</p>
<p>My son is planning to apply this Fall for SP to start as a fourth form in 2014. I have read everything on the website and this thread and would welcome your words of wisdom. We have no connection to the school, he has simply done lots of research himself and has selected this school as the one he would like to attend to get an incredible education, play hockey and meet people from all over. I now understand how selective this school is so what do you think it takes to get in for those that have done it… Ssat score of ?, perfect grades or can it be some b’s also if in all honors classes, community involvement etc. Do you think you have to have a connection to get in? Do you think needing some financial aid will hurt your chances? Would you know if you had made a certain sports team before you accepted? He would be starting as a fourth form which I think they only take like 40 for that year? Any idea how many apply generally for that year? I greatly appreciate any tips you can give us as this is his dream and this is all new for us as none of our family has attended a boarding school and this school is a very long way from his home in the south but his love of independence, hockey and new experiences is causing his wings to want to fly. Thanks in advance for any guidance.</p>
<p>Southhockeymom: SPS was, from everything we read, a perfect fit for my kid. Now that my kid has been in boarding school for three years and become good friends with and competed against kids from SPS, it still looks like it would have been a great fit for him. He is a strong athlete and would clearly (comparing team results) have made a difference on their teams.</p>
<p>And yet, he was waitlisted. We actually talked to admissions (weird story) and they had no reasons to give us, except that admissions were incredibly competitive. I suspect that at the time, his “hook” probably was a hook shared by some other admits. Mostly, though, I think it was because he needed financial aid. </p>
<p>So…it’s been said many times here before, but my main piece of advice is to definitely apply to SPS but broaden the search. My kid has had a great 3 years at his boarding school, which we added late in the game but became his first choice quickly after the interview.</p>
<p>2 years ago my D applied to Andover, Exeter, Deerfield, Hotchkiss, and SPS. She was accepted everywhere but SPS. </p>
<p>Not sure why your son is set on SPS, since there are many wonderful schools out there, but know that admission to SPS is very hard to predict.</p>
<p>southhockeymom - I agree with the idea of broadening his search, casting a wide net, etc. My son plays hockey but was not recruited by any school, he got into all of the schools he applied to w/ FA including SPS and chose another school. There are a lot of great schools out there where he can get an incredible education, and a lot of them have great hockey teams. I think it would be wise to do some research, get a good list together and go visit the schools. </p>
<p>One well-known school I thought for sure my son would love (and he thought he would like it too - we loved our talk with the hockey coach who gave us a tour of the rink and let us watch a scrimmage), he ended up not even applying to after our visit because he realized the student body was way too big for what he wanted. When did he realize this? On our tour as we walked through the dining hall and he saw the crush of students at the different food lines. That would have been impossible for him to really get that feeling on paper or from the website. </p>
<p>And btw, I think SPS is a great school - my son just thought another school would be better for him overall. I’ll PM you our process to give you a sense of how we did things.</p>
<p>Southhockeymom, if he has his heart set on SPS, the strategy may be “go big, or go home”, i.e., to the acceptable school where you live. (Simple enough, approached this way, but the odds are against him, as you know; sorry. Worse odds for needing FA, actually. Comments above reveal just how mixed an applicant’s outcomes may be at different highly selective schools. “One and done” could have so many meanings in this context.) </p>
<p>What these other parents are saying, though, is that getting into a selective boarding school, putting the odds in your favor of having at least one option on M10, requires adhering to a process with rules. Broaden your scope, or list, may be the first rule. To do that, you have to look around (online), but also keep clarifying what your son is really after in a school, both before and during actual campus visits. (And schools like to know, usually in written form, why parents think there is a good fit, too; that’s even more important if the kid can’t articulate this as well.) It’s a very time-consuming process, done correctly, but (given that you can make this time) very likely something you look back on and are glad that you did, come what may. </p>
<p>BTW, mid-Atlantic schools play hockey too, and location may be a factor for you (transport logistics and cost) and/or the schools. Coming from a southern state “can” be helpful when applying to these “northern” schools if it is a state that adds to their “geographical diversity”; by no means a sure bet, but keep an eye on it. SevenDad’s thread on the application process from beginning to end is insightful, as will be the private messaging some here have offered. Each family has to do its own “due diligence”, in the end.</p>
<p>SPS boy’s hockey isn’t even that good. Within the ISL, they seem to be towards the bottom half. If hockey is the hook, then you should consider some other schools, where they might be more inclined to give FA towards maintaining their hockey program. For some of the other ISL schools, hockey players are half their Ivy league recruits (Nobles etc.)</p>
<p>I am still an SPS fan, despite my daughter choosing another school in the end.</p>
<p>I second all the folks who suggest broadening scope. My daughter’s results were: admitted to SPS and St. Andrew’s (Delaware) and rejected (not even wait listed) at Choate. You can read the thread of our experience over on the parents’ subforum.</p>
<p>I’ve noticed on this forum over the years that SPS seems to be a very tricky admit to figure out (not that the “admission calculus” of any of the other super selective schools are any easier to get a handle on!).</p>
<p>I think SPS values its yield a lot and is looking for kids/families who are VERY into the idea of becoming an SPS family. I think they do try to fill niches, perhaps more so than other schools. Both of these are merely my opinions, based on nothing more than our own experience and patterns I’ve observed on the form over the years.</p>
<p>Finally, I would offer some advice that was offered to me as we ramp up for SevenDaughter2’s BS search/apply process: Be careful not to put too much emphasis on a sport the kid likes now/make sure you like the school enough to send your kid if sports were a non-issue. Kid could fall out of love with the sport/get injured/etc.</p>
<p>Where does your son attend?</p>
<p>Great! Thank you! Could you send me a couple of suggestions of places for us to research?</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you for all of your help!! Your awesome and I need the guidance!</p>
<p>The only insight I can add about St. Paul’s in terms of admissions is that the residential community is a very important feature of the school, and I suspect that the contribution they think a kid will make to the community dynamic is part of the admissions consideration there. </p>
<p>I completely second the idea that St. Paul’s is a wonderful place, and also that there are many wonderful schools out there and you won’t really know until you look.</p>
<p>Taurusmom- I will look for message. Thank you! Would love to know where your child ended up going. </p>
<p>Classical mama- where did your son end up going? </p>
<p>Seven dad-your postings of the entire process was so helpful!</p>
<p>Friendly mom and others- thanks again for help!</p>
<p>good thread, thx for sharing!!</p>
<p>Southhockeymom - My oldest son is at St. Paul’s and son number 2 starts in the fall.
The application process is definitely rough, and seemingly unpredictable. Son1 was admitted to Governor’s, Middlesex and SPS. He was wait-listed at Groton and Deerfield. Son2, who had better grades but horrible SSATs was declined at Groton and MSX flat out, but admitted to SPS. Both are very strong athletes and this no doubt played a part at SPS. THey both spent considerable time with all of the coaches.
I think “yield” does play a part. If after the visit/interview SPS is your first choice, go for broke. Meet the hockey coach, send film, get letters from his current coaches. Tell admissions that SPS is his first choice. Stay in contact with the school and visit again if you can. Go see a hockey game and spend time with the coach.
The difference between admit/decline is very, very small and the little things will swing your son’s outcome one way or the other.
As far as financial aid, it does indeed help if you can pay full freight. But that being said 37% of the children are on aid. The school is generous. Don’t let the FA issue worry you.
Other great schools to look at - Milton, St. Mark’s, Groton, Middlesex, Brooks and Rivers. St. Andrew’s in Delaware is great - my sister went there and loved it.
Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you for the guidance!</p>