Hi! Yes, my son will be coming there this fall. I’ve found all of the SPS insights and observations on this board so very helpful as we were making our way through this process, and I sincerely thank everyone for taking the time to offer up their experiences.
Welcome to the fam, @Matooz!
Many thanks @GoatMama!
I think I may have made a grave error in deciding to read Chessy Prout’s book just weeks before we drop him off. I’ve read various articles and posts about that incident, and while I realize it was five years ago and that things will, no doubt, evolve and improve under the leadership of a strong female Rector, I hope to God her description of the male-dominated, misogynsitic vibe on that campus isn’t one that most people feel accurately represents SPS. Her account is pretty damning, and, frankly, is freaking me out.
I personally do not feel that her description accurately represents SPS, at least as I know it. My daughter, a current senior, is of the same opinion.
Feel free to reach out to current and former SPS parents and students on this board if you need reassurance. @HMom16 and @KentuckyMomma are some current parents of boys. Also, if you haven’t been contacted by your assigned SPS Buddy Family yet, please let the SPS Engagement Officer know - I’ll be happy to give you the email address if you PM me. Your child will have an older student assigned to them as a big brother/sister when they get to campus, and their adviser will be checking on them frequently, especially in the beginning. Still, it is normal to have doubts and concerns, and experience a rollercoaster of emotions when you’re sending your child away, not matter what school to (and yes, the book may have exacerbated those worries). But it will be OK, I promise! Just enjoy the last month of summer with your son! I hope to see you at Parents Weekend!
@Matooz I agree completely with @GoatMama - the SPS that we’ve experienced is not at all as described in the book. Please feel free to PM if there is anything I can help with. My son is a rising junior.
You’ve probably joined at the perfect time. The incident forced SPS to reflect and make changes. And all of the students who were on campus at the time of the incident have graduated. It probably feels very different already. And the former head of MIddlesex is fantastic!
Thanks for all these reassuring responses… as one who hasn’t posted much before this I can’t PM folks yet, but I’m relieved that current students and parents (male and female) don’t feel the book (or incident in general) is a good reflection on the current atmosphere at SPS.
DS is thinking of applying for 10th grade (fourth form?) for next year. Is he disadvantaged in the admissions process if he is not applying as an incoming 9th grader? Thanks!
@bouders : Disadvantaged only in the respect that fewer spots are available–but fewer apply for 4th form (10th grade) admission as well so I am not sure about the odds for admission.
I think it isn’t harder coming in as a 4th former. I saw stats some years back indicating that. They add a fair number to the class size and, as mentioned above, there are less applicants.
SPS takes a lot of new 4th formers in proportion to the overall size the class. (this year the 3rd form has 102 students and the 4th form 147) Don’t know exactly how that works out on admission percentages but that third form class certainly has room to expand
No essay!!!
Question regarding the SPS gateway application: we are only seeing the short answers in Part 2. No essay. No place for “other info.” Nothing! I’m so confused. It can’t be right that there are only two short answers for the SPS application? We keep thinking we must just be overlooking it, but have checked multiple times over the past week before posting here. Anyone have some insight? thanks!
@Calliemomofgirls there is a personal statement that includes a 2,000-character essay and an additional question:
https://sps.myschoolapp.com/ftpimages/36/download/Candidate%20Personal%20Statement.pdf
In case you haven’t seen it, there is a link to the SPS Gateway application materials in on the school’s website: https://www.sps.edu/admission/applying
Hope that helps.
Goat mama,
Yes we are all registered on Gateway — that’s not the problem. The SPS application process says to “fill out part 2 online” which I assume is referring to Gateway.
But in Gateway, part 2 for SPS does not include the personal statement or essays.
When I click the PDF link you added , I see the PDF version of the essays. But what I don’t understand is how to get to that (using the SPS application path and gateway) and then how to submit the essays requested. In other words, I can follow your PDF link but I’m confused about how to get that to talk to gateway. Does that make sense?
When I log on, Part 2 includes the candidate personal statement as well as parent statement.
SPS requires 2 short essays (2000 characters each).
Muscatwine, that’s what I am seeing too. JUST those two short answers. No longer essay or personal statement. Are you seeing more than just those two short answer questions in the “candidate statement” section of gateway part 2?
So I realize I was totally not clear. My apologies! I DO see how to do the two short essays (2000 characters). But I don’t see a longer essay or personal statement.
TLDR: are only those two essays required? They seem rather short.
I guess so. I notice that Andover has many prompts. My kiddo hasn’t applied to many yet. I do wonder what the essay prompts and lengths will be for the others. I am bracing myself for the holidays!
I would plan to write essays over the holidays like a full time job. No fun but certainly a benchmark for how badly a kid wants BS to be in their future.
Essays are an important part of the application because they are a hard copy representation of who your child is that speaks for them in the room where the decision is made. The interviewer likely has notes but the essays are 100% under your kids control. That means a lot.
Also, check word count guidelines and be aware of it when writing! The short essays can be the hardest because most kids aren’t great at making a compelling point in 5 sentences.
FYI: husband called the school directly and confirmed that only those two shorter essays make up the “candidate statement” (“part 2”).