<p>Thank you for sharing. Please feel free to post. </p>
<p>Yesterday, I forgot my kid’s dentist appointment for the first time and was embarrassed. A lot is on our mind, I’m sure.
Glad everything worked out.</p>
<p>Everyone recommends to “have practice” interviews at “likely” schools before going to “reach” school. I think getting a little more experienced is a very good idea.</p>
<p>October SSAT score is out and we are calling it done. Yeah!</p>
<p>OK, the scores are not spectacular but decent. I think we reached the point of diminishing return where he needs to work really hard to get a few additional points.
Practicing the test was like pulling teeth.
He didn’t finish half the books I ordered. I figured the test costs more than 5 prep books so if I buy books and he doesn’t need additional tests then it is still cheaper. </p>
<p>If anyone wants clean SSAT prep books, please PM me. </p>
<p>We were busy with school and activities so there has been not much progress in the application status since a few interviews back in September.
We did go to a BS fair at a local private school couple weeks ago, talked to a few schools, and met up with AOs with whom we interviewed already.
In a few days, we will travel to East to finish the rest of visits and interviews.<br>
Afterward it will be long slogging through essays. </p>
<p>Happy Halloween everyone!</p>
<p>“OK, the scores are not spectacular but decent. I think we reached the point of diminishing return where he needs to work really hard to get a few additional points.”</p>
<p>This is an epiphany that I think MANY students and parents fail to ever have. Congrats. I’m sure it feels like a load of EVERYONE’S shoulders, right?</p>
<p>@SevenDad Thanks! Yes, now we’re going to spend those 25 minutes a night a section of SSAT on working essays or reading Rick Riordan’s new book. </p>
<p>@payn4ward</p>
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<p>Really?! My gosh, 25 minutes a week would be good for us atm! Today is a school visit day, meaning 8th graders have a day off school to visit secondary schools. Only we don’t have a school visit scheduled today. So, I had said (ahead of time) that today would be for SSAT prep (for 11/15 test date). We all agreed. Now, here we are, and…yes, pulling teeth. Good analogy.</p>
<p>eta: Congrats on being done with it, btw. Hope we can say the same in a month.</p>
<p>We’ve visited 5 schools now, with 2 more to go. SSAT is this Saturday. DD is feeling the stress. She interviews well, though, so all the interviews have been pretty low stress. The AOs seem to understand her and are very complimentary. Even at her two stretch schools, we felt like she has a good chance of getting in. (By stretch, I mean, low acceptance rate. I fully believe she’s up to the academic standard, or we wouldn’t be applying, but the acceptance rate is <25%, so acceptance is a stretch.)</p>
<p>We’ve kind of decided that’s the AO’s job at this stage, though – to make us parents feel like our child is a great candidate that has a good chance of getting in. We’re trying not to get our hopes up, but we keep walking away with a good feeling, so the AOs are doing a good job.</p>
<p>Yes, AOs are doing good jobs 
I’ve heard that “DS is a good fit,” “he will have many options,” etc etc, but even at the hidden gem schools we are looking I know there is competition.
We are done with visits and interviews. Admission offices were very crowded on November Saturdays and Veteran’s day. Including summer and fall, we visited 11 schools total. DS felt 3 were not so good fit based on the visits. Tour guides can have huge impact. The rest of 8 schools is in “Like” pile. He liked them all
Good luck to everyone taking SSAT this weekend!</p>
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<p>Yes, we visited one school on Monday and it was absolutely packed. It was pretty much standing room only in the Admissions Office at times, and they had a large seating area.</p>
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<p>DD has liked all the ones we’ve visited. She’s very hesitant to name a favorite. I don’t know if she just doesn’t want to get her hopes up, or if she’s afraid she’ll look foolish if she doesn’t get in.</p>
<p>DD has visited 6 schools, SPS, MB, SAS, EHS, Cate, and Thacher. Looked online at countless others. Being on the East Coast and with DD son at EHS, it would be so much easier if DD were to attend EHS. She will apply to EHS, MB, and Cate. While she is hopeful to be admitted to any of these wonderful schools, she really likes Cate. SSAT this Saturday. It looks like Cate and EHS allow Gateway, but MB uses its own portal or SSATB. Has anyone used MB’s portal? Can you print out paper copies or do you have to send recommendation requests through their portal? I’ve created an account, but cannot see paper copies.</p>
<p>@i70sband I do not have the answer to MB. But last time, I asked the AOs if the reference letters in PDF form could be emailed to schools. All the schools said yes. So I asked the teachers to save the Gateway letter in PDF form and email them to the schools that are not on Gateway. I assume the Gateway letters can be printed out and postal mailed to other schools as well. </p>
<p>All the recommendation letters are in. Math and English teachers, Counselor, and Personal recommendation have been submitted.
DS finished the semester strong and made a progress in his EC.
Now the only piece left is the essay!
While junior is doing the essays, I need to do the parents comments.
That’s what we are doing during this break. </p>
<p>She is DONE! Application is completed and in, SSAT scores were received over a month ago, interview and tour completed! Just waiting for one more recommendation letter. Now it’s my turn to do FA…I have filled in basic info already and will finish it after the holiday. Do we use 2013 tax info and then update it with 2014? </p>
<p>I believe there is a part at the beginning that asks whether you are using actual or estimated numbers. Last year I just estimated and then sent along the W2s and 1040 once that was finished and that had the actual figures.</p>
Everything has been submitted on our end and we are waiting for March 10.
We will heed stargirl’s advice of not checking CC too often and not reading essays.
DS is busy catching up with videogames that were neglected and working on the EC which he cannot continue at BS.
We haven’t received all the “confirmation” that says “your application is complete” yet.
Some sent email confirmations and others sent us web portals where we could check the application status. In addition, some sent postcards as well.
We are contacting the schools who did not send the “confirmation” and asking for missing items.
I’ve had postal mail disappear in the past and once received a postcard that looked chewed on by a dog but I do not understand how an emailed item can be misplaced. But it does seem to happen occasionally.
I emailed the teacher and the counselor to resend their letters.
I hope to have all the confirmation by Feb 1st.
I had that discussion with my husband last night. When the school sends a confirmation saying your application is complete, and you haven’t received it - it tells you nothing. You know SOMETHING must be misssing, but not WHAT. This results in a flurry of communication with a school, which must be time-consuming and a hassle for them at a time when they are very busy. Makes more sense to have an online checklist - showing clearly what specific pieces (teacher recs or whatever) haven’t made it in yet. I know some schools have online portals - so I guess they must have a checklist.
Yes, the schools with online portals show what items were received when. Also some schools send periodic emails with a checklist of what were received and what weren’t.
It does make sense to be an early bird aiming to have everything submitted by 2 weeks before the deadline. That way, you get a chance to confirm everything was received. If the application is submitted on the deadline date, they are all so busy processing last minute applications and the confirmation or request for missing items can take up to two weeks. Lessons learned from previous years.
We are happy to have all the applications behind us. DD is having a great year, with many awards and accolades in her extra curriculars. Her SSAT ended up in the strong-enough range, after a less than stellar first attempt. We’re feeling pretty good about her chances.
We cast a wide net, so I’m pretty confident that she’ll have some acceptances on M10. We were looking at day schools. DD ended up applying to: Milton, Nobles, Thayer, Moses Brown, Dana Hall, Walnut Hill, and Brimmer & May. She has a first choice, which is not her parent’s first choice, but still a great school. We didn’t declare a first choice (SS counselor asked), because we may have some negotiating to do once acceptances come out. February is a busy month, which is a welcome distraction from the anxious waiting.
Well, M10 came and went. We have two acceptances and 4 rejections, 5 waitlists.
I can see that the 4 rejections were not good fit. Among the waitlists are some “soft no’s”, some yield protection, and “too many good kids” cases although it’s hard to tell which is which.
In any case, we are happy to join either one that accepted DS and there is no clear winner so …
Two revisits are reserved along with air tickets, hotels, and car. I wish we could just revisit one and be done…
But we are dragging it till April 7th.
The decision will be up to DS.
Getting Ready for Fall (GRfF)
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I’m reluctant to start a new thread so here is what we are doing…
** GRfF 1 ** Getting a debit card.
DS and I went down to a local Chase bank branch and I got him a “High School Checking” account under my Chase account. (well, here, this is the only “national” bank, no Bank of America, no Citibank, yes first world problem…)
High School checking is for 13 to 18 year old. I can check the balances and activities on both accounts under my Chase login and easily transfer money in and out. DS can get “College Checking” account once he turns 18.
We had a little talk on budgeting and not lending money nor debit card to anyone, etc, in the car ride.
He was like "sweet, … can I now buy games on my steam account?.. " 
** GRfF 2 ** Getting a smart phone and phone number.
This needs some planning as DS only has a flip phone and does not text. (The kind of phone I learned how to text first, 2-2-2-2-5-5-5- …) We do have a used iPhone he will get to use.
I like the idea of putting “Locate my Kiddo” or find my phone app on it since I’m not allowed to implant GPS on him yet.
He will get a new phone number. I’m wondering if he should get a local phone number at BS…
Also, I’ll sign up for MVNO, probably Page Plus cellular, but has to get a new phone number first somehow…