Hello, all. I have been stalking this forum for weeks and have found your posts so helpful as we consider DD’s path forward. Could you help us find some schools for our list? Any other advice? Dadof4kids’s thread was really helpful. It sounds like our daughters would get along well. I only started my own because of DD’s age and a concern that entering as a repeat sophomore or junior might change the suggestions.
DD is 15 and beginning her sophomore year at our local public school. She applied to an acronym school last year to be a repeat freshman because it was close to home, but we always worried that her SSAT scores might keep her out, especially because we need FA. She never moved off the waitlist. To be honest, it was not really the right school for her anyway. Now, she is much more interested in participating in a more comprehensive application process and has decided that she really does not want to stay at our local public school for all four years.
She likes writing, songwriting, Model UN, and social justice/public service. She loves fitness, but not competition. She will not like a school that is overly sportsy, but feels that Putney is too artsy for her. She is a good student (98 non-weighted average in advanced classes freshman year), but not a great test-taker for math (SSAT last year was V 95%, R 98%, Q 62%). Her ideal environment would be collaborative rather than competitive, but filled with motivated and kind students. She gets long very well with adults, but can be shy at first with peers so a school that really fosters community would be perfect. Once she opens up, she is very funny. She just needs some time before she puts herself out there.
Oh, and we need FA or we cannot afford to send her. I know that we are asking for a lot here!
She is open to repeating her sophomore year next year or entering as a junior if school’s still do that.
Dublin has a great writing program and is very small, nurturing and collaborative. We didn’t look there because they didn’t have Lizardkid’s sport, but we were told they were a good fit for a “kind” student.
It isn’t a school discussed often on CC, but we have heard gushing reviews from people that have or know kids that have attended. There are so many great schools that are off the beaten track.
If she likes the feel of Putney (more laid back), but it’s too artsy, she might like Proctor. Espeically if she is interested in doing any of their travel programs.
Thank you for both of these suggestions. We know people who attend or work for both of those schools. She is going to check out Dublin. We have heard from a few people that the students at Proctor (while great) do not have as much academic focus as DD wants.
FWIW we know 2 students who entered Berkshire starting in Junior year and they love it. You may also want to check out the girls schools - they tend to have good FA and we know at least 2 with excellent writing programs.
Thank you! I keep trying to get her to look at the girls’ schools and good writing programs might just do the trick. Would you mind telling me which ones you mean?
Your DD sounds like mine. You should take a look at Blair. Small (~460) known for its family, collaborative environment and their success when participating in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
I always recommend George for kids like yours. Great writing program, very collaborative, an emphasis on social justice and service, and good FA. You could talk to them openly about whether to repeat or not.
Peddie, SAS, and Mercersburg, NMH are others, in addition to those recommended upthread, that might have the right vibe for her.
Academically, most BS will have what she needs (and wants, in terms of writing), so the bigger focus will be getting the community she wants. And you may not have to submit SSAT scores this year, so that could work well for you.
Just because I haven’t seen anyone mention it yet @NHMomof1girl1boy – those SSATs are excellent! I’m going to guess in the high 80’s for composite score? So if there is any part of you that is feeling like you need to “aim lower because of low math SSAT” then I just want to jump in and let you know that SSATs will not be the reason your child isn’t admitted in most cases since she isn’t presenting herself as a pointy-math-whiz.
I remember from last year visits that Loomis had a very strong writing program. We absolutely loved Loomis!
You are all so generous to respond with specific advice. Thank you very much.
I wish that DD had been willing to consider boarding school from the start, or at least willing to consider applying to more than one school last year to enroll this year as a repeat freshman because these schools all have so much to offer a kid like her! On the other hand, she has grown and changed so much this year that I feel confident that she will know it when she matches with the right school. In the meantime (and through applications), she need sot cast a wide net.
@gardenstategal and @amumof2 , you crack me up because she spent the past two days doing a deep dive into George and Blair. She really like both of them, though she wishes that George’s website was more informative. It is so hard to do this without visiting the campus. SAS looks like it fits the bill also. It might be hard to get in as a sophomore because I do not think they take many. She is reading every inch of their website today. We will add Peddie, Mercersburg, and NMH to her list for research tomorrow.
@Calliemomofgirls Thank you for your insight on the SSATs. It is so hard to know what these schools consider a strong score and DD was quite sensitive about her math results. We had not looked at Loomis at all so she will definitely check that out as well.
@NHMomof1girl1boy , let me know what you are looking for on the GS website. I think a lot of it is there but hard to find since they re-designed it (Someone said they did this to make it easier for people searching on their phones.) It makes me nuts, as one of their cheerleaders, that they have made it so awkward. Maddening!
Your daughter has very similar interests to mine who adored NMH. She graduated class of 2016. The writing program at NMH is very strong and they have a unique social justice/entrepreneurship program too. I remember many moons ago a CC parent calculated how many spots were available in each grade at a bunch of schools and NMH was at that time admitting a higher percentage of sophomores and juniors than many others, probably because it is slightly larger. In our day they added 25 new juniors each year. We think it is one of the friendliest and most collaborative schools. Berkshire, George and maybe Mercersberg could also be options.
Adding my daughters both had dismal math scores and struggled in math but found their way in BS. Your daughter’s math score will not be a determining factor at most schools as her overall scores are great!
Thank you, @chemmchimney! We have NMH on our list. Someone told us that it was very sportsy, but the offerings do not seem to support that. Did your daughter find that most social groups revolved around athletics?
You have received great school advice and it looks like you have a good list. I am chiming in with an opinion on repeat sophomore vs junior. I recommend repeating sophomore year. Even if she doesn’t end up at one of the ultra rigorous schools, BS can be a big adjustment, both academically and culturally. The kids I have known (or heard about from my kids) who entered as juniors had a harder time. Even super smart kids found junior year academics tough. Repeating sophomore year gives your daughter a chance to adjust and the opportunity to really shine junior year.
Regarding SSAT scores (maybe a moot point this year - but info for future years) - I do not think your daughter’s scores will keep her out of any of the schools mentioned here. However, every school I spoke to when my kids were applying said that they look at the percentile of each subject, not the total percentile. So they will notice (and some schools will care) if someone has a very low score in one of the subjects. Another however, it has been my exerperience that SSAT scores matter less and less. Even between my two kids I noticed less of an emphasis on scores.