I know a lot of eighth graders are eagerly (and nervously) awaiting their BS application results. I’m currently a seventh grader and am considering applying to top BS’s (e.g. Exeter, Andover, Deerfield, etc.). I was wondering if I should schedule a tour of the schools school first (you know, to get a hang of them) or just go ahead and schedule the interview at the same time.
Also, any general advice about applying to BS would be appreciated.
Thanks! 
You will miss a lot of school if you visit twice, so plan to interview when you tour. If you really don’t like a school when you visit, you don’t need to apply. If there is someone you’d like to see (coach, music teacher, etc), try to schedule that as well.
Check out schools at fairs, online, etc. to understand what each offers. There are many excellent schools beyond the "usual suspects " you’ve mentioned above. If you’re dead set on BS, find a few that are less competitive or you could find yourself shut out come March of next year.
Use the application process as an opportunity to learn about yourself. When you visit a school that seems perfect, figure out why, and when you visit one that feels all wrong, do the same. Be yourself and enjoy the time with your family and the chance to be intentional about your future.
Lastly, if you live near any of the schools you’re applying to, it can be very worthwhile to visit for a sporting event or performance and to observe the culture outside of a scheduled visit. Watching how people interact and conduct themselves can be really telling.
Thank you @gardenstategal . I really like your idea of getting a feel for a school’s culture, which I haven’t heard before.
Totally agree with @gardenstategal. Get a feel for the students. See how they interact with each other. Just because a school is a top 10 doesn’t mean it’s good school for YOU. There are so so so many other schools to explore and they are still really good schools. Keep that in mind. Best of luck!
I would advise you to not stress too much about boarding school while you’re applying. I know I did and I kind of regret spending so much time thinking about it. Have fun, study for the tests, and don’t procrastinate. It’s a major decision, and I wish you the best of luck.
Start early like you are doing. I know lots of folks say summer is not a good time, but both my students did the rounds in the summer: SPS, Choate, Andover, Exeter, Deerfield, Hotchkiss, Groton, St. George’s. You can get them done and it won’t mess with your 8th grade academics. ADCOMS have more time to spend with you and your family and you have more time to make lasting impressions. Schedule your interviews and tour at the same time. No sense going back twice unless you really love a particular school and want to see it in session.
Forever true to gold and blue, btw.
We did some visits in 7th grade and I think it was very helpful to my son. I think he was a bit overwhelmed by the process (and in 7th grade, not at all ready to leave his K-8 school). Spending time at a few schools got him comfortable and definitely helped him get a feel for the atmosphere and culture. In 7th grade we did a few open houses and tours when we could do it on a Saturday or school holiday (when the BS was in session). Over the summer we did some drive-bys just to see the campuses, which was also helpful. My son’s first interview this year was at a school he had visited twice last year and had met several people, and as a result he was quite comfortable. Also, if there are secondary school fairs in your area, they can be helpful as well, if only just to get some practice talking to the admissions folks.
Starting early is a fine idea. Visiting early is a good idea, too. Anything to take schools off your list. Since you can’t apply to every school out there, it is wonderful to have your own reasons to not bother with some schools. Those reasons don’t have to be quantifiable, but they can be, like a certain language or sport. And those reasons don’t have to be the same reasons for every family and/or applicant. Early exposure to a school can make it unattractive to you so you move on and can concentrate on the schools which seem to be a good fit for you.
I agree with GnarWhail. We found visiting schools early, talking to coaches, meeting with music directors, etc. allowed DS to actually remove schools off his list. We visited 12 school between end of April and mid-June of his 7th grade year and he was able to trim his final list to only 4. We then scheduled official interviews/tours for September which allowed for DS to focus more time on SSAT prep and completing his applications. I realize that for many applying to only 4 is not casting a wide enough net, but either way early visits worked well for our son.
Thanks to all of you the helpful advice and comments! @preppedparent I’m also interested in Andover, Exeter, Deerfield, SPS, Hotchkiss, and Choate. Could you please describe their experience applying for these schools and were they able to get to any of the schools? Thanks.
Exeter and Hotchkiss have Classics diplomas if you are into Latin or Greek. Deerfield has a great Math/Science Center. Choate has state of the art Math and Science buildings and Environmental Science. SPS has a great library and both Groton and SPS have a great community and chapel talk. All of them are fabulous in their own right. Milton has great diversity, as does Choate. St. George’s has the most beautiful campus on the edge of the Atlantic. They each have their own personality. Have fun exploring and cast a wide net. There are so many good schools out there and any one of them would offer you a world of opportunity.
You raise an interesting point @BigBlueSwim. I know that I post all over this forum about casting a wide net, but I think that your family’s approach was well within the spirit of casting a wide net given all the homework and legwork you did in advance of the formal application process. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: yours is the process I wish we had followed!
Narrowing down the schools before the application process is all fine and dandy if, and it’s a big if, there is a strong local option available if none of the remaining 4 pans out. Personally, as I’ve discussed before, I narrowed my own search down to 2 applications. However, if the strategy is BS or bust, applying to 4, even if they are the “best” 4 for the kid, is a risky strategy.
Financial Aid is the big reason why netters should be casting wide. If you need FA, then you have to be more realistic, do more work up front, and cover all the bases IF you want to have a good chances of attending boarding school and are not simply looking to attend Exeter or Hotchkiss or whatever.
OTOH, if you are full pay and sure you are an absolute top candidate, then you don’t have to play that game.
Don’t kid yourself. It’s hypercompetitive for full pay. Full pays can’t just name their school. The top notch BSs are equivalent to the likes of Harvard and Yale. Can full pay high school seniors take their pick of Harvard or Yale? No.
The elite BSs want the students that will matriculate to ivies and top LACS to keep their applications up. So–recruited athletes, URM’s, kids who qualify for Questbridge all with top scores and grades, and geodiversity.
I think that what I’m trying to get at is that there are more prudent and less prudent ways to going about casting a wide net, and casting a wide net is not simply a matter of submitting at least 6, 7, 10 or whatever number of applications. In other words, one can cast a big net that isn’t necessarily a wide net. My understanding of the goal of the wide net is to increase the likelihood that someplace will admit the applicant by submitting applications to schools with a variety of profiles. Applying to 15 somewhat similar schools may incrementally improve the chances of admission, but applying to a fewer number of schools that are quite different from each other may improve your chances to a greater extent, particularly if you can figure out and include schools for which you may be an extraordinarily strong candidate.
Obviously there is no formula anyone can count on to guess the likelihood of admission to any school. But I think there’s enough information out there where someone can make a very good educated guess if they do their homework and legwork and are very realistic about their relative strengths and weaknesses. That applicant could then have a good shot at picking 3-4 schools which represent a rather wide variety of profiles including at least one in which the applicant would be considered extraordinarily qualified for admission.
Sure, the safest bet is a big AND wide net, but I think wider is more important than bigger.
Definitely. Last year, I had a friend who had a ‘big’ net (13 schools) however, she was accepted in none.
So it is esp. important to cast a WIDE net if you ultimate goal is to attend boarding/prep school.
And in the end (no matter how cliché) be grateful for the experience, and remember that no school is a safety.
Since @LaxPrep isn’t around this application season, on behalf of his fan club I am passing the maturity baton to @Atria! ^:)^
Regarding the full pay/financial aid thing, I think that Andover at least is need-blind.