At first I kept it a secret. After I visited a few schools I started to hint at it. I tagged schools on my Insta story and stuff. Now it’s not a secret at all and I constantly brag about all the essays I wrote and stuff. I’m glad I told people though; it turns out one of my friends’ mom went to Andover.
Everyone knows at my school.
ugh, I haven’t told any of my friends, but I feel like answering the questions if/when they ask would be a better approach for me instead of just straight-up telling them out of the blue.
I still laugh to myself when I think about M10 for my nephew not so long ago… I told my boys ( who had just gotten home for their BS spring break ) to give their cousin some kind words of encouragement… and what did they do?
They jumped on him screaming: " Bad word " is about to get real, buddy!!!
Nice. Not exactly what I had in mind guys…
Anyway -
My kids applied to SS from JBS and no one talked about the schools they were applying to leading up to M10… not even to their closest friends or roommates… and after M10 ( when they returned to school after Spring Break ) , nobody talked about outcomes until everyone in their JBS Class had SS placement. Which is a lot like how SSs handle College admissions/ acceptances. People at SS “know” but it’s not on steroids by any means … Which, IMHO, is a very cool thing- the whole process should be private to a certain extent!
K2 actually called me with his college ED acceptance news from the bushes outside his BS dorm… LOL- and he was whispering!!
Nephew, on the other hand, went to a Private Day School… and M10 was a full on- total Arms Race ( for parents and students, but especially parents 
) from start to finish … Trust me- it just wasn’t a good scene ( polar opposite of JBS which I believe is Zen by design for SS admissions ). Everyone at nephew’s PDS knew each others business from the beginning of the year … which was waaaay too much information to have out there … so count your blessings if only one person ( outside the family ) knows , or only a few good friends know.
My nephew was accepted at many fine schools… Deerfield, Groton, Hotchkiss, Berkshire, Salisbury, Kent, Canterbury- just to name a few, but he was waitlisted at Taft ( and Brooks, I think ). M10 for nephew was an embarrassment of riches ( to be honest ) but my sister is STILL upset about Taft. Don’t be my sister. On a good day she’s still wrapped a little tight ( and was back at it again for college admissions! ) but… My God.
I’m kind of brutal…She’ll be talking about someone ( anyone ) in glowing terms and I’ll always say : Doesn’t their kid go to Taft?
It’s true… I’m wicked.
Just know that a less public M10 has some very real perks… especially if only the people you really care about know- and are pulling for you . Also- kids… FWIW- be aware that M10 will have a huge impact on your parent(s), too. They’ll feel things just as acutely ( either way ) or more than you will . If your heart breaks… their heart breaks, too. If you get your dream school acceptance… you’ll probably need to tell them to settle down. 
In other words… they’re in it, too- every step of the way . Prior to M10- make sure you let them know how much their support has meant to you ( throughout this insane process ) and give them lots of hugs. They’ll need it and will appreciate it more than words can say. They’re probably acting cool as cucumbers right now… but I can assure you that deep down inside they’re freaking out, too.
Five more days! “Bad word” is about to get real!! Good luck!!!
@FunintheSun1211 Yes, it’s rowing! I’m so tired and sick this morning… 
5 Days…
Omg @PhotographerMom I’m dying laughing over here. Congrats to PhotoKid!!! And thanks for reminding these kids that parents are very very invested in this process, regardless of whether it seems so or not…and they will continue to be so.
Its been sometime since I have checked in here… but to all current applicants and their parents: Good Luck and Wishing you the best!
M10 can be a hard day but be strong no matter how the tides might turn, and remember that boarding school is but one path …
Longest week ever, and feeling like FA is going to shut us out. Not sure where that will leave us.
@atria is the best! If y’all don’t know her story, she of all people knows what it feels like this week and her advice is golden!!!
I think our kid is less interested than we as parents are. After all, we’re going to be signing the checks. Kiddo already realizes it will be an easier path at BS (for many reasons) but that there are other paths which can reach the same goal. Still I hope things work out as the intellectual rigor at many BS’s beat the fierce competition based mainly on grades at the local PS. Don’t get me wrong, I recognize many BS are competitive but I think at least there is an intellectual underpinning that I could see from the teachers. Teachers in local public in our town are not all there for creating kids who want to learn.
@PhotographerMom you are my kind of evil I’m cackling over here because I would do the same to my similarly uptight sister lol!
It feels so close. This past weekend passed so fast, I hope the week does too.
What are you all planning on doing next weekend after decisions are out?
We planned long ago to go to kiddo’s favorite eating place when M10 comes around. I’ve told her time and again that no matter what happens, she did the absolute best she could and we absolutely couldn’t have asked more from her. I’ve been amazed by this child, seriously. So come what may, we’ll be gorging ourselves after we receive our final decision at around 5pm…
@PhotographerMom I am that sister and my DD did have a very fortunate M10 a couple years back and I still wondered why on the wait list for one for sure. I also don’t love surprises and had notifications in place for all the carriers.
Spring Break hiking for a couple days in the Big Bend National Park - you can’t even try to be stressed there <:-P
I ordered a pair of headphones that I’ve always wanted to arrive after the M10. Whether I’m accepted or not it’s gonna be a gift to myself
A good piece of advice I read in one of the old threads on CC suggested going out to dinner on M9 (not M10). Celebrate the effort, not the outcome.
The effort is really what matters after all-- seriously, who wants to feel miserable because you didn’t take up the tuba seven years ago and school x needed a tuba player? Does it make sense to beat yourself up because you are a forward from New Hampshire when they needed a goalie from the Midwest? That’s not on you.
Here at zixzax central we have planned an epic M9-- favorite dinner: check. A pile of movies: check. Loads of ice cream: check. (Of course, definitions of epic vary family-to-family :)) Staying up late in celebration on M9 is all about the incredible effort you put into this; it is about your incredible accomplishments-- which 100% belong to you no matter what happens M10.
@zixzax love your M9 plans, epic efforts deserve epic celebrations!