The Official M10 2020 Freakout Thread

I was wondering if revisits might be cancelled.

Just looked and saw that y’alls were talking about the coronavirus…

I go to Taft and my english teacher is the Headmaster’s wife. She told us that they had a big meeting about what to do if some students couldn’t come back from spring break because of it (which started today). They were thinking of doing something remote, like a Skype classroom. It really would be a bummer if some people couldn’t come back. No one can go back to China, but my roommate is going to Hong Kong…

@ceruleanistic - what is Taft like? It is my son’s top choice - best things/worst things. Thanks. can send to me directly.

The revisit cancellations may be true, but if so the AOs I just spoke with either don’t know about it or aren’t yet willing/able to verify.

From Revisit Day 2020 thread (thank you @ProudDramaMama for the info)

ProudDramaMama said: “I’m an Exeter parent. We received notification today that revisit day was canceled, as are all informal campus visits. The email said Andover had made the same decision independently. I can only assume other schools will do the same.”

(Sorry I don’t know how to make her quote a gray box.)

@LeeLeeB Thanks for the info. My parents haven’t received the email as of yet, but I’ve told them. This is a real disappointment!

Hi!
I’m applying for the class of 2024 in a few schools and like everyone else am extremely nervous for M10! Literally counting down. haha

@ttK5050 You’re welcome. As the coronavirus is snowballing, the schools, I’d think, are having to project forward three weeks, and parents obviously need time to plan travel, so IMO it’s the wise decision for these two schools to cancel.

I hope maybe they can set up some tele events (like video-conferencing) or post new videos just targeting newly accepted students who now will not have that revisit experience, or maybe have a live-chat for accepted students and/or for their parents, to take the place of actual revisits. Although it won’t be the same.

And to not spread misinformation, it’s only the two schools that I am aware of that anyone on CC has shared this type of revisit cancellation info about.

In keeping with the CC tradition I began a couple of years ago, I will be posting my “Night Before March 10th” poem (a la Night Before Christmas) in a few days.

Enjoy!

The AOs have now confirmed both PA and PE have cancelled revisit days this year. Sorry I can’t edit or delete my prior post wherein they’d told me otherwise. I think they were not quite ready to announce to the outside world at the time.

Have it confirmed from the Revisit 2020 thread Groton has cancelled their revisit. It will be a"virtual revisit."

Off topic but I just heard that the school board already knows what schools we got into since they have to know our financial aid packages earlier… My friends’ parents are on the school board but they had to keep an oath not to spill. Apparently my counselors have also been giving hints to my friends about them being accepted to schools too! I’ve seen them work so hard and they deserve it but I’m also scared for myself now because the counselors haven’t said anything to me. This probably doesn’t mean anything but this is the freakout thread so yeah

@Sleepingatlast Hang in there! ?We’re so close to knowing for sure!!

Thanks @DroidsLookingFor I’m sure they’ll also share next steps on March 10th but surely they’re just delaying revisits, not cancelling them?

As I would have been at the same age, I’ve found my child to be heavily influenced by the (randomly chosen?) tour guide. Should we be in a position to make such a decision to choose between x and y school hope we don’t have to do it in no small part based on a less-than-hour walk.

@Trebuchet Revisits barely happened before A10 as it is, so there really isn’t room for delaying. I think they will probably do virtual revisits, if I had to guess.
I agree – we could really be in a pickle if we have options. But I guess we’ll just wait until M10 to see if we even have the luxury of this problem. We really counted on revisits in our school selection approach.

@Trebuchet 3 schools have cancelled, not delayed, revisits. Confirmed from families whose children attend those schools. Groton, Exeter, Andover. Info is on Revisit 2020 thread, and more info about the mood on campus and the steps schools have been taking past few weeks are on the Prep Schools Corona Visrus and Spring Break thread.

@Sleepingatlast agreed, decisions must have been made by now, not just because FA, but also just the logistics of making sure they have contact info, address labels done correctly for FedEx’d/USPS packages, school must need a few days lead time to make sure M10 goes well on their end.

@LeeLeeB and imagine how stressed and busy these last few days are already and then suddenly now they need to make a major decision about revisits! and probably change all their paperwork and webpage and everything. What a scramble. I feel for them. This will be an application year that goes down in history.

@Calliemomofgirls I feel like we are in the same boat as you. We live very far from our top choices, and our current front runner is a school we have not visited at all! If we are not able to experience it in person, I don’t know what we will do. I’m getting very anxious about being able to visit. I am concerned that a “virtual visit” doesn’t really give a feel for fit, which is the most important factor for us.

Thinking of everyone as we try to stay composed in these last few days!

I totally understand a decision to cancel Revisits but on the other hand it is so unfair. In the hopeful event of more than one acceptance Revisits would be a crucial part of the decision process.
Oh well… we’ll cross that bridge when (if) we get there.
I can hardly believe that the decisions have already been made and a bit miffed that two of ‘our’ schools are releasing late afternoon. It’s going to be a looong day and I’ve already decided to work from home so that if I need to have a ‘parent meltdown’ I can do it with no witnesses.

DD and I (it’s just us 2) have decided to open all decisions together. Anyone else doing same?

Sending good lucks to all my CC friends…

@southernfemmom Agree on the fit issue.

Also I am curious to see what the impact is on yield.

Will people lean on perceived prestige more?

Will offers that are merely on paper be easier to walk away from if financially on the fence about going? (I know for a fact that if my DH were to step foot on campus, he would be much more willing to search the couch for change to make BS happen.). Will “second tier” schools still find a way to do revisits, and maybe even push back A10 deadlines to accommodate smaller visits (so no large crowds) to keep up yield?

(Clearly, I have found something to obsess over that isn’t about the actual decisions…)