@mondaydevil. I’m so sorry for the disappointing interview.
AO’s are human, and in this world of work from home and zoom, this kind of thing can totally happen. I am sure (I hope?) the AO is aware that the situation was incredibly distracting. I get why he needed to leave your meeting to handle a home-based mini-crisis (we all have grace for each other during these weird times), but perhaps it does mean that your interview was essentially all-but-cancelled – like assuming he left even twice, and the whole interview was only 20 minutes.
So how to respond to the situation?
First, a question.
Why are you considering not applying?
Is it because you think YOU didn’t come across well and you are worried you won’t get in? or is it because you think this situation reflects poorly on the school and now you are less interested?
Without knowing more, my mom-gut says to ask yourself if you think another interview would solve the problem. If so, then I think this is a reasonable request, and it can be done tactfully and respectfully.
You may want to sit on this a few hours and look back and decide: was it truly an impossible interview situation, or was it just subpar and you may have to live with life-happens-but-you-roll-with-it.
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@mondaydevil and @Calliemomofgirls I noticed that you have mentioned Westover and Miss Porter’s were on your list. Those are on my D’s list as well. For Westover did you submit the SSAT? If you did not, did they ask you to sign up for a Writing Assessment as an alternate to the SSAT? How would you contrast these 2 all-girls schools? What can you share about them?
I thought about it for a little bit and I think I was overreacting a little bit. It was definitely not as good of an experience as other interviews have been (got too anxious to keep talking, no follow up questions, etc.) but I don’t think I did terribly and I probably could live with it.
My parents definitely didn’t think it reflected too well on the school but I was a little more concerned that I might not have as good of a chance at getting in.
Thank you for your insight, as always!
I plan on submitting the SSAT to Westover, so I’m not sure what the Writing Assessment is.
What I’ve noticed is that Miss Porter’s definitely feels a little more humanities/art centered while Westover is more business/engineering. Westover feels a lot more energetic (at least that’s what I’ve felt from their information sessions) and Miss Porter’s has a really special bond between grades and secretive traditions to surprise New Girls (in a good way, one of the girls said they almost cried of happiness and had to go to her Old Girl for comfort). Right now, I definitely like Miss Porter’s a little better–maybe I’m biased because I’ve only watched recordings of open houses for Westover, but it feels like they really do try to get to know applicants a lot better. I was at the Language engagement session and it was super fun listening to the different songs in different languages, introducing ourselves in our foreign language, etc. And then the virtual Winter Reception had a bunch of fun events (Miss Porter’s trivia Kahoot game, a scavenger hunt, a holdiay playlist with our favorite holiday songs) and they even gave mugs to people who registered and I think they’re giving “swag” to people who won the events.
Side note: are you from New Hampshire (nh)? Because that’s where I’m from haha
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Thanks for your input on these two schools. I am getting the same feel for them. I heard from another parent that the winter reception was fun for both parents and the girls. We are in CT and only looking at schools in the state. Luckily, there are plenty of choices.
I just wanted to say that I’ve been freaking out over M10 for the first time since the application season started because I love Putney so so so so very much and I really really really would like to attend. I was talking to a current student the other day and they were very nice and I honestly think I’d enjoy the environment so much?? I’m lucky that the acceptance rate is 50% because it seems likely that I’ll be accepted. AHHHH gosh i love putney so much
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15 Days until(most of) the applications are due! How does everyone feel right now? Just wanted to pop in and say I’m really proud of all the effort that CC is putting into their apps, and I hope that everyone gets to attend their dream school!
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Thinking of you all during these last few weeks of applications!! We went through the process with our daughter last year, and will go through it again next year with our son.
If possible, finish your essays asap and then give them a few days to rest, and then re-read them again. Sometimes a few days can give you fresh insight, and you may find areas in which you can improve the essays.
Most importantly, try not to stress too much! I know this is so hard, and emotions run high, but whatever happens on M10, you will be okay!! Every school that each of you is applying to is an incredible school, and your time there will truly be invaluable (even if it’s not your first choice). Best of luck to you all!!
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Hi!! I literally cannot wait for M10. Applications are due soon though. I already did my interviews, and I’m doing my essays. Best of luck to everybody applying! Also, does anybody have essay tips?
Oh my gosh me toooooo I just want to be done applying at this point. I have one interview and a few essays left and I’d like to finish making a website to show off some project stuff but I probably won’t be able to finish that in time. I’ve been looking at school stores to see what kinds of things different schools offer for fun haha. And good luck to you too!
The big essay tip I’ve heard is to be yourself! Make sure your essay sounds 100% like you and represents you well. For the process of writing, Calliemomofgirls and CaliMex have given some good tips. To summarize:
Calliemomofgirls:
- Have three to five points you want every school to know about you, and come up with some evidence for these points that you could turn into essay topics
- Write essays with these stories for each application
- When finished, print out all of the essays for each school and make sure the application is cohesive and includes all of your initial points
CaliMex:
- Do stream of consciousness for 30 minutes on paper
- Read over it before going to bed and correct what you want to fix
- Type it up on a computer the next morning and polish
Hope this helped!!
Thank you very much!! This helped me a lot! I appreciate it!
Of course! What schools are you applying to?
I’m applying to som high tier schools such as Phillips Academy Andover, Phillips Exeter Academy, St. Paul’s School, and Choate. I also have a good public high school at home just in case I don’t make it into any (most likely case). I’ve seen that you’re applying to Putney, and I definitely think you’ll get in!
Oh good luck!! They’re definitely competitive, but at least you have a good public high school as a backup!
And thank you so much!! I’m pretty confident in myself, but I don’t want to get too ahead of myself since you know, last year.
What do you think you’re going to do to wait for M10?
I have no idea what I’m gonna do to wait cuz I cannot wait at all. But I’ll probably be continuing my normal life with school and extracurriculars. I’ll also be on here more to just talk with people I guess. Applying for boarding schools is sorta exciting and you can make new friends here!
What about you? Which schools are you applying to besides Putney?
Thats true!! It’s super fun meeting new people and if I get in places, I hope I’ll be able to see people from CC at revisits or at school. I think that would be really cool.
I was reading some older threads a couple days ago and last year we all shared our favorite books to read so maybe we could compile a CC reading list or something? And I saw an older thread about BS plans and dreams and I think that might be fun to bring back.
I’m applying to Putney, St. Mark’s, Miss Porter’s (top three choices right now), Hotchkiss, Westover, Concord Academy, Brooks, NMH, and Middlesex!
This is sort of a random question but SSAT score is more important. Is just the regular score or the gender score that counts?
Sorry I’m replying so late (I had to go and disappoint my piano teacher lol).
Yeah that’s a really good idea! We should start those types of threads again for sure! Here are some of my favorite books:
- Trials of Apollo (series)
- Harry Potter (potterhead here)
- A lot of Rick Riordan’s books
- I used to read Wings Of Fire
- Fahrenheit 451 (It’s good)
- SSAT Workbooks (Jkjkjkjk I hated those)
I just realized I haven’t been reading as much lately.
Also, oooo! Those are really good choices! I bet you’ll definitely get into at least two or three (most likely more). You seem like a great person and I bet you can do it! 
I’m pretty sure the regular score matters more? Honestly idk. For me, I got the same score in both parts so…