Could you guys suggest whether it is a good idea: For a grade 8th student in public school applying grade 9th BS 2019 Fall, can he/she accept an offer from the second tier BS this fall, next year reapply the first tier BS for grade 10th? Does it have more opportunities than staying in the current public school? Thank you!
@JAC2004 ā thatās not really a great strategy. Youād be better off doing 9th at your public school and applying to BS as a repeat 9th grader. Alternatively, you could stay at the private you attend for 9th. Personally, I think that most schools that people label as second tier are hardly that. They are simply less well known.
Students do sometimes change schools but itās usually because there is something that really needs to be changed, not because they wanted to ātrade upā. Sometimes itās a really toxic social environment, a need to be closer to some elite level sports training, or a health concern.
Also note that the student will need the assistance of the current BS for LORs, transcripts, etc. when applying to another BS, so getting them to assist with a transfer might be awkward.
S/he can. But it is not a sound strategy. In general, a āfirst tierā boarding school accepts transfers who can get something that is unavailable at the current school. Sheāll be hard-pressed to make a case for transferring from āsecond-tierā schoolā¦
@JAC2004 My cousin went to Taft for 9th grade, but ultimately ended up attending deerfield for 10th-12th grade because he was an impact athlete for water polo, and Taft didnāt have a pool. He attended taft because he needed to go to boarding school as his parents were moving (they were foreign service officers) and couldnāt find any academically strong English schools in the country they were moving to. He explained all of this when he was applying and deerfield still called his bs counselor to make sure he had a genuine reason for applying out. Again, this is INCREDIBLY rare and I wouldnāt be surprised if there is only a handful of people who have done this within the past few admissions cycles combined. Iāve heard that it is even harder to do if both schools are TSAO schools, as those schools tend to collaborate very heavily throughout the application cycle and tend not to take students from each other (which I believe is a major reason why Milton, as a K-12 school, is not part of it).
However, if your child would consider doing a PG/post graduate year, it is not uncommon for students from a 2nd tier schools to attend a top tier school for the year after their senior year. For example, I know 2 of Andoverās newly admitted PGs are coming from 2nd tier boarding schools. And, as Iām sure skieurope will point out, this is not enough of a sample size to determine a measurable increase in PGs from 2nd tier schools, but IMO I feel like this has started to become a little more popular.
Is it harder to get off Andoverās waitlist if you need financial aid?
@M0hammad, Iām gonna refer you to post #2104 by @ChoatieMom because I think she summarized it perfectly. That goes for Andover and every other boarding school/private school in the nation.
While true that the plural of anecdote is not data, the reasons for PGs going from one school to another are generally for reasons which benefit both the school and the student, and are generally different from the reasons for transferring after 9th. Since the question was about transferring as a rising 10th grader, I chose not to address PGs in my response above.
Thank you guys! gardenstategal,CC4life, skieurope,ChoatieMom etc, Your comments are very helpful!
For 2nd tier school (actually I agree many ā2nd tierā schools are actually very good and they are just not well known. Even a 1st tier school may not be really suitable for a student in a 2nd tier school.) it makes sense to try to retain a good student, but I donāt understand why 1st tier doesnāt want to give more chances to a student applying from a private school. This student at lease proved he/she can do well in both previously public school and current private school. Isnāt it normal to apply 1st school to look for more opportunities, such as more inter-discipline courses, abroad studying opportunities etc, which usually are available more in 1st tier school?
I have other questions: 1. whatās the differences of transferring and applying assuming both do from private school to private school. 2. I saw in some posts some grade 9th students will continue to apply 9th grade next year if they didnāt get admission they prefer. It sounds crazy and I donāt understand it.
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Most students who repeat 9th do 9th at their public school, and this assumes that BS is more rigorous-- and also an immersive 4 year experience. Hence the idea of getting āreadyā for the full experience.
If you wanted to transfer from a day school to a BS because of the BS experience, my hunch is that your story could be plausible. But BS to BS, as mentioned, is harder to justify, especially if it is simply about a school which you perceive as better.
At some level, any school, including college, wants to see that you can take as much as possible from any learning environment. Itās hard to imagine how most students could have exhausted the opportunities at any BS.
FWIW, Iām transferring from a day school to BS for many reasons, but an obvious one would be the boarding experience. My day school was thought to be a BS by many AO that interviewed me, so I had to explain it to them that itās a day school and itās not as rigorous as they thought it to be. Of course thereās more reasoning goes behind my decision, but I think the important thing is to justify to the AO that you have VERY good reasons to go to BS instead of your current school (which is usually easier if you are at a public school) and you are not just going for the prestige. The other reason is their associations, like TABS, which is talked a lot about in earlier threads.
I am at a well known private day K-12 school in NYC. I had a carefully crafted answer to the question why do you want to leave/come here. I knew my answer had to be strong in order to be convincing, because even if I was admitted there was the risk that Iād just decide to stay in my current school, and that I wasnāt very serious all along. Iām not remaining on a wait list, but I wanted to add my experience. Iād imagine itād be hard to convince an AO that you wanted to leave one BS for another without a significantly good cause. Of course, it might be easier if you have a significant hook.
@misslilbookworm I agree 100 percent regarding transferring from well known private day schools. My brother applied from a NYC private school to boarding school for 9th grade because he really wanted the boarding experience and he was waitlisted at every school (ranging from Andover, which is of course very selective to Mercersburg, which I believe at the time had an acceptance rate in the mid 40s). Of course I donāt have any evidence, but I strongly suspect that was due to his inability to justify leaving trinity for boarding school.
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" Iād imagine itād be hard to convince an AO that you wanted to leave one BS for another without a significantly good cause. Of course, it might be easier if you have a significant hook. "
Correct. You have to have a compelling reason and it has to make sense to the school you want to transfer to.
Sureā¦ a few kids will transfer for athletic reasons, but they rarely " trade up " or "tier up " for academic reasons because more often than not a student would be transferring SIDEWAYS.
Yesā¦ sideways.
And all the schools know it. All BS alums, students and parents know it , too. Some people new to BS are oddly unaware for some reasonā¦ which is kind of jarring- especially if they did their research, but theyāll learn soon enough.
Hey- when I was a kid, I transferred from one BS to another after a serious riding accident. I just thought that the next time I attempted to kill myself on a horse, Iād like to be a little bit closer to home.
Less miles for my casket to travel or somethingā¦
Soā¦ there are all kinds of reasons for transferring, but nowadays - Iād say the Number One reason for transferring ( from one BS to another ) has to do with culture which is very understandable . In many cases- kids leave " big " schools for something more boutique - if they can - and NO - it doesnāt always have to do with being unable to handle the academics- which is the usual big school defensive knee jerk response. (( UGH )) Some kids/ families just seek a different environment - and can do it with confidence now because they know enough or more about other schools ( at this point- one would hope ) to understand they arenāt compromising on quality or trading down.
In many ways- itās a quality of life issue. ā¦ and the need for another scene.
Culture is always subjective ( of course ), but it is a valid reason to leave one BS for another and most AOs are very sympathetic- so if you ever find yourself in this position - just be candid with the AOs you talk with and try to switch.
It wouldnāt be the first time they heard such a thingā¦ and it certainly wonāt be the last.
On the flip side- If youāre devoted to " trading up " for whatever reason to what CC considers a "Top Tier " or "Top Five " just donāt say ( during an interview ) that a BS in the Top 35 isnāt challenging enough for you. ā¦ because that might be a bridge too farā¦ even for them.
I can hear it nowā¦ Whoās this kid? Iām a former CC āTop Five BSā parent ( twice ), and Iād ask the same question, too.
Seriously- Iāll have what youāre having ! 
Remember: Youāre moving SIDEWAYS ( not up or down ) and your focus should always be on FIT - Not some imaginary or meaningless ātierā. Donāt even get me started on this nonsenseā¦ itās Sunday.
That saidā¦ just a quick FYI for new III Form families already thinking about " trading up " or transferring to another BS for IV Form : Go ahead and plan ( if you must ), but itās not a sound or practical strategy. Youāll also be placing yourself in the very competitive JBS applicant pool for 10th and it will be very tough- no matter which schools you apply to.
And FWIW - BS admissions isnāt like the college transfer scene after freshman year - at all.
Movement between boarding schools is actually pretty rare, but that too can vary. I can remember one " big" school awhile back ( that will remain unnamed ) that let in a really awful group of III formers and a lot of families wanted out because that particular Class changed the entire vibe of the school. And- it should surprise no one that the DOA didnāt return the following year, but I digressā¦
My best advice: Give the boarding school youāre currently in a fair shot. I also think if youāre able to do that and go all in - youāll be surprised at how fast the desire to switch fades away. The grass isnāt always greener ( in fact, many times it really isnāt !! ) , and sometimes the disruption ( from just taking a shot at another school ) is more trouble than itās worth.
Actually- without any real cause - I couldnāt imagine anyone going through this exercise. As a parent- I would rather stick pins in my eyes.
IDK- To me- transferring should NEVER be about Ivy matriculation ( theyāre all the same, people!! ), car decals, ātiersā or assumed greater prestige gained by attending only a select group of schools ā¦ OMG - if this is your mindset- just stop !
Because if those things are the drivers behind a BS transfer - thatās just utterly ridiculous .
Is it common to get off Blair waitlist? My sister and I are both waitlisted and we canāt go unless both of us get off the list.
My husband read my post yesterday and told me that I missed something very important. Everyone is a critic , but he actually touched upon something key that some families should seriously consider and not gloss over - so a quick follow-up to Post #2134:
III Form is actually pivotal year. It sets the stage in many ways for the remaining three years.
Kids begin bonding from the moment they arrive on campus ā¦ with faculty, coaches, dorm parents, advisors , staff, roommates, teammates and most importantly each other - across all Forms . A new Class begins to take shape and they learn to depend on each other ā¦ They acclimate to a demanding schedule and new surroundings. They tryout for teams and join clubs. They embrace new customs and traditions. Many are away from home for the first time, and I donāt care how brave you think your kid is - it can be both challenging and somewhat terrifying during the first few month or so.
They struggle and make a lot of mistakes, but ultimately they find their rhythm before the year ends. Itās a slow and steady process during the first year and itās daunting for everyoneā¦ but it reaps tremendous rewards. By the end of July ( summer break after their first year ) , kids rising up to IV Form are chomping at the bit to go back to school. Itās a thing of beauty when you think about it, and a sight to behold.
My husbandās key point : Now try to imagine a kid doing all of this ( out of the gate ) with the idea of another school swimming in their head- Plus the unholy expectation of applying somewhere else that their family considers ābetterā or more " prestigious" when itās really not. How successful do you think that kid will be if ( mentally ) they have one foot out of the door?
Heās right.
Thatās a lot for a kid ( this age ) to manage on top of everything else - especially if the success rate or likelihood of transferring ( without any real cause ) is close to zero.
Then he asked me the age old CC question : What schools are considered " Top Tier " on CC ?
Yikes! Not going there, pal.
Anyway- I think parents should do a risk assessment before transferring for any reason, but if theyāre somehow unhappy with their imaginary "tier "- I hope Iāve given them some important things to think about. I think itās really important to pause before you go ahead and potentially derail their kidās first year - especially for something thatās not based in reality, and likely wonāt happen. To me- itās an unnecessary upheaval during a very critical time that could be costly in ways that really do count.
Just throwing it out there.
Happy Monday!! 
To @PhotographerMom ās point, not just the idea of another school swimming in a kids head but the intense amount of work it takes to apply to a school. An application would have to be better than the first one you submitted for any school to consider you. My daughter only applied to three schools and it was INTENSE. This was at home with a lot of support from her family and an 8th grade workload.
@appleeee I was waitlisted at Blair too! Iām not sure but someone I know that goes to the same school as I do got a call from the Blair AO a few days after M10 saying that it was really likely for him to get off the waitlist if they chose to remain on it. No one can be sure āhow likelyā it is though.
@helpmeplease88 Blair just told me that they will definitely keep me on the waitlist, but please know that the applicant pool this year is very competitive. The problem is that I was rejected by the other schools, so itās kinda stressful for me.
If you donāt mind, did he stay on the waitlist?
@appleeee Yes, he did. But heās didnāt get the acceptance call or anything yet.