@friendtrooper it’s just so amazing how your daughter is the same me in so many aspects. I also applied as a repeat 10th grader and no, I haven’t received anything from Blair yet.
But I didn’t know about the thing that we could ask to go to grade 11 though. What was Blair’s reply, did they agree to do that?
@sadpotato @muchanxieotea I also received the DA email…I’m actually a little sad because DA was always my top choice, but I did know that chances of getting of WL were drastically low.
@appleeee
When I asked about the possibility of going in as 10th or eleventh grade depending on what might open first, I was told that it likely would make very little difference due to the fact that the issue was a dorm space issue and tenth and eleventh grade girls live in a shared dorm so in essence they are one big pool as far as space goes. I was just trying to think of anything that might explain why we did not get that email about tenth grade waitlist being closed. Now knowing you didn’t get the email either, it must be something else.
No news is good news for now perhaps :))
@friendtrooper finger crossed for all of us…
I just wonder if Blair will decide to go to their waitlist in the summer like other schools though
@appleeee - My heart goes out to you and I’ve been brainstorming…
I know you love Blair ( I love Blair, too! ) , but did you know that Canterbury hired what was once considered the best thing about Blair ? She’s the Cbury Head and her name is Rachel Stone.
Cbury is just a suggestion, of course, but it’s definitely worth a closer look and maybe worth a shot for a late app - you never know.
I’d also suggest looking at Gunnery, too. Like Canterbury and Blair - Gunnery is a very, very fine school. I’m a huge fan and it should get a lot more airtime here!! I think you’ll be very impressed with both schools… so maybe check out their websites / social media accounts and see what you think! 
@PhotographerMom Thank you, I’ll definitely check out those schools
@appleee: Since you considered Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh which has a small boarding population, and since you need two spots for you & your sister, have you considered Wyoming Seminary in Northeastern Pennsylvania ?
About 33% boarding / 67% day. Outstanding athletics & outstanding theatre.
I believe that Blair Academy is the school’s main athletic rival–especially in wrestling.
Very solid academics.
^ Good call, too.
@Publisher Thank you, I’ ll check it out. But I decided not applying to Shady Side anymore because it didn’t offer financial aid. ( I need at least 30% FA)
Wyoming Seminary offers financial aid, but I do not know whether or not the deadline has passed.
Has a healthy presence of students from Southeast Asia. Strong sports teams for both boys & girls. Wrestling, ice hockey, field hockey, soccer, swimming & several more. Very strong in performance arts.
@appleee, I’ll second Gunnery. Really lovely school and amazing people, from the Head on down. We didn’t look at C’bury ourselves, but I have met some moms at DS’s school whose daughters attend C’bury and have said lots of good things about it.
We have friends with a daughter at the Gunnery. Terrific school. They absolutely love it.
@appleeee
I did go back and look through emails. You had asked me several days back if we got an email saying something about Blair letting us know by June 1. I did find that the email we got on March 9…the admission result email stated that
“Over the course of the spring, we will continue to monitor our fall enrollment; if a spot becomes available, your application will be reconsidered, and we will inform you of your final status no later than June 1 2019”
I had forgotten that they had specifically put that date in the email but when I went back and looked there it was.
My guess is that after june 1 it would be highly unlikely that anything changes in terms of enrollment. Perhaps something very unexpected arises over the summer where a spot opens but I am thinking if we don’t get good news by June 1, in my household at least, I think we are going to make our peace with the disappointment and move on. I think I will be ready to by that time. Sometimes hoping is just draining. For now though, we are still hopeful!! Very much so.
Thank you for all your suggestions??
Thanks, Pomfret looks lovely. Good culture, friendly, accepting? DD is quite shy.
We’ve asked schools if they have slots or just keeping up list of possible. One said they were full but always see a few pull out, others said they have 4 spots, 10 spots, etc. Hard to know who has what open. Hate to get hopes up.
Pomfret is a fantastic school! Go for it!!
The upside for a late app : A BS getting X amount of apps during a regular admission cycle doesn’t necessarily mean that they were swamped by amazing candidates or certain kids they were hoping for - and this is true for all schools ( in the Top 35- 40 ) including the big boys.
In many ways- a school having some spots available post A10 is not unlike the regular admission cycle… so having a good solid approach and mindset definitely helps. Personally- I like guarded and optimistic, but I’d also add realistic, determined and steady.
Kids are told during a regular fall interview/tour cycle that they are perfect candidates for a school ( all the time! ) and some families automatically interpret that as an early acceptance ( They LOVE me!! - Seriously- you should read some threads leading up to the traditional deadlines… Everyone is Sally Field all of a sudden . ) when all an AO is doing is simply encouraging them to apply.
The proper translation for this type of encouragement is actually : We like what we see here so please submit an app!
So… the proper perspective for a BS application post A10 should be very similar: When a school says ( post A10 ) that they have some spots open - obviously the initial conversation or overture ( made by parent or student ) went very well and they’re telling you to follow through and submit an application. The only caveat would be to remember that you’re not the only family doing this and to move heaven and earth ( regardless of hope or expectation ) and get them an app pronto!
I wouldn’t overthink it or think that the exercise isn’t worthwhile because you might be exactly what they’re looking for. If you frame the exercise properly with your student… you never have anything to lose by submitting a Hail Mary BS application .
All the best and good luck!!
@CC4life yea da was one of my first choices along with choate, da because of their really strong swim team and choate for their super good orchestra. both i loved because they had really good stem opportunities, and i was really praying to get off the waitlist, even though the chances were pretty much a fat zero. maybe it’s just me, but it seems like every school closed their waitlist immediately without taking anyone off.
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@muchanxieotea In regards to swimming, the Loomis coach pretty much said that when they have founders league championships it literally comes down to Choate vs Loomis because while Hotchkiss, Kent, etc. are all strong teams Loomis and Choate blow them out of the water.
I also felt like schools closed their waitlist really quickly, but keep in mind that a lot of schools are really good at estimating their yield. Particularly when it comes to “top tier” schools they are usually always in demand and already have high yields that tend to stay pretty even as years go by. Of course, there are years where they have really unexpected yields. For example, Exeter’s yield last year was in the 80s when I believe they planned for a yield in the high 60s, this led to very little, if any waitlist movement and deerfield seems to have been overenrolled since it was created in the 1700s, jk jk, but they have been overenrolled for several years now and the deerfield scroll actually ran an article about how the student body is 30-40 students to large. On the other hand, there are years, albeit increasingly less of them, where schools have very low yields. For example, after the SPS scandal in 2014/2015 they ended up taking 25 kids off the 9th grade waitlist alone (I’m sure someone who is close to SPS may have stronger numbers on this because I’m just repeating what a former teacher there told me.)
Particularly, in regards to loomis they drastically underestimated their yield this year because I was told they assumed a 50 percent yield, but I heard their yield was in the high 50s to low 60s depending on the grade. Looks like there will be a large increase in doubles for next years incoming boarders.
While it is important to temper waitlist expectations, I wouldn’t entirely give up hope yet. Assuming that each of those top schools has a 2-3 percent attrition rate (meaning the percent of students who leave before graduation), there will be a small handful of spots that open up in the summer. However, those spots usually open up for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders rather than 9th graders, there are still rare scenarios where some 9th graders may decide not to attend.
Anyways, sorry for the really long post, but I’m sure that whatever happens you will go on to lead a happy and successful life. Whether you end up going to bs or not, in 10, 20, and definitely 30 years, the high school you graduated from will have very little difference in your success and future endeavors. Ultimately, people who are passionate, fierce, and relentless in their pursuits will, in my experience, succeed (regardless of whether they have graduation numbers come after their name).
@cc4life Thank you for posting. This year my kid was on waitlist in five private schools. Two schools still didn’t inform about the status on WL. My kid would prepare to go to LHS. If my kid likes LHS next year, he keeps to go there for next 4years. Therefore our family can save money for college. Many posted information help us. Thanks!