Got it. Can you recommend a solid PG 13 school that may accept him for fall? Phillips Exeter looks solid but as you said they are closed. Also, does he get a separate diploma that says PG 13 or thats just reflected in the transcript? How would the universities know he took PG 13 when he applies as freshman?
He doesn’t need a top boarding school - any boarding school will have college counselors who know how to navigate the admissions landscape and teachers who know exactly what to say in their letters of recommendation. His issue isn’t rigor or scores so he’s okay on there front - he just needs help with the process. A private counselor might have helped but couldn’t really work on a possible issue, the local school’s teahers’ and GC’s letters of recommendation (which might have been excellent for another cultural context but not have worked for US colleges), and his list wouldn’t have been allowed at most US schools - which is why I think a boarding school would help more than a gap year or a public school.
He’ll get a separate transcript listing his classes, including any independent study where he’ll work on specific personal projects. He’ll also get a US GPA.
His guidance counselor’s letter, his teachers’ recommendations will come from the boarding school. That’s how universities know he’s enrolled.
OP’s son would be better served doing a productive gap year. What would really be the point of entering school for another yeat? OP’s son would be starting school in the fall at virtually the same time when high school seniors are starting the process. Teachers/counselors would know him a few weeks/months at the most. What truly meaningul information could they add to his recommendation?
Public schools would be hard pressed to admit him because he belongs to the graduating cohort based on where he started 9th grade anywhere in the wworld. Even if her were to be admitted (and that is a big if, because most school districts will not admit a student who has already graduated high school) as a 5th year student, he is dragging that schools graduation rate, which I am sure would not make the administration happy. On the off chance a public school does take him, he will be unbanked and his US GPA would be for one semester as the high school would still be sending a copy of his transcript along with the new high school transcript.
He may also be better served creating a new list because the 5 schools that he applied to last year will still have his application on file. What new information would he really be putting into his application
“Phillips Exeter looks solid” “his grades were not that stellar”
OP, I think you might also need to re-calibrate. Exeter is one of a tiny handful schools that can be reasonably called Ivy feeder schools. IB 38 is within range for Oxford.
The hardest thing for achievement oriented parents and students to understand about the US college system is the sheer number of extraordinarily qualified students competing for a very tiny number of places. The 5 colleges that were deemed appropriate for your son attract tens of thousands of applications from students around the world just like your son: bright, hard working, with lots of strings to their bows.
Figure out the relative importance of the different variables to you. If prestige is top of the list, then you do what you can to get him into the colleges that are ‘good enough’ to tick that box for you. But, you also work on finding hidden heroes that will give you enough bragging rights that you are happy - and give your son a college experience that he is happy with. For example, given his interest in robotics, consider USC (University of Southern California), Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, UC Santa Cruz and WPI (Worcester Polytechnic) have some of the top robotics programs in the US. You could assuage your desire for a ‘top’ name and he could do something he loves. Win-win!
Hi MyOS1634, can I send you a DM?, just want to ask your opinion on something. Thank you
^ sure.
I agree with @collegemom3717 - sometimes there are distorsions, cultural misunderstandings, things that don’t translate and lead to statements that could be curious to the in the know but perfectly logical to the outside.
(Op, I didn’t comment, but saying Exeter is solid is a bit like asking if Harvard is good. To me it showed the process you and our son went into last year was wholly unguided; another example: thinking 38 wasn’t good enough. 38,39,40 - holistic admissions don’t care, 37-38 clearly shows the student can do the work and other factors come into play, with luck and institutional priorities the biggest factors.)
@sybbie719 : many many public schools admit foreign graduates. They don’t count in the cohort and may or may not ‘graduate’. They do take classes and have a GPA.
However, because OP’s problem is likely to be linked to their country’s lack of familiarity with the US system, a private school with a PG year would remedy the issues OP can change (recs) or improve (essays) since college counselors at boarding school have a vested interest in their students getting into a good college. A public school is unlikely to offer the resources needed.
@Depressed01 : in the US with a good college is a top 10% college, such as those in the Princeton review guide. There are 3,700 colleges in the US. Think in terms of continents, not country.
No one can guarantee admission to a university/LAC with a 25% acceptance rate because all candidates under consideration are outstanding and no one can know what the institutional priorities are that year.
Hi @MYOS1634 , How do I DM you? Apologies I am not familiar with how this website works
I don’t have much to add other than if the whole point of a pg year is to reapply to another batch of reach schools, you could be exactly where you are now.
I can’t emphasize enough needing true match and safety schools. USC, GT, CMU are still reaches especially in engineering/robotics/CS.
Leaning towards doing a PG year for him. He will then have access to college counselors who can guide him thru the admission process including safety schools, proper recommendation letters, etc. Aside from Gould Academy, does anyone else know of a boarding school PG that still accepts for fall applicants? Thank you
I still struggle with how a PG year will help----assuming he starts somewhere in Aug/Sept, most college applications will be due Nov/Dec—just 5-6 months from now. Wouldn’t the new GC and senior year teacher rec letters be subpar (because they will have only known him for two months) as compared to the ones he already had for senior year?
Are there any colleges on this list (ones that still have openings for fall) that could work?
https://www.nacacnet.org/news–publications/Research/CollegeOpenings/
@mwfan1921, apologies- I meant for PG not college…
Yes, understood. I don’t know of any PG opportunities with fall opening. I merely suggest your S consider attending college in the fall, rather than do a PG year.
If OP’s son attended a foreign school it’s VERY likely teachers and GC had no idea how to handle letters of recommendation.
Imagine a 3-line letter such as “I had Martin in class. He didn’t chat too much. He was obedient, clean, attentive and answered questions when I asked. I was satisfied.” The teacher could think this is a very good recommendation.
They clearly didn’t know 5 reach schools no match no safety was a bad strategy. (of course there’s the possibility of a student or family refusing to follow what advisers suggest). At least the boarding school would help with the basic process.
Op: I’m not sure how one sends dm’s. I think posters need 15 posts. Then click on your own logo?
Yes 15 posts, I think you will have to PM them @MYOS1634
And, understand about foreign school letters of rec.
PG lasts for one year right? what is the point of going PG if what mwfan1921 is saying that the teachers have a shorter time getting to know the student and will probably write subpar recom letters?
Yes PG only one year. As myos says, the international school letters of rec might not be adequate, so maybe the new letters wouldn’t be subpar. Have you seen the rec letters from senior year?
Regardless, you might still consider having your S go to college in the fall, and perhaps transferring to a more highly ranked school in a year or two.
Yes it lasts a year.
The boarding school teachers are pros, their job is to prep students for selective private colleges. They’ll know what to write. It won’t be an in-depth report but it’ll be better than a potentially off the mark letter.
They’ll also help build a college list and coach him for his essays - they’ll know what to review for.
The alternatives are
- the colleges on the list mwfan presented (but then he’d lose his freshman status if he wants to transfer)
Or - a gap year (but then he keeps his current letters of recommendation and is on his own for his essays& his list).
Filter schools at Boarding School Review for a list of PG programs. There are more than 100. After you find ones that look good, pick up the phone to see if they’d consider a late application. You will almost certainly need to be full pay at this point.
The prep school admissions section of CC has a lot of folks whose kids went to BS, so that would be the place to ask about specific schools.
I think given all the options the boarding school one is the most appealing… he wont lose his freshman status, it will be a good transitory experience for him from foreign school to US school and he will have access to knowledgeable GC and teachers who can improve his essays, recom letters and so on. How much is it typically cost? is it affordable? Thank you