Thoughts on Dana Hall?

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>We are potentially considering boarding school in a two years for our daughter age 13. We were considering Dana Hall because of the extraordinary riding program, but our daughter is not at the top of her class at school and even has some academic accommodations for dyslexia. She is a great rider, though, and has competed for 7 years. We wonder if she might not be academically qualified for Dana Hall. If it makes a difference, we can pay full tuition and were hoping to have her horse come with her. She would like to be a trainer later or do something else in the equestrian world. She gets high grades in things like art and music, but much lower grades in things like writing and composition. She is not too bad at math but not great. (B-, C+). Her teachers love her.</p>

<p>Is there a chance for a girl like her?</p>

2

<p>Have you seen this? [Academic</a> Support Resources - Dana Hall School](<a href=“http://www.danahall.org/academics/academic_support_resources.html]Academic”>http://www.danahall.org/academics/academic_support_resources.html)</p>

3

<p>I would recommend Thacher for riding, but it is a 13% acceptance rate school…</p>

4

<p>Dana Hall seems to have a pretty high acceptance rate (50%) and being a full pay will work to your advantage.</p>

<p>However - One thing to consider is that although Dana Hall has academic support (many schools do as some learning disabilities become more common) - it may still not be the best place for every student. </p>

<p>One reason for the academic support system is to help high achieving students transition to a course load that is more rigorous than what they are used to in their previous schools. If your daughter is pulling B-, C+ in math the question becomes:</p>

<ol>
<li>will she thrive in an environment where class sizes are smaller and she’ll get more individual attention?</li>
<li>will she struggle because boarding school requires a significant amount of independence and there is much more homework involved?</li>
</ol>

<p>The only way you’ll know if your daughter will be qualified is to ask them if they’re able to accommodate her specific needs. The dyslexia may or may not be an issue - but the grades - given that she has ongoing support - will raise flags at admissions. Beyond that, no one can really tell you how Dana Hall will rule in your child’s case.</p>

<p>Although, I noted that on their website, the sidebar has a word with two letters transposed. Maybe that’s a sign from the universe. :)</p>