Too late?

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Is it too late to begin looking at boarding schools for next fall?</p>

<p>We have been considering a few day schools in our area, but these would require more than 3 hr commute each day, and have just started thinking BS might make more sense.</p>

<p>My D skipped 8th grade this year and is in a college prep charter program. She will have 15.5 high school credits completed at the end of this year, including one AP, many honors classes, and 4yrs of Spanish. She could enter BS as a 9th or 10th grader.</p>

<p>She took ISEE last weekend:</p>

<p>Entering 9th. 10th
VR. 97. 95
RC. 94. 90
QR. 95. 91
MA. 97. 94</p>

<p>She has very strong EC's and rec's. We do need significant Merit and/or FA.</p>

<p>Thoughts... Suggestions... Do we just need to wait another year to apply since we are so late starting the process? Would she even be a strong candidate for BS? </p>

<p>I am feeling very overwhelmed and clueless about the whole process and would greatly appreciate some help.</p>

2

<p>I doubt it’s too late. In fact, I know of a case where a student didn’t get into any of their choices on March 10th but, with a lot of help from their elementary school staff, got admitted to a very very good CT prep school that they hadn’t originally applied to. I’m pretty sure that was not a FA situation, which makes a difference. </p>

<p>But I would get on it right away, pick a few schools, contact them and see if they will give you a break if you visit and get everything else in soon.</p>

3

<p>Most of the deadlines have passed. And preparation should start well before then. I know of two schools that have later deadlines. Blair and Lawrenceville, but you might want to start asking for recs immediately if it’s what you want to do.</p>

4

<p>Okay, let’s slow down a moment here. There’s no need to start thing about late (post-March 10) admissions yet. There are plenty of schools with end of January and mid-February application deadlines.</p>

<p>Go to [Boarding</a> School Review](<a href=“Boarding School Search Results”>Boarding School Search Results) and look for schools that interest you that have later deadlines (or rolling admissions). The next thing to check, and this is potentially a dealbreaker, is each school’s financial aid deadline. For some schools, this is earlier than their application deadline, so you need to check this carefully.</p>

<p>Once you’ve found schools you’re interested in, you need to do the following things ASAP:</p>

<p>(1) Start the school applications. This process will be much easier if you limit yourselves, to the extent possible, to schools that accept either the [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.boardingschools.com/how-to-apply/application.aspx]TABS[/url”&gt;Application Deadline - BoardingSchools.com]TABS[/url</a>] or the [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.ssat.org/ssat/apply/apply-main.html]SSAT[/url”&gt;http://www.ssat.org/ssat/apply/apply-main.html]SSAT[/url</a>] online application. Both of these sites list the schools that accept their applications, so you can start there for your school search as well. Note that these two applications are virtually identical, so if you end up having to do both, it won’t be any extra work.</p>

<p>(2) Start your [url=&lt;a href=“http://sss.nais.org/parents/]NAIS[/url”&gt;http://sss.nais.org/parents/]NAIS[/url</a>] online financial aid application. Be aware that the application can be a PITA (am I allowed to say that on here?) if you’ve never done it before. There’s also a minimum 24-hour delay between when you get all of your personal data submitted and when you can start uploading the required supporting documentation. So don’t delay!</p>

<p>(3) Ask your D’s English & math teachers & guidance counselor (or school principal) for recommendations immediately. You can use the forms from the TABS website (above) or from SSAT for all the schools your D applies to, regardless of whether or not the school accepts that standard application. Just ask the teachers to write out one recommendation for now, and then you’ll let them know in a few days how many copies you need, at which time you can give them stamped, addressed envelopes. But give them the form now, so they can get started.</p>

<p>(4) Call the schools and ask about interviews.</p>

<p>Note that you may be eligible for waivers of both your application fees and your NAIS processing fee, depending on your financial circumstances. Ask the schools about this. (You’ll need one waiver for each school, even if you use the SSAT common application, but only one NAIS waiver. The NAIS waiver covers all the schools.)</p>

<p>The fact that your D has already taken the ISEE puts you way ahead of the game, so you should be fine, even though it may seem like a daunting process. (Oh, and most of the schools accept the ISEE in lieu of the SSAT, even though they may not mention it on their websites.)</p>

5

<p>For example (and this is just one of many), Emma Willard School has a February 1 application deadline and accepts the SSAT standard application.</p>

<p>Get someone on every computer in your house, get all family members involved, and start looking! :)</p>

<p>One other observation . . . if your D skipped 8th grade, you probably want to be looking at repeating 9th, just to get her back with her own age group. Trying to get her in as a very young 10th grader is going to be challenging . . . plus, it’s easier to get in for 9th grade anyway!</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the replies. </p>

<p>I will take a look at the TABS and SSAT online apps and see if any of the schools we are considering will accept those. I am very glad to hear that most schools will accept the ISEE for the SSAT. We have already filled out the NAIS FA application for the day school where she applies so I assume we can just add schools to our list on there. </p>

<p>Her teachers have also already written rec’s for her for other the day school so doing additional ones shouldn’t be too much trouble for them I’m hoping. </p>

<p>Interestingly, Emma Willard is one of the schools we had been looking at online. </p>

<p>I am fine with my daughter starting in 9th grade as long as we can afford the four years of school. </p>

<p>The process does seem daunting, but we will keep plugging along and see if we can get at least a couple of applications in for this year. </p>

<p>Thanks for all the advice!</p>

7

<p>Okay, let’s slow down a moment here. There’s no need to start thing about late (post-March 10) admissions yet. There are plenty of schools with end of January and mid-February application deadlines.
(dodgermom)</p>

<p>I wasn’t saying start thinking about post-March 10 admissions, I was using that as an example of how schools can be flexible with their deadlines. I wouldn’t totally rule out schools with a January 15 deadline but I would probably want to call them tomorrow.</p>

<p>Right now they’re probably just putting the files together and sorting out the categories.
If you’re an appealing candidate, have a valid reason for being so late and can get the material in quickly I wouldn’t be surprised to see some schools say it’s OK.</p>

8

<p>Dodgersmom Thanks always for great info. Also to the original poster there are also many schools that have rolling admission.</p>

9

<p>You already have many of the pieces to an application. The hard part would be the interview. You will need to call. </p>

<p>Many schools have a January 31st or February 1st deadline. Asheville School, George School, Northfield Mount Hermon, St. Mark’s School, Miss Porter’s School, and others.<br>
Limit the schools to those which accept the SSAT or TABS applications. There are many good schools on the TABS list: [Application</a> Form - The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS)](<a href=“http://www.boardingschools.com/how-to-apply/application/admission-application-form.aspx]Application”>http://www.boardingschools.com/how-to-apply/application/admission-application-form.aspx). </p>

<p>As with colleges, the further you are from the school, the more exotic you appear. I agree with Kaflookey, you need not necessarily ignore the schools with January 15th deadlines, but you must be efficient. Call a school, but if they don’t pick up the phone, or say, “we can’t consider your daughter for the current round of admission,” thank them and move on.</p>

<p>This is an old thread, but good to read: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/694617-now-mid-april-dust-settling-i-wish-tell-my-story.html?highlight=tabor[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/694617-now-mid-april-dust-settling-i-wish-tell-my-story.html?highlight=tabor&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>In May, the SSAT will publish the SCCA list, for “schools currently considering applications.” </p>

<p>It is not too late, but it will not be easy, and you must restrict your search to schools willing to consider an application which arrives after their published deadlines. If you need FA, it will be significantly more difficult, and it might be better to wait a year to apply before the application deadline.</p>

10

<p>I applied in may, got into Choate in June. It can happen.</p>

11

<p>Yep, it’s happened @bowlofchili.</p>

<p>But it’s not a general rule and while the OPs case may be an exception - We’re cautious about posting that on the general board because it might cause many other students and parents on CC to think there is wiggle room to fudge the deadlines. A few parents over the years have posted they applied post deadline, but for the most part, most applicants who try that will be shut out of the most competitive schools - especially if FA is a factor in the decision.</p>

<p>But as was always my mother’s advice: You won’t know unless you try. :slight_smile: so @robogirlsmom should make some phone calls to those that are closed, but also get the apps out quick to those who are still open to applications.</p>

12

<p>@Periwinkle: Thanks for linking to that “mid-April” thread…before my time here, but some good lessons to be gained from reading it. I’m going to bump it.</p>