<p>prepparent, for the past few minutes I was looking at some old threads of mine. I was reading what you said about smaller schools. I think I'm going to take a closer look at Groton and Middlesex.</p>
<p>JK, although middlesex has a smaller endowement than Groton, they do offer FA blindly. In fact, last year a matching donation of 6million (total of 12million) was made to Middlesex. I believe 6million is to go towards FA. I'm not sure when this is to take place (the additional 6million), but I assume soon. By the way, Cathy Giles, the headmaster at MX has set a goal of being the Best small boarding school in America. She came to Mx from groton. They have spent alot of time figuring out exactly what would constitute's being the Best small bs in america. I will say this, even with my bias, they are on the right track. It would also appear that they are agressively looking to capture a wider net of applicants. Tha's for another day.</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Now I'm considering even NOT apply to andover, SPS, and Deerfield, and just apply to Greenhills and Groton...</p>
<p>If I were to apply to all these schools, I think I would have to get around four recommendations from EACH teacher. I'm not sure if I would want to do that...</p>
<p>Today I've been watching Groton's videos and the school seems so closes knit and like a family...it's nice.</p>
<p>Jonathan, you won't have a true feel for these schools unless you visit. My brother also thought he loved Groton before he visited. Now he's not even applying.</p>
<p>I think demonstrated interest is very important at these schools. Visiting is so important on so many levels.</p>
<p>JK, suze is correct, you may absolutely dislike groton. The best and only way in my opinion is to visit. Since this may be an issue for you, I guess you'll have to wait till the revisit time. If you choose to not attend the revisit or interview on site, and choose a school from a sales video, you'll regret it. This goes for any school.</p>
<p>I'm sure that if I got accepted my parents would visit the schools with me. I definitely wouldn't attend a school without visiting it.</p>
<p>Jonathan, I think several here are worried about how you're going about the process. When you talk about applying to fewer school you sure worry me. A white kid, non athlete needing financial aid is a hard thing as others have posted. You need to apply wide, and apply to schools where they don't have tons of kids who are happy to pay full freight as does an Andover, SPS or Deerfield.</p>
<p>In most places top day schools are equally hard or harder to get in if you don't provide diversity, so I worry that your alternative is one day school.</p>
<p>Jonathan, rethink the list.</p>
<p>Greenhills' (day school) acceptance rate is 70%, which is pretty high. I haven't even convinced my mom to let me apply to boarding school yet, so I'm not 100% about my list.</p>
<p>I'm fairly confident Greenhills will accept me, so hopefully I could go there instead of boarding school.</p>
<p>What's their acceptance rate with aid though?</p>
<p>I don't know...</p>
<p>20% of the student body in on FA, and the average grant is $8,800.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.greenhillsschool.org%5B/url%5D">www.greenhillsschool.org</a> <--- there's the site if you want to take a look.</p>
<p>I can't echo enough that you need to visit a school--- sometimes even more than once to figure out whether you want to be there.</p>
<p>Jonathan, most of these schools will use their aid dollars for athletes and URMs, you can't count on any one.</p>
<p>Jonathan: stay with the programme. Either throw in a serious application at preps where for the right reasons you really want to go or decide to go to Greenhills.</p>
<p>In my opinion, Groton isn't a bit like Greenhills. Although small, Groton is not particularly mothering and will expect you to have your act together on the application. Also I don't know what you've been smoking about relative chances of getting in with FA. Figure it out, a school like St. Paul's has 1000 applications, accepts about 200, and has a 70% enrollment rate. Forty percent of those accepted are offered financial aid, that is 80 out of 1000 initial applicants. Of those 80, about 4 will be merit scholars--Cook, Classical Honors, about 8 will be all star academics, the kind of applicant of whom the teacher says he or she is the best they have encountered in their career, about 6 will be legacies, about 18 will be URM, about 4 will be hockeyplayers from Canada and about 8 will have a strong performance record in Music/dance/art. That leaves 32 "unhooked" FA places for those who make the first cut ( for practical purposes the top 33% of the applicant pool). The situation at Groton/Exeter/Deerfield is similar. So don't go up and down the scales about where to apply--you need 6 schools to be reasonably sure you have given it your best shot. Look at Peddie.</p>
<p>Check out Lawrence Academy... excellent school; more nurturing than Groton.</p>
<p>Well said Paleozoic.</p>
<p>Where FA applicants are concerned, they are generally used to improve the school overall, either athletically, artistically, or academically. You've got to be in the top 1/3 probably to even be considered and the top 1/4 of any of these categories to have a good chance.</p>
<p>Put it this way, why would they discount the tuition for a student who has a significant likelyhood of lowereing the average?</p>
<p>If I were you, I would concentrate on demonstrating how I can improve a school, knowing that if my contributions are significant, that my likelyhood for FA is commensurate with that contribution.</p>
<p>Concentrate your efforts on those schools where you improve the student profile.</p>
<p>And round and round we go.............ending just where we started 3 months ago</p>
<p>You noticed?</p>
<p>Okay...</p>
<p>My mother will be speaking to the admissions officer at Greenhills about financial aid, so hopefully he'll convince her to let me apply there. If she does, then I'll be happy with that, although I'd be happier if I could apply to a few boarding schools as well.</p>
<p>I emailed Groton yesterday about scheduling a phone interview or off campus interview. They haven't replied.</p>
<p>The boarding schools I am seriously considering now are Groton and SPS. I've been wanting to attend SPS since the 6th grade, before I came on CC. I just LOVE the school and it's seems like I'd fit there really well. (Of course I'm judging this on viewbooks and the website, but there's also somce schools I didn't like by looking at those things as well. I know I should visit the school before making my final decision, and hopefully I can do that on re-visit day if I get in). Groton seems like an amazing and strong school, which reminds me of a big family. I think I would fit in there as well.</p>
<p>and for those of you saying those FA sports are reserved for URMs, athletes, etc. I'm in swimming, and I'm possibly as good as to where I could play on one of the school teams. (This wouldn't be the case if I applied to SPS or Groton, because they don't have swimming.) I've also been in soccer for eight years, and maybe I could be recruited for that. I've been playing the saxophone for quite a while, too, and I'm pretty good at that.</p>
<p>Also, at Middlesex, there's not one student from Michigan, so hopefully that could be a "geographical hook" as prepparent put it.</p>
<p>Well, I gotta go to soccer. Thanks again for all your help.</p>
<p>Jonathan: did you read what prepparent wrote in post 76? Over the months we have been up and down the scales and we are no further ahead than when we started. You will get into Greenhills--the school sounds tailor made for you. It is in my opinion unlikely that you will get into SPS much less Groton. The reason has nothing to do with your abilities but everything with the dynamic between you and your parents. You have too many issues to work out and because of that you cannot focus on your application. Read my previous post on how tough it really is to get in with serious money. You're not a URM, you're not a performing artist, not a first rate athlete, you're not interested in classics (which would give you a real leg up at both places). You're just a very good student who thinks he would like to go to Groton. The only "hook" you have is your belief that you belong, and now you're throwing that away. Get with the programme.</p>
<p>I think we've all had enough drama for now.</p>
<p>At this point, his BS applications are a non-starter until his mother agrees that a boarding school is a good idea and is willing to sign the application. JK, the ball is in your court on this one.</p>
<p>As far as more realistic possibilities are concerned, let's wait and find out how far JK gets with his mother on Green Hills. She may or may not think it is a good thing for JK. Perhaps she will think it is inadequate for JK and then move on to look at an eastern BS. I get the feeling that this is how the action will play out (despite all of JK's nashing of teeth).</p>
<p>Until he gets Green Hills going, I think it is pointless to advise him on other strategies.</p>