<p>My 8th grade son just applied to a prep school (very late) 3 weeks ago. Admissions insisted it was not "too late" to apply. His interview went well and he has a long list of honors courses, extra-curriculars behind him. The school encouraged him to take the SSAT (just 2 days after his interview) and we felt like everything was going very well. He did not have any time to prep for the SSAT.</p>
<p>His scores were Verbal-716, Math, 719, Rdg. 698 for an overall total of 2133.</p>
<p>We've just been informed that he is "wait-listed" in the middle of 5-6 others, and that the school is currently heavy on boys and will see if they can balance with more girls. They said we should know more by late May when 1st contract payments are due, in terms of openings.</p>
<p>Were his SSATs too low? I'm thinking this is a very bad sign. Any advice from people with more experience applying to prep schools? Does he have a decent chance or is this the nice way of saying "no"?</p>
<p>From a waitlist, the chance of getting in is low, but if you are full pay there is a better chance. If your school your son applied to says that they are heavy on boys then I wouldn’t put too much hope on this. If you son doesn’t get in this year there is always next year and he can always reapply. Good luck!</p>
<p>People on this board have discussed the following schools for late applications: Kent, Northfield Mt. Hermon, Blair, Loomis, Berkshire, and the Hill – all very good schools. I’m sure there are many more. If you are unhappy with the waitlist outcome and you can pay the full tuition, then your son can still apply to a few more. </p>
<p>What are the SSAT %'s for each test? Not the national %, but the % among SSAT test takers?</p>
<p>Verbal 81%
Math 66
Rdg 82</p>
<p>Those scores are good, and would be attractive to many boarding schools. Unless he wants to apply exclusively to the most competitive schools, those scores should keep your son in the running.</p>
<p>I think the Admissions Officer was being truthful to you. Schools like to have gender balance. It’s not too late to look at some more schools. Your son may have several offers in hand by the end of May. It would be best to do this sooner than later.</p>