Waldorf education and BS Applications

<p>My son goes to a Waldorf school in a rural area and I am wondering how his education can translate on an application. No grades, no test scores, lack of extra curricular (sort of purposefully, sort of due to our rural area). my husband and I both went to boarding schools and we really think he would thrive in a BS setting. We think he is very bright but we don't live in the world of competitive achievements and there is not a laundry list of all his accomplishments (he is in 7th grade!)
Does this automatically exclude him from Boarding Schools? What do they think of Waldorf Education across the board? Anyone know?
Thanks</p>

<p>I am sure a lot of schools (maybe all) will accept the Waldorf school’s transcript even though it doesn’t include grades or standardized test scores. Your son will have to take the SSAT so that will give a snapshot of his abilities.</p>

<p>There are BS that are more freeform than the more traditional BS, if you want to continue in that vein. If you are thinking of the more traditional BS, you’ll need to be sure your son is up for the challenge and will have to work on convincing the schools of that.</p>

<p>We also live in a very rural area and till the end of 6th grade or so, my D had nothing on her “resume.” At that time we moved into town and she picked up a few things: two 4 week seasons of an intramural sport, a 3 day music residency that came to our town, some kid classes offered at our community college, and art classes. </p>

<p>She used the Gateway to Prep application and it has LOTS of spaces for accomplishments, ECs, etc. It asks how many hours per week, how many weeks per year, and how many years for each activity. All of hers were of short duration. She included some activities that she did on her own, such as writing fiction, even though she had very little finished product. She had an excellent reference from her G-T teacher of many years who wrote glowingly of her creative writing which tied in nicely. She did not submit any of her writing with her applications and in fact during the application year her interest morphed into visual arts.</p>

<p>She went to a 1 week G-T “camp” for about 3 summers but I don’t think she even put that on her application. It was about 4 hours from where we live. I think it was a lot more lowkey than, say, the programs offered by Hopkins or Stanford.</p>

<p>So the gist of it is, your son is most definitely not automatically excluded from BS. I think the fact that you went to BS will be a plus as the schools will know you have a good idea of what you and he are getting into. You will have an opportunity in parent essays and interviews to explain the relative lack of ECs. I am going to guess that your son’s teachers know him better than the average public school teacher knows their students and will be able to write really good references.</p>

<p>I do suggest that you find some things for your son to be involved with so he doesn’t have a totally blank page where it asks for ECs and accomplishments. Or look at his current activities/interests with an eye as to how to put them on paper. My D played an instrument for a few years and she put orchestra down on the list even though everybody playing an instrument was in orchestra. It still involves a higher level of commitment, practice time, performances, etc.</p>

<p>D applied to 4 schools and was accepted at 2. She received very generous FA at the school she is now attending, a school that values creativity. It’s not one of the big name schools but it couldn’t be more perfect for her.</p>

<p>Since boarding schools accept plenty of home-schooled kids, I don’t see why they wouldn’t consider Waldorf kids.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot for your answers. That was helpful. I suppose it’s not that I don’t think the schools can see past his rather empty admissions folder but more that I was surprised by the amount of space given to list all his accomplishments. Our thought was to give him the opportunity to be a kid when he is a kid and then give him the opportunity to reach out/branch out when he is old enough to appreciate it and participate in a more sophisticated world. No part of me wants to shelter my kid- I am really excited he wants to explore BS. It just was surprising to me that they wanted my son to list all his community services. His entire extended family without exception gives back to their community- we were raised that way but who asks a 10, 12, 14 year old to “give back”? Sure, be civic minded but don’t parents model this behavior and then kids, when they are adults and have perspective, give back?<br>
Do you find there is a lot of contrived “go out and do this for the applications” out there? He is only in 7th grade so I guess I could get him involved this summer but I am almost embarrassed to do this. He naturally is a giving person and is very proud of his parent’s volunteerism and will surely follow suit, but he does not actively do community service (other than earth day clean up and helping his elderly relatives with miscellaneous chores) Has anyone else been in this situation??</p>

<p>Please don’t fall prey to the feeling that your son should go out and do things just for the sake of the application. I know it’s easy to start feeling that way, when you look at the application forms and you start reading the posts on this forum, where it seems like every kid applying to boarding school has soloed at Carnegie Hall, been named a chess master champion, and feeds the poor in their spare time. Lots of kids applying to boarding school are just regular kids. The provide all that space on the application form because there are people who legitimately need it (and don’t forget, it’s the same form for 8th graders applying to 9th grade, and seniors applying for a PG year – it runs a big gamut). My son will be going to a HADES school next year, and he’s never done an hour of community service, other than projects he does as a part of his current school (and we certainly didn’t list that on the application). His lack of community service didn’t hamper the application process, nor did the fact that he didn’t have many other extracurriculars to list either. He plays sports, and is passionate about one of them (but wasn’t good enough to be recruited for it), and that’s pretty much it for his ECs. So don’t worry about the “empty admissions folder.”</p>

<p>Please don’t have your child run out and suddenly join a bunch of activities. The AO’s want genuiness. They can smell resume-padding. </p>

<p>There are other posts in this forum about Waldorf-schooled kids. Here is how you do a a SEARCH in the CC website. You have to be logged in.</p>

<p>1) On the blue horizontal menu bar, click Search, then select Advanced Search</p>

<p>2) In the Search by Keyword box, type “Waldorf”. And underneath where it says “Search Titles Only” change that to “Search Entire Posts”</p>

<p>3) Then in the **Search in Forums(s) **section, scroll down to the bottom of the list and select “Prep School Admissions”</p>

<p>4) Hit the Search Now button, and a bunch of discussions regarding Waldorf–schooled kids will appear.</p>

<p>High Mowing School is a Waldorf boarding school. I think they would not be disturbed by an applicant from a Waldorf school.</p>

<p>I think you should not underestimate the appeal of a kid from a very, very different background. If you decide to pursue an application to boarding schools, you should raise the question of how a school regards an applicant from a Waldorf school with admissions officers in the parent segment of every interview. Some schools offer visits and interviews in the summer, which would give you time to think of ways to approach the application, should the general response be, “we like to see extracurriculars.” I suggest you visit the school(s) you and your husband attended at the start of your process. </p>

<p>You would also be able to write very interesting parent statements about why your child wants to attend boarding school.</p>

<p>Your son may do more than you think. What does he do when he isn’t in school? Does he take care of animals or do significant chores at home, read, write or create things?</p>

<p>I 100% agree with your view on letting kids be kids and I’m sure that there are some smart admissions people who probably have uber-child exhaustion Assuming that your son is bright, can do relatively well on the SSAT and interview, I think his Waldorf education will probably serve him well in admissions.</p>

<p>wow- these are such great answers. Thanks. My kid is a really passionate sailor, is an excellent student, is an avid reader, solid soccer player and has played in a steal drum band for the last two years although did not play this year due to scheduling issues. He has three younger siblings and during the summer we sail and visit islands around where we live. Lots of family time. He has great friends and is just solid. His teachers love him. So I am not saying he has no potential to be appealing to a BS school but the way the applications are set up, it just makes me realize that our reason from moving from downtown San Francisco to a rural east coast town was to have our kids grow up in a really simple slow paced childhood and it has been great but equally great is to give him now, the opportunity to be in an incredible environment during his high school years. I think he will transition well- although honestly, I have NO IDEA about the workload as he simply does not have a pile of homework every night. Our first steps are a) he is taking the SSAT’s this summer (just to determine how he tests) b0 identify some schools to look at and then perhaps by the eosummer, decide where to apply…???</p>

<p>There is a June 8th SSAT test, then no more test dates until Oct. Many schools will not accept scores from tests taken earlier than the Oct date, anyway.
[SSAT</a> - Taking the SSAT: Test Dates and Deadlines](<a href=“http://www.ssat.org/ssat/info/test-calendar.html]SSAT”>http://www.ssat.org/ssat/info/test-calendar.html)
You can find SSAT study guides in the bookstore, in the section with SAT, GRE, MCAT study guides. Since your son is an avid reader, he will probably be way ahead of the game in his verbal/reading preparation for the test. </p>

<p>As many here predicted, your son already has plenty of interests & activities. Your mention of sailing caught my eye. Here is a crowd-sourced list of schools that offer sailing, and other unique offerings (caution, it is not an exhaustive list):
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1336246-list-exceptional-unique-offerings-some-bs.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1336246-list-exceptional-unique-offerings-some-bs.html?&lt;/a&gt;
His passion for sailing may be a “hook” for getting into the schools w sailing programs.</p>

<p>Here are some threads that may help you with your school search:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/1174214-one-family-s-bs-search-application-process-start-finish.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/1174214-one-family-s-bs-search-application-process-start-finish.html?&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1130908-hidden-gems-lesser-known-prep-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1130908-hidden-gems-lesser-known-prep-schools.html&lt;/a&gt;
[The</a> Association of Boarding Schools (TABS)](<a href=“http://www.boardingschools.com/home.aspx]The”>Consider our Boarding Schools in US and Canada | BoardingSchools.com)
[Boarding</a> School Review - College-Prep & Jr. Boarding Schools | BoardingSchoolReview.com](<a href=“http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/]Boarding”>http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/)</p>

<p>Speaking to your workload concerns, one idea might be to send him to a boarding school summer program so he can test the waters and get a whiff of the overall vibe. I know Loomis has a program for middle school students. I think Eaglebrook might too. (Beyond that I know squat re: their specifics.) Dig around and you’ll probably find a lot of options. </p>

<p>Seems to me that could be a decent transition test, from the Waldorf approach to standard boarding school pedagogy, etc.</p>

<p>Bottom line though, I think, is that schools love kids who are alert and articulate and intellectually curious. Traits like those bode very well for what he/she will contribute to the life of the school.</p>

<p>I hesitate to make this offering, because it is not an easy read, but since you mention sailing, you might enjoy reading The Starboard Sea, a novel by a Tabor Academy grad. It is a grueling coming of age tale, but much of it resonates for me, too, as a BS alum.</p>

<p>My D actually transferred from a BS to a Waldorf school! She had been in public school before that. The workload at her BS was very heavy, plus she is not the most efficient worker, so the grind was beginning to get to her and her schedule was crazy. Out of the house at 6:30 and not home til 6:30 (she was a day student, but kept similar hours to a boarder), almost 6 days a week.</p>

<p>It was a great school, it just wasn’t for her. The Waldorf education has really ignited her passion to learn. She needs hands-on and holistic experiences. This week she exclaimed, “At BS we memorized how catapults and velocity works. At Waldorf, we BUILD a catapult and experiment with velocity!” That describes her experience to a T.</p>

<p>The workload is so very different between the 2 schools. At one Waldorf parent meeting, a couple of (lifelong) high school parents were remarking that at that point in the term, their kids were having so much work to do and having to stay up so much later to get it all done. My husband and I looked at each other and grinned, because our daughter felt so much freer with much less work, but more meaningful work. I am glad she knows how much work she can potentially take on, but happy that she is learning much the same curriculum, just in a different way.</p>

<p>I would seriously ask yourself what is your end goal of switching schools? If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me</p>

<p>Pelican Dad- Yes, i read it, and it was um, terrifying but I couldn’t put it down. BTW- Pelican, mmm, that was my BS mascot…
I have lots of research to do now and will get on it. surfcity, his Waldorf school goes until 8th grade. The work load is a potential issue- one that i will have to explore. I am not sure that it is about rising to meet the challenge for him or an enormous amount of work that seems unnecessary. Maybe it’s somewhere in the middle? Anyway, onward-
thanks for all the great advice- i have some links to check out- thanks GMTplus7</p>

<p>In my opinion, you shouldn’t feel that your son needs to present the same array of organized activities he would have presented, had you remained in the city. It sounds to me as if he keeps himself busy, is likely to integrate well into a boarding community, and will not look-like-every-other-applicant-from-the-suburbs. </p>

<p>As you and your husband attended boarding schools, you know what’s involved in “going away” to school. Every school our kids applied to asked for details on any relatives who had attended boarding school (“way back when.”) </p>

<p>The SSAT results will help you to identify an initial range of schools. You may detect holes in his preparation, so don’t despair if it seems low. I am not knocking Waldorf schools, it’s just that the SSAT does often surprise parents. </p>

<p>Oh, welcome to the site, and ignore the “chances” forum.</p>

<p>thanks for the advice and heads up</p>