I have about a year or two to prepare. My grades aren’t anything special, I don’t have any amazing rewards or achievements either. I doubt I’ll even apply to these schools, especially considering I will need finical aid. Don’t drag me through the mud, please.
What should I do to prepare myself for applying to top prep schools (lawrenceville, groton, exeter,)
I haven’t gotten any of the results for which schools I got rejected from yet but I do know that schools like to see you choose an area and pursue it and stick with it for at least a few years. Maybe join or start a club, or just research online. What grade are you in?
Seventh. Thanks for the reply.
Then you are looking at the wrong schools- there are plenty of wonderful schools. Decide why you want to attend any prep school and what you would like it to offer you: small, large, single sex or co-ed, sports?, theater?. Then be honest about your self as a student.
If I were you I’d research a bunch of schools, find out more about them and see which ones you really want to go to; not just for the name. Then start studying A LOT for the ssats, it is not about the subject matter, but instead about how well versed you are with the test format. Since you’re in the seventh grade, you have the next year and a half to find out what makes you excited and what you’re good at — if you’re lucky those two things might even overlap 
remember that every grade you get and every award you win is seen by the schools and just use that to motivate yourself to do better
Honestly just figure out what you want and start going towards that goal, it sounds cheesy and cliche but it’s very true.
My son is currently attending Choate, my daughter graduated from Madeira and my youngest child is waiting for responses now although (MUCH to our surprise) she was sent a letter of acceptance for one of her choices about a week ago. I’m going to shoot straight with you so that you will apply to schools that may be a much better fit for you given your comments. Popular schools are great IF they are a good fit for you, but there’s often 15-20 applicants competing for every seat. There are AMAZING schools out there that may suit you better, offer you larger financial aid packages and provide a much more enjoyable high school experience for you. Here we go…
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First, it’s not impossible to get into one of the top 10 boarding schools. However, to have a chance at getting accepted to one of the schools you named, you’ll need to have top grades. It would be very helpful to also be involved in sports, arts and/or community service activities to be a more attractive candidate. Otherwise, they’d have no reason to think you’ll be active and infuse your special brand of “flavor” into the community.
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You will need a competitive SSAT score and excellent teacher recommendations.
NOTE: Many very qualified students are turned away or waitlisted. My son was waitlisted the first time he applied to Choate (and he’s earned all A’s almost every year in middle school). He was accepted the 2nd time around. Sometimes it about the timing. Even if your chances are slim for the top schools, it’s okay to apply to a few but you MUST include more schools that are a bit less competitive and have higher acceptance rates if you really want to be accepted to a part of a boarding community (this may also be better for you as you settle into the boarding environment and academic expectations).
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If you can, you should visit the school for a tour and overnight stay, if possible. While there, get to know the admissions counselors so they can advocate for you if they think you’ll be a good addition to the school.
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RESEARCH: I would suggest that you do your research now and preliminarily start planning your school visits for next fall. Now through the summer is the perfect time to prepare (research) so that you are ready to move forward (to schedule your school visits and interviews) immediately after school starts in the fall. Spaces book up quickly, especially for popular schools. To research schools, go online to the (1) TABS website (The Association of Boarding Schools), (2) The Boarding School Review website, and google the top 50 (or 100) US Boarding Schools and research the schools listed after the top 25 or 30. There are MANY amazing schools with gorgeous campuses, wonderful resources, competitive college acceptances and exciting programs that are listed, so “don’t sleep” on those great schools. It would be terrible to choose a school that requires more academic rigor than would be appropriate for you, or to be in a school that doesn’t align with your learning style.
In your research, I would suggest that you take a look at single-gender schools. The nurturing that students (both boys and girls) receive in that environment is incredible. Research the advantages and be amazed.
- Plan to take the SSAT no later than November (earlier if you can because applications are time consuming, and you’ll be busy with applications, interviews, school visits and your regular school work - it’s a very busy time) so that if you need to retake it, you can do so in December (January is usually the absolute latest, but check with the individual schools first).
START STUDYING EARLY. You can order either the online or paper materials from the SSAT testing site in advance. The online materials provide more information about what you’re getting right and wrong, and maybe some additional insight on your SSAT practice skills (it’s been awhile since we used it, so I don’t clearly recall). The practice tests are quite helpful. You could dedicate a little study time on the weekends starting spring or during the summer, and be ready for the exam.
Well, that’s all I got kiddo! You will do just fine if you do your research in advance. Know why you want to attend a boarding school and find a school that aligns with your purpose. I happen to believe that boarding school offers THE best educational environments available. You would be hard pressed to find teachers as educated, creative and invested in you and your education - but especially YOU. Much success in your search.
Another option is to explore JBS ( Junior BS ) now https://www.jbsa.org/page . They offer awesome SSAT prep, FA and expert SS guidance and placement. Plus- you will get some boarding experience under your belt. If you’d like to explore this option for next year ( 8th - VI Form ) , contact a JBS AO. Most will consider apps year round.
If you need FA for SS, you will need to add at least 10 more schools. I’m going by what a JBS Placement Head would tell you and it’s free! Consider the schools above your three Hail Mary schools. Remember: An open mind and solid research will be your key to success .
For ease, you can start here: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1545276-2013-14-hidden-gem-applicant-thread-p4.html
I have brought you to p4 because there are links to school websites but the entire thread is definitely worth reading. Also- consider adding single sex schools to your co-ed list. Why? Because it’s strategic and smart- plus they’re all amazing. If you’re a boy- don’t walk past Salisbury or AOF. If you’re a girl- your choices will seem endless and they’re all wonderful .
All the best and good luck! 
I wish I had started preparing as early as you are! My best advice to you is to browse lists of boarding schools, pick a few that sound interesting, and then start doing research on them. Keep in mind that there are good schools outside of the super-prestigious New England loop-one of my favorites that I applied to was actually Episcopal HS in Virginia-that can sometimes be a bit easier to get accepted to. Once you have an idea of where you might want to go, request information packets from them (it was always exciting to find them in the mail!) and start working out the logistics of visiting, touring, and doing interviews. I recommend doing the tours and interviews pretty early on; that way, you’ve got a feel for the school by the time you start writing essays. Be straightforward in the interviews; though you might feel that you won’t seem impressive to these schools, chances are if you be yourself you have some unique interest that’ll set you apart. Plus, you still have plenty of time to volunteer, join a club, or even kick your school work into high gear and improve your grades. After the interviews, schedule a day to take the SSAT and start studying asap (I recommend using the SSAT website). Take one of the full practice tests early in the process, so you know what areas to focus on. Remember, if you bomb, you can always retake it. As for the essays-they may seem daunting if writing isn’t your strong suit, but if it’s not fine writing you can showcase, then showcase your originality. Try to think of an answer to the prompt that no one else could possibly write; you want to stand out, after all. Email coaches of any sports you play, send in a portfolio/video of any art you feel you are strong in, and stay in contact with the admissions officers. Anything you can do to make yourself stand out, do it.
Boarding school might be the right choice for you; it also might not be. Make sure that you want to apply for all the right reasons, and be aware of how much work the applications process is. This past year, I had to put far far more effort into preparing, writing and studying than into homework from all of my classes combined, so make sure this is something you really want to do. Since you need financial aid, your parents will also have to fill out their own application, so make sure that they are willing and ready to do so. No one in my family had ever applied to boarding school before, and we live in an area where it’s basically unheard of, so my parents and I entered the process pretty blindly about nine months ago. We did lots of research, overcame lots of hurdles, and I recently applied to Exeter, St. Paul’s, Hotchkiss, Taft, Lawrenceville and Episcopal. I truly feel that I did the best job I could have, and if I don’t get accepted anywhere, it just wasn’t meant to be. I encourage you to have this attitude if you apply; it has greatly eased my anxiety.
I know it seems like a lot, and it is, but don’t freak out if you really want to apply. Take it one hurdle at a time, and it’ll all fall into place if it’s meant to be. Best of luck!
Standardized Testing:
I second studying and preparing for the SSAT early. I started in the spring of seventh grade because I wanted to be prepared. I started off with the usual test prep books, such as the ones from the Princeton Review and Kaplan. I found them to both be quite helpful and show me techniques that the online SSAT review did not provide. One of the most helpful books for me, as I have trouble with synonyms, is the book “1,200 Words for the SSAT and ISEE,” the book covers the most common vocab that a person will see on the test, many words from that book were actually on the SSAT test that I took. Also, for the verbal section, I suggest using Quizlet, which features many different sets of vocabulary words, some with over 500, which can be very beneficial. Lastly, for verbal, it is helpful to study prefixes, suffixes, and root words as they will be beneficial if you come across a word on the test that you are unsure the meaning of.
When scheduling your SSAT test, be sure to leave enough time in for you to take multiple exams. I had planned starting with the last possible month that I felt comfortable taking a test in, which was December, as I wanted to be able to see my scores before submitting them in. I then went back two months, so that I could safely receive my scores and apply for another test without paying a late fee if needed. These tests are non-refundable, so if you’re really frugal, like me, you want to be sure that you are only spending how much you need to to be able to achieve your target score.
Scheduling:
After you have a list of schools that you think that you want to visit and interview with, start looking at calendars, of both your life (your school, family plans, extracurriculars, sports, etc.) and all of the schools that you want to visit and interview at. Ideally, you want to find a day in which you have the day off of school, and the school you are visiting is off of school. For me, there weren’t any planned days, but I was out of school on days in which there were non-educational eighth-grade field trips to be able to interview.
I lived too far away from any of the schools that I had applied to so I had mostly done Skype interviews and off-campus if the school had offered it. Some of the schools that you are applying to may not list that they are able to accommodate any off-campus or Skype interviews, such as Groton or Thacher, but if you are set on applying to that school, don’t be afraid to email or call the admissions office to ask about having one, they want students to apply to their school.
Also, I STRONGLY suggest that you visit as many schools as possible, you truly want to get a feel for what the schools are like, what the community is like, how the people are, etc. You cannot get that from a viewbook, all of them start looking the same, and all they really can do is tell you about the programs offered at these schools. As a fellow financial aid applicant, I understand how expensive a visit to one of these schools may be, especially when you have to fly there and back and make your parents take vacation days just to do so, but it is vitally important that you enjoy where you are going to school for the next four years. Yes, it may not seem long, but high school is one of the places where a person truly develops, and you want to go to a place that makes you happy and enjoy life, not one that doesn’t.
Schools love to see one or two areas that you pursue as much as possible. Try something like a sport or pick your favorite subject and stick with it!
I only wish I had known about boarding school when I was in 7th grade. I accidentally stumbled upon Exeter while researching Mark Zuckerberg (weird, I know) in 8th grade, and from there, I only had a few months to get my stuff and my applications together. Needing financial aid is not something substantial (I know others will disagree; this is merely my own opinion), especially if you’re considering big schools like one of the HADES. For example, Exeter and Andover have such large endowment funds that they’ll definitely be able to carry the cost of tuition for you. However, of course, these schools are harder to get into, so you’ll have to keep that in mind.
You have plenty of time! I would suggest for you to join many clubs at school (or start a new one). Being part of a club showcases leadership (and, in some cases, such as MathCounts or other clubs, you can earn awards!). You should also consider starting to do community service. Community service helps round out your character. Last bits of advice: study for the SSAT. A good SSAT score can help you out a bit. And continue to improve your grades at school (if you have a B, focus on raising it to an A. If you have A’s right now, make sure they stay that way.) Good luck!
@Choate2MIT Would you mind sharing what school that was - the one that released the early decision?