Who is a good prep school admissions coach?

Prep School Admissions
21

Does anyone read post history from an OP anymore before weighing in? Clearly not.

Full post here: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/2060617-official-2018-stats-decisions-thread-p1.html

I had to edit because of length but here you go:

OP:
Accepted: None so far.
Rejected: Andover, Taft, Hun & Cate
Waitlisted: None so far.
Likely Attending: Possibly Choate or Exeter – I have not gotten decisions from them yet.

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 60th percentile
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 4.0
• Rank: Not ranked.
• Other stats: I take all accelerated classes. For example, I am a freshman in Honors Chemistry and Spanish 3.

Subjective:
• Interviews: I typically ace interviews, and I felt a nice connection with all my interviewers except for Choate which was a bit weird.
• Essays: I ended up, against my originally moral, hiring an admissions coach. She said my essays were very good, and I ESPECIALLY think my Exeter essays rocked! Exeter is my top school, and the coach was an Exeter alum.

• English Rec: Very complicated. I have to assume this was either OUTSTANDING or horrible. (More below!)

• State or Country: Northeast
• Current School Type: Public HS
• Ethnicity: Caucasian
• Gender: Male
• Grade Applying For: 10th
• Age: 14
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: Full financial aid.

Strengths: Ace interviews, solid essays, good grades.

Weaknesses: Recommendations might have been horrible (or amazing), terrible SSAT score (I think if anything, that was the killer).

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?
Buckle up and get ready for this story! (It is very long, but I will try to sum it up)
It started this past summer when I was on my second teen tour and a friend recommended Exeter to me. Upon my return home, I knew I was in love after a few quick google searches. I humbly called up the Exeter admissions office and said, “Hi, how do I go about applying for this upcoming school year?”
“You mean the one that starts in 5 days?” The admissions officer applied with a chuckle.
“That’s the one!” I applied with enthusiasm, ready to take on the world.
To my dismay, I would soon be told that this is not how it worked and that I would have to wait months to even apply for the NEXT year. At this point, I began to really educate myself about the world of New England and found a boarding school near me on Long Island which I would attend. At this point, I applied and interviewed directly with the headmaster and was admitted on the spot where we prematurely signed a contract in fear that we may lose the financial aid grant if not signed on the spot. (My mother is a cancer survivor and is unable to work and so her income is $0, (except child support) my grandfather covers the cost of my everyday needs and my private education. The grant this school gave us was for roughly $30,000. I went to this school with, admittedly, the wrong mindset. I viewed this school as simply an interlude to the ultimate goal – Phillips Exeter Academy, America’s #1 College Prep School. I was so excited to attend this boarding school because I thought that all boarding schools were very similar. When I got there, I immediately knew I was not going to like the run down buildings, sheer lack of competence from the staff and just straight up vibes from the place. Nevertheless, I am an optimistic person, and I dived in head first joining the crew team, the drama production, becoming a club president and officer in another, a peer tutor, along with a plethora of other things. (Not to mention some of the best grades in the school When I first started telling my father that I didn’t really like it there, the staff listened into my conversation and then used it against me in a future disciplinary hearing based off of nonsense. They didn’t like me because I was open to speaking my mind, add my comments whenever I saw appropriate, voice my opinions, take a stance, and most of all, trying to better myself by going to Exeter. They were out to get me. At this school, I met my English teacher, Taft alumni. She was forced multiple times to write reports about me which led to disciplinary hearings and is now not allowed to even talk to me by orders of the headmaster. Her and I both aspired to something greater and wanted to go (for her, return) to proper New England. The way she made it sound, she was desired to help me and thought that I belonged at (specifically) Taft or Exeter. When I went to my Taft interview and told the lady that I knew this English teacher, it turned out she was my English teacher’s coach for volleyball and that they STILL keep in touch and are very close. She took a selfie with me and sent it to my teacher stating, “Look who I found wandering around!” My English teacher responded with, “Oh my god! That’s [my name], he is such a great kid, he belongs at a school like Taft! [Current boarding school name] cannot provide him with what he needs to thrive!” That message, which I saw with my own eyes, carried TONS of weight in terms of the admissions officer, and I felt like I was being treated like royalty the entire time. The officer was even giving me all these little tips on how to get in and other things. She introduced me to kids on the admissions committee, other adults on it, the head of admissions, and many more people. From that moment on, I knew I had gotten into Taft. (Or so I thought) Later on, as I mentioned, I ended up withdrawing from that boarding school after the assistant head of school cursed out my mother, was telling kids to admit to things I did wrong (where I didn’t) or they would face suspension, pressuring staff members, and wrongfully accusing me of multiple major acts of misconduct. This was a very toxic place and kids were expelled on the daily, children were only there to be extorted for their parent’s money. If you were not rich, played basketball, or foreign, you held no value to them and they loved to just expel you and take your money. This very bad situation has now spiraled into a major lawsuit from my family as I can only believe that they did something after I left to detriment my chances of admission. I applied to 6 schools and had hooks into my top 2 choices. (Exeter & Andover) I understand that my SSAT score was bad, but there is no way that with all of these factors in mind, I didn’t even get waitlisted into one. There are SO many more details and people involved in the story that I can write an entire novel about it. I would write more, but I have minor carpel tunnel and my right hand is really giving me some trouble right now. I would be more than happy to give out more information or answer any questions upon request if you find the story interesting.

Also, CONGRATULATIONS to those who did get accepted to schools they applied to. I have literally prayed to go to Exeter and dreamt about it night after night for the past 6 months without skipping a day. Unfortunately, my dream could not come true for one reason or another. I don’t ask for pity, all I ask is that you take this amazing chance you have been given and enjoy every last minute of it! Do not take it for granted, as there are SO many more like me out there.

So why was I denied? Honestly, I don’t know, and the sad thing is I don’t think I ever will. There are just too many variables that could have made me, or broke me.

22

So all the more reason to use a consultant.

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Not for the schools he wants… plus the "major " lawsuit with the previous school adds another dynamic that most ECs wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole… FP or FA. Plus, he already squandered a 30K award which doesn’t exactly scream BS readiness or hey- let’s give this kid a full ride!

I wouldn’t throw more money at this with an EC. That ship has sailed. He doesn’t have the sats or a track record to work with unless he wants to start over and look at other schools. Period.

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@PhotographerMom: FWIW, I don’t think I’ve ever looked up an OPs stats before…sort of the equivalent of a TLDR.

I do think it’s interesting that the OP applied to Hun (generally not seen as highly selective…or at least not as selective as the other schools on his list) and did not get in. Though the 60% SSAT stands out to me as a tangible weakness in application profile, regardless of the school.

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@Albertjones1 Perhaps they are called educational consultants. I am talking about someone who will help me with my essays and such. Essentially, we are paying them to help me get accepted. I think @cababe97 got it.

@FunintheSun1211 I do use Grammarly premium! It is a wonderful software. My essays were VERY well written in terms of grammar and those sorts of things… I think the overall answer to the question being asked is what lacked.

@Ravenclaw3 Hmm… interesting point. I think maybe I was a little too nervous about getting accepted and I felt like I needed someone to coach me through. At the end of the day though, it almost felt like my voice got a little edited out and we were just throwing in irrelevant things to make it more interesting, (which I think it certainly was) as opposed to something that let the AO get an insight into ME rather than other people in my life.

@PhotographerMom Yeah, this year really (sorry for my language) whipped my ass. It was supposed to be something new and fun and beneficial to me, but instead it just really threw a wrench in things. As far as I know, Exeter/Taft/all other schools did not know about the withdrawal. My family had to hire a lawyer, and I assume a lawsuit will come out of this unless there is a settlement made. I can go on and on about all the issues with the school I attended and why I HAD to withdraw, but it is no use now.

I am exploring other schools and next year I will probably attend a slightly smaller boarding school in Vermont. This time, though, I am going to make sure that I do my research first so that way I don’t run into a similar issue than I did with my first school. I DO, however, want to reapply to just Taft and Exeter next year regardless of what happens. Perhaps if I love this new school so much in Vermont, I wouldn’t even go. But I do not sit here on my Sunday afternoon researching (as I have been for months), just to give up.

About next year: My family is in a unique position. My mother’s income is $0 (apart from about $1K a month in child support), but she is a part-time actress. In the past, she has had years where perhaps she made $300k, but the past two she made $0, now she is starting to work again. She is a cancer survivor who is always dealing with complications from her treatment – so there’s that. BUT, my grandfather can 100% support my mother and I and the rest of my family to live good lives whenever needed. And he does. We applied for the full FA simply because we thought we could save $50k and that a school like Exeter would not care. If I reapply next year, we would not apply for FA. I think now my parents are realizing how much this truly means to me, and that they would be okay spending the money if it meant achieving my dreams.

With regard to my SSAT, that was also a mess. (Like everything else this year) It came right when I was withdrawing from my old school and it seemed as if the world was falling apart. I only studied for about a week since I thought the SSAT didn’t really matter, and I was totally underprepared. Next year, I will study for months in advance and take it more than once – hopefully, I can bump to at LEAST the 80th %-tile. I also spent around $3,000 on the Princeton Review to help me study which was a waste since their website was constantly down for “renovation” during that week and also hurt things.

In case you haven’t noticed yet, this year has just been a complete crap storm. This was my first year rowing. I loved it! I am not a very sporty person, but rowing was something most kids aren’t just “naturally” gifted at like some other sports. The more work you put in, the better you are. Simple as that. However, now being back in public school, I was unable to row this spring which is a real bummer. I looked at alternative sort of club options, but they are all over an hour away. That, coupled with the amount of catching up I have to do from joining a new school mid-year, is impossible.

As I just mentioned, I am not giving up. And you sound very knowledgeable about these things. I am giving myself the summer off 100%, I need to recover from this year. But, come September, you can be sure to look for a DM from me in your inbox! Thanks so much for your honest and thorough thoughts.

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Moving on to the next set of responses:

@brassarrow Got it. Have them ready just in case, but don’t impose if they seem uninterested. Thanks!

@SevenDad and @PhotographerMom (again) I see what you’re saying about this year being a mess, I know. I think that the people I find online (AKA you guys) will do a much better job anyways since they are doing it from their hearts, instead of to get a paycheck. I no longer think that an educational consultant is an answer. Also, I only applied to Hun since my Crew coach at my old school worked there for a long time and strongly recommended it to me. My interview there was the only one that came after my withdrawal, and so I had to tell them. It was also my only Skype interview, and I prefer much to do in-person interviews. It was 100% my worse one. So I was not surprised at my rejection there. Also, they said that they received a much higher than the usual amount of applications this year, but that may just be canned.

Also @PhotographerMom I do think I should touch upon the lawsuit. My mother JUST got a lawyer to send a letter there, so for all, I know it very well may settle out of court. BUT there was a LOT of stuff they did wrong that prompted us to sue. I think my mom just wants the $20k we put into it back. But we could get way more, I don’t know how a court works, to be honest. I would be happy to tell you some of the things they did wrong in a DM, but I don’t want to say it on a public thread like this. DM me if you are curious! But about squandering that $30k award. It wasn’t actually a $30k award as it sounds… (Again, DM me) The school is kind of a joke, most kids weren’t there for the reason I was, but instead because they could not survive in a public school for one reason or another. I even had a conversation with an admissions officer once who told me that she had never rejected a candidate. The education was much worse than that of public school, and it was better for the health of my education to withdraw, no doubt about that.

Thanks again for everything guys! I’ll be back on tonight. I have homework to do now :slight_smile:

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@coppii I just want to clarify what an educational consultant does so you know what to expect- educational consulatants aren’t going to guarantee admission to schools. I applied to 6 schools, got into 3, and waitlisted at 3. I also know friends who had consultants, applied to 5+ schools, and didn’t get accepted to any schools. Consultants don’t equal being accepted.

Here’s what consultant CAN do for you. They can:

  • Help guide you to what schools you should look at based on their knowledge of what you are looking for and your application
  • Reccomend resources such as SSAT books, helpful websites, etc.
  • Role play/ practice interviews with you (my consultant lived out of state so I would Skype with her)
  • Give you tips for interviews and help you practice answers questions
  • Remind you of important due dates and deadlines

But they cannot get you accepted into schools. They can give you tools and resources to succeed but be careful with what expectations you set! I found my consultant very helpful and would recommend hiring one if you are in a place to financially do so. If you aren’t though, better to spend that money on tuition :slight_smile: Good luck and feel free to pm me with any questions!

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@cababe97
That all sounds good and dandy, but I just feel as if I don’t need to pay for most of that stuff. ESPECIALLY with the people I have now found online who really put their heart and soul into this stuff – all for free!

The first time around it was helpful maybe because I was clueless, but I don’t see a need for one now. And as rich or poor as I may be, there comes a certain point where any reasonable parents (in my case grandfather) says enough is enough, no more cash. Thanks though!

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P.S. @PhotographerMom Yea, I know, that Choate thing is crazy. My interviewer was pregnant and I think she was having contractions or something during the interview. Granted I’m a 14-year-old boy and I don’t know that much about being pregnant, she kept closing her eyes and taking deep breaths as if she was pushing through pain. The interview was very strange, and it felt like she was mentally somewhere else. Perhaps she forgot to log my interview or something? I don’t know. But either way, my hopes are not that hight anyways.

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So what exactly happened with Taft? Your teacher recommded you and you spoke to that person…what was reason for rejection?

If you want to PM me I would be happy to read your essays from your application and give you honest feedback of what I think. By that I means, I can tell you my personal opinion.

Like others have said, open up your search. #1 school is unlikely and that is OK. Even kids with 98% ssat get rejected from Exeter. You can succeed in life even if you go back to a public school, your high school will not define you.

Your backstory sounds problematic and needs to be addressed. No school will want to take on a problem so you need to have that story out and up front in your next essay.

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@Albertjones1 Certainly! I PMd you my essay :slight_smile:

My search is opened. I will probably end up attending VA next year, and I’m sure I will love it there. But, it is still my dream to go to Exeter or Taft, my favorite two schools ever. If I cannot go, I would prefer not to transfer schools AGAIN after VA, and I will like it there just fine. So that is why I am not opening up my search, this is not a typical boarding school search.

My teacher who is a Taft alum recomende it to me. At Taft, when I went for my interview and I told one of the AOs in convorsation how I found out about Taft, it turns out that AO was very close with my teacher. She took a selfie of the two of us with her arm around me and sent it to the teacher saying, “Look who I found wandering around New England!” — Something like that. To which my teacher replied, “OMG! [my name] is such a great kid, he belongs at a school like Taft!”. You get the idea. Then me and that AO became very close and stayed in touch. She is the one I have been talking to.

Yep, my story is problematic. No way around it. BUT, I still think it says something about my personality that I have been able to get through it all and still set such high goals for myself. But hey, that’s just me.

Let me know what you think of my essays or any other thoughts/questions you have. Thanks!

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Why did Taft not accept you?

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Nobody can pinpoint why somebody did or didn’t get accepted- admissions is always a gamble @Albertjones1

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I just wondered if they gave him a reason since there was that initial introduction and conversation.

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Are these multiple disciplinary hearings a part of your permanent record? That might be a problem going forward for both prep school and college admissions.

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^ I agree

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@coppii - As a mom- I don’t think someone your age should disclosing all this personal info on threads or in pms. You’re upset and it’s all very understandable but try to keep your personal and family business more private.

You need to really think about the BS FA pool… and the kids you’ll be competing against in that pool. Almost all of them have amazing SSAT scores and perfect everything else. You need to compare those kind of stats to your stats. How do you compare? Are you full ride material or do you need to have a candid conversation with your grandfather?

If your Grandfather agrees to proceed…

Study and take the SSAT again. Once you have the results, sit down with your family and discuss the way forward- if it makes sense at that point to move forward and apply to BSs again. Put this past admission cycle completely behind you. Forget Exeter, Choate and Taft- move on- it’s over. But before you choose different schools or do anything else - take the necessary time to reflect and look at the role you may have played in all of this and address what might be glaring on your transcript … because if it’s a fatal flaw ( like a disciplinary action that caused you to withdraw rather than be expelled ) and it can’t be expunged or explained … a stellar SSAT score won’t save you- especially if your other stats remain the same and you’re still applying for ANY amount of FA…

Even if your family decides to go FP for the next round , I’d caution you to be very realistic about schools and the road ahead- especially if you’re unwilling to repeat 10th- which I believe you should strongly consider.

FYI- A hook is not an alum you know… we’re generally worthless when it comes to admissions. All we can do is put in a good word and hope that our letter of support compliments a good fit and a great app. Your Taft alum English teacher should’ve known better and failed you by not adjusting your expectations. I’m guessing she was a young alum… Anyway- "connections " are not a hook… maybe back in the Dark Ages but not now.

If you come back to CC and say that the issue with the other school has been resolved favorably and your SSAT score is vastly improved and your family has decided to look at other schools and we have questions about those schools… then we can help, but not before you tackle all the things that need to be done in order to move forward.

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A need for “full financial aid” is a tall order for even the most desirable candidates, no? - ESPECIALLY if an applicant will only consider 2 school in the nation as “acceptable”. I am also sure that most schools expect people to pay if they can. Asking for full aid, when you have a way to pay, is a recipe for rejection, and is even more so the case if you are applying for full aid AND have SSAT scores below the school average, disciplinary issues on your record and a complicated situation. This is the type of situation, where “full pay” could, possibly, help over come some reticence on the part of some schools…

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They care; they have a fiduciary responsibility. So they are not just giving money to those who don’t need it.

The asking for $XX in aid and expecting to get it is a common error. One does not tell a school how much s/he wants (well, they can, but not with the desired results); the school tells the family how much it will provide. Often, there is a gap between the 2.

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@Albertjones1 I wish I knew. It even said in the rejection letter, “understand that due to the confidentiality of the process, we are unable to provide specifics about why you were rejected.” Or something like that.

@austinmshauri no. Part of the reason I stayed at all was on the contingency that none of that went on my record. We also have lawyers working to confirm this. However, nobody can confirm this yet as they are holding my transcripts hostage during the suit. But, we have it in writing that my record would be clean so I think they honored that. I had no prior disciplinary consequences anywhere, at any school, whatsoever.