Thank you all so much for the comments.
I’m hearing that it is not a big disadvantage to interview late and via Skype so that is really a relief!
We are looking for a rigorous academic environment that offers a truly different kind of thinking; an education that she could not get at home at her solid LPS.
DD is great at math, and is interested in business. She is in 8th grade and has had mostly A’s (2 or 3 B’s) in her 3 years of middle school, all honors classes, and currently taking 10th grade math. (She is bright, but NOT a math genius who will need special math seminars by the time she is senior. Read the thread about needing to find schools with enough math and immediately recognized that she is NOT in that peer group!) She is extroverted, social and is very involved in student government. She is sporty, having played several seasons of club soccer, LAX, basketball, but loves volleyball best. She is one of the stronger players in our small town middle school. (Not an impact athlete, but hoping for varsity in her second year kind of level.)
While she is suited to the rigor, energy and pulse of BS, I also want her to enjoy her time there, and not let a cutthroat competitive culture steal the joy of her high school years away. Also, I think a strong drinking and hookup culture would be not ideal for her. (I realize some of this exists in probably all high schools.)
Ideally a school would: have between 400-900 students, mostly boarders, have some form of sit-down meals (she loved that during visits), have strong school spirit, friendly welcoming kids, an active student government, opportunities to study or serve abroad, be rooted in kindness or giving back or mindful consumption (she hopes to become a social entrepreneur), some interesting electives (in her perfect world, a trimester system, which seems to result in more electives actually being able to happen), and a diverse population (if 50% of the kiddos are all from a few counties or from a specific city, that would be not great for this west-coaster). Her original dream: a school with media arts/video/TV/broadcast opportunities, as she is a fantastic journalist (writer, producer, host, and anchor), but this seems to be too limiting as most schools didn’t have a corresponding program, so she will have to get creative about how to keep that part of her skillset alive.
She has a fantastic list of schools that she pulled from those we visited: PA, DA, SPS, HK, Groton, Taft, LC, SAS, Choate, PEA, LV.
She is applying to 7-8 of the list. And she loves those 7-8. But we are applying for FA and am thinking we may not qualify, which is what had me thinking we should cast wider and add some merit possibilities, or maybe some options that might be more generous with FA if they want her. Also, wondering if we have set the bar too high and how she might feel going 0 for 7 on M10.
This was long! Thanks for reading (if you did). And thank you for sharing your wisdom!