To add on to what @lilyesh said, my son will also be a new student at Hill this year. I think the acceptance rate might have been a tad lower at around 22% as this year the school received double the amount of applications. All of the schools did. BS has become very popular. He was accepted at two other “Ten Schools” one of which is on your list and one of which isn’t (but should be if you love writing) both “higher ranked” on niche (don’t give too much cred to that—its a guideline) and chose Hill because of the unmatched outreach from people who were very welcoming and seemed to really care. The culture at each school is different and this was the best fit for my DS. The other schools were excellent as well but in the end you go with where you will be most happy and feel comfortable, not what “niche” says. (This is true also with colleges btw.)
So be careful relying just on rank. I think it is a very good sign that this early the coach responded. Take up every coach or other school liaison on their offer to talk/zoom whatever. You are interviewing these schools as well to find your best fit. One thing you should take note of as you go along in this process is each school’s reach-out efforts. I cannot stress enough that whomever coined the phrase “love the school that loves you” rings true. Since applications are way up everywhere, it has raised the profile of many other schools (same as colleges) and you should apply to more schools outside of the “ten schools” list that are also excellent. If I were applying to schools this year instead of last, I would include many more. My DS was waitlisted at five of the 9 schools he applied to.
And @lilyesh was right about the headmaster at Hill. It was the only school where we had an opportunity to schedule a private zoom after acceptance and “ask anything” and then an in person visit. Very caring and kind. Gave parents a comfortable feeling. Best of luck to you on your new journey!
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