awwww @mondaydevil I’m happy to share any part of your journey with you! I can’t wait to see how much you love Westover! It felt very homey when we visited.
@pbdarcy
Feel free to reach out if I can answer any questions as a fellow parent who went through the app cycle last year and this year with two different kids. Also, we considered very closely both all girls and co-ed schools, so have some background in that comparison. Westover is definitely one to try for late admissions and FA. Also, Chatham Hall might be another. We ended up choosing another school for my DD3, but honestly, I think she would have had wonderful experiences at either of those! They are truly hidden gems in my opinion. Another late app option – maybe George School. (I don’t have any intell on whether they are acceptance applications, but I do love them and they always seems so reasonable and open-minded. I adore the GS folks!). Fountain Valley might also be a co-ed option, but that’s in Colorado so I’m not sure that would work for you.
One thing to think about though is your plan to scrape together tuition money for one year – just be sure the school knows that is the plan because the admissions decisions are usually attached to being FA/FP. I’m guessing what you are saying is that you would call schools and say something like: “If your FA funds are already allocated for this year, we could cover that gap for now, but we would want to be admitted as an FA student for future years.” (If you just went ahead and applied as a FP candidate now, you may well NOT be able to switch for next year. They will likely count on you being FP forever, barring some major unforeseen change.)