Hi! I’ll be applying next year during tenth grade for eleventh through twelfth. I am in need of financial aid. I attend a well-renowned public school have no SSAT testing scores currently, I do not plan to take any but I may. I have straight A’s in my second semester of ninth grade, with two B’s in my first semester and five A’s. I’ll be taking an AP course and an Honours course next year, of which we will assume I will have A’s in.
I’ve won multiple local awards for my creative writing, was top five for a full-ride scholarship for an arts boarding school because of it in 8th grade, which I gained admission to (but could not attend because of monetary issues). I raised over $500 dollars for the Bay Area Student Union in 2019 and have continued my communications with them to this day, including attending events with them.
I play the Euphonium and I’m a founder and play Bass Guitar in my schools Rock Band. I do JV girls Lacrosse and I’m in my MUN club, of which I won Best Delegate in our online conference and attended the World Bank committee at a (somewhat) local high school.
Reclass is the ridiculous boarding school model of repeating a grade. It is much more common for males, particularly athletes, than it is for girls. Essentially, male boarding school senior hockey players are 19 and 20 years old - my age as a sophomore and junior in college.
As far as chances- as a dad who has sent his kids to three boarding schools and is well versed - it becomes extremely difficult once financial aid is requested. These schools are in it for the money, and have a level of wealth among the population that is mostly unheard of in 99% of the population. All bets are off once you request financial aid, unless you really bring something of value to the school, usually in the form of athletics or some other form of excellence that will shine a good light on the school.
Oh, definitely not reclassing then. Thanks so much for your advice/experience; I’m aware that the financial aid process is absolutely ridiculous, this isn’t my first rodeo haha.
Here’s a hint, at least the way it worked for my 3 experiences (and we were lucky to receive significant financial aid all 3 times); reach out to a teacher / coach that shares your passion. Have them go to bat with admissions to accept you with aid. For example, your writing: reach out to the English Department, the yearbook club, the school newspaper advisor - and let them know you are interested! They can help.
I think by reclassing, you could raise your chances of admission. 11th grade admission is hard, so it might be something to consider (it’s not uncommon.)
I have a very different point of view. I also sent 3 children to 2 different boarding schools, and have been very closely affiliated to the boarding school world for 25 years.
It is totally fine for a girl to repeat a grade, and probably is a good idea in this case as there are very, very few 11th grade places. Plus 11th grade is very intense, and a lot, when the student is simultaneously adjusting to boarding school life.
I would never say the schools are “in it for the money”. Rather – just like literally any other school, be it college or private elementary school – they do not have an unlimited financial aid budget. With the notable exception of Andover. All these schools have to be need aware so they stay within their budget, and stay solvent.
Schools with bigger endowments per student have bigger financial aid budgets, and accordingly have more generous financial aid.
If you really want to go to boarding school, add some schools that have higher admissions rates. Add schools where you are one of the strongest students. I know a boy who also needed full financial aid, with an uncooperative divorced parent. None of the very selective schools admitted him. He went to a boys school not known for its academics. He crushed it, attended Williams, and just finished his masters at Yale.
Finally I would caution you not to take any anonymous internet stranger’s perspective as the gospel truth, be it mine, or HockeyDad’s. I am going to tag some other boarding school parents in case they want to share their perspective. @ChoatieMom@gardenstategal
No it’s not. It’s more common for boys, but not limited to boys.
Don’t do that. Follow the school’s procedures for contact, which generally means having an admissions officer putting you in contact with a faculty member if they deem appropriate and / or completing the athletic interest form if a potential recruit. Faculty have way to much to do to be inundated with cold calls.
YMMV, but IME, correlation does not imply causation
@ P3rs3ph1
There is some extremely dubious and also outright incorrect stuff posted in this thread. Ignore it. Listen to @cinnamon1212 and @skieurope.
I’ll also add that both Andover and Exeter (as of last year) are need blind. I concur that reclassing gives you your best odds. Lots of kids - including girls - do it, and 10th grade is a far more common entry point than is 11th grade.
Separate from all that though, I don’t think you’ve really said here why it is you want to leave your current school to attend a BS? Understanding that, and how you’ll convey that to the schools where you apply, will be quite important for your chances.
I will add that for a 11th grader requesting FA, your chances are close to none unless you are a recruited athlete. I would highly recommend a repeat year and you should take the SSAT. First of all, Exeter requires it. Second of all, they expect 11th graders to hit the ground running academically with little support. Not having a solid test score can pose a red flag.
I cannot speak for Exeter, but I am quite sure the above is not true for no other reason than not all boarding schools recruit for athletics. In general, I do think that considering more schools beyond Exeter, Andover, Choate, and Taft would help. And while in general, schools with the highest per capita financial aid budget may have more dollars to spare for new 11th graders, if you are the right match to a less wealthy school, they may choose to spend their FA dollars on you over a younger student. You never know. But applying to only four schools may leave you with no acceptances.
There are very few spots at any school for an 11th grader and most spots go to athletes. You would be wise to reclass. You should plan on taking the SSAT at least twice. The study tools which can be purchased at registration are good. I suggest purchasing them and practice, practice. Expand your target pool and knowledge base about schools and learn about new schools that will meet your need.
Finally, you mentioned you weren’t able to go to a private school before because you weren’t able to get enough aid or finances. Be really, really realistic with your family about finances. Location becomes really important because there are lots of expenses associated with travel. There is a great thread about hidden gems.
I would not follow most of this advice that’s been posted. There is absolutely nothing wrong with reaching out to whomever you would like to. There is some awful advice being put out on this thread - read with caution.
Oh man… really wasn’t expecting this much debate! Thanks for everybody who chimed in here, I’ll be taking all this advice into consideration after a thorough talk with my academic counselor and tutor
I’m not sure about reclassing, I want to graduate on time. I would rather stay at my public school and graduate on time than go to a BS/college prep school and graduate a year late. Thanks for your realistic advice on financial aid, though!
seriously, just go for it anyways
i’m applying to bs for junior year with a few c’s on my transcript buuuut i’m also not applying to gladchemms so that probably means something
next year get involved in niche activities to boost ur chances. i think my main hook is that i write wikihow articles in my free time
look for hidden gem schools— less popular but still great education. my top choice is one and it’s called george school in PA!
Don’t worry, I’m not just looking at these schools. I’ll be also looking at IAA, which I was a scholarship finalist for! Thanks for your perspective, though, I want to see this from all sides!
I’m new to this.