Chance Me (Lawrenceville, Taft, Deerfield, Exeter)

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
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Demographic: 13 year old Canadian, white female applying to Grade 9
Financial: FULL PAY
Boarding: YES
GPA: 4.0
Sports:

  1. Used to swim competitively for 4 years at top swimming club, but now it’s consistently training for sprint Triathlons (compete in 3 events every year)
  2. Cross Country runner: Won MVP cross-country runner for team 2024 at current school. Came in 3rd place in City-wide 2km race.
  3. Squash: Been playing recreationally for 2 years, but planning to play competitively this year. Won MVP for Badminton team at current school.

Community Service: Meals On Wheels: Delivered meals to people in need from 2023-current

She hasn’t taken SSAT yet.
Dream school is Lawrenceville. Brother is at Peddie and would like to be close to him, but would like to play Squash at whatever school she goes to.

We have no legacy or ties to any of these schools! What are her chances if she doesn’t have a HOOK!

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Temporarily closing.

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There is scant info here to be able to chance - and chancing is usually a fool’s journey anyway. LV, PEA, DA - for unhooked, full pay kids, acceptance rates are around 10%. Taft is a bit easier, and it likes athletic kids.

Blair and Hill are somewhat easier admits than LV.

Strongly suggest adding other schools if boarding school in the U.S. is a priority. There are many others that could also be good fits.

Bonne chance.

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Talk with the respective coaches for swim and cross country, you may find support there.

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While I cannot chance you as I do not believe in that given that none of us are admissions ppl, none of us really know all the elements of your child’s offering, every year differs, and there are tons of amazingly qualified students applying. That being said, I am happy to answer any questions you have about lawrenceville. It is an amazing school. My daughter absolutely loves it. Feel free to message me.

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Taft parent here. Very strong girls’ squash program with Varsity, JV and Thirds teams. If your daughter has been playing recreationally then it’s likely she would have to move up the ranks. No swim program so if that’s important then you should look elsewhere.

Academically, a challenge level down from L’ville, D’field and Exeter. There are still very advanced classes but they’re not as extensive as the other schools. That was appropriate for my daughters; they’ve had academic success that might have eluded them at one of the other schools.

Taft admissions will focus on yield. If you’re all in for them, make it clear that they are your first choice, and pass the academic bar then your chances will improve. They’re typically seen as a safety for those who have a shot at the top tier schools so like enthusiastic applicants. Not trying to undersell, we’ve been quite happy so far.

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I know another Taft mom who says academics aren’t insanely rigorous and college placement is as impressive as all the top boarding schools. I don’t think my daughter wants the pressure cooker environment

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Aren’t the schools you listed all potential pressure cookers? (I say potential, because it depends on the kid, and how they react).

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@cinnamon1212 is correct. If you think Taft is a pressure cooker, Deerfield, L’ville, and PEA need to be eliminated as well.

And to be clear, many students thrive in these environments and/or don’t feel it’s a pressure cooker. But you know your daughter better than us.

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Oooops my bad! Typo. The mom said Taft WASNT a pressure cooker.

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In which case, Taft is likely better than the other three, which are indeed pressure cookers for many

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Will she apply to Peddie ?

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She will! She likes Peddie, but no squash :frowning:

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If your D likes Peddie and you want to be close, George isn’t far and also has a very tight community. There are a number of families that have had kids at both. Alas, no squash again. If you don’t mind not being close to Peddie, Mercersberg could be a great choice. Also very tight community and squash!

Naming these based on desire for less pressure-cooker-ish places.

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