NYC 8th grader, Hispanic, no need for financial aid
Applying to: NMH, Blair, Lawrenceville, Andover, Exeter, Hotchkiss, Choate
(More confident with day school and good public options including Stuyvesant/Bronx Science, but has their heart set on BS)
All A+ transcript in NYC public school
2350 SSAT, 99th percentile (perfect Q, 98% V, 94% R)
Competitive club swimmer (competitive at State level, not Olympic material)
Interested in being a 3-season athlete (water polo, crew)
Music - piano, cello
Student gov president
Volunteers at our house of worship
New to this whole boarding school thing. Part of me is like “well, what could they be possibly looking for that my kid doesn’t bring?!” and part of me is like “well, admission rates are basically like that of college so don’t get your hopes up” - so would like some reality testing if available! Thanks
No legacy or family connections to boarding school (older sibs in day schools and college)
She sounds like a great candidate, but as you said, it’s competitive. Full pay and her stats will definitely put her up there with the competitive candidates. Make sure she has great essays and can articulate why she wants to go to BS.
You can either go the route of “these schools or bust” since you have good local options, or you can throw in some less selective schools if her heart is set on BS.
She has lots going for her. One of the things that’s hard to gauge is how well your kid comes off as a fit. There are no worries about doing the work, but does she seem like she’ll make friends, engage in ECs, seek help when needed, not come undone if she gets a C? Also, what does she add to the community? My guess is that being Hispanic will be a plus.
You have a decent mix of schools, so you will likely have choices on M10.
Thanks - we considered it, but seemed to us between price of tuition and perhaps less academic rigor to be a step behind the others. Hope we didn’t miss a gem - it was one of the last cut off the list as we trimmed to a (vaguely) manageable number (in addition to the day schools as backup if BS apps don’t work out!)
I would add some broader schools choices that are easier to get into. All those schools are extremely hard to get into even if your qualified. I think I mentioned it another answer but my brother had applied to all the top schools. He was a strong applicant with a perfect SSAT score, good grades, Juilliard Pre College, USAJMO, Eastern Zones for swimming, being a part of an orchestra when they won a Grammy, and some other stuff. He didn’t get into any of his top choices and he was only accepted into 1 school that was his safety. Without it, he would be going to public school. Especially with decreasing acceptance rates, I would recommend applying to a broader school list with easier acceptances if your daughter really wants to get into boarding school.
And Peddie is a great school, it might look like it doesn’t have that much academic rigor compared to schools like Andover but any school looks like it has less academic rigor then Andover. To be honest my older friends in Andover and other top schools find it too hard.
This is generally good advice and an excellent cautionary tale. With that said, the OP also has day and magnet schools on their list so the downside of not casting a broad enough net for BS isn’t too bad.
Many kids who have the option of being FP at a tippy top BS or attending Stuy or Science for free opt for the latter. It’s admittedly a very different experience but for many families an easy choice. For many who could afford to be FP, 4 years of BS tuition is still a very meaningful sum.
A cautionary tale indeed! I recognize how very competitive this process is (!!). Any insights into why such an outstanding candidate was overlooked by so many schools? Other than the simple truth that there are a lot of amazing kids out there and few positions at these schools, that is!
And yes, we have some very good day school options that we’d be happy with as plan B, and the specialized high schools are a lock as plan C, since they only require test scores and our kid will be ok on that front.
Thanks everyone for the conversation, sobering though it may be!, and the advice.
Hi! I’m not quite sure why my brother got rejected/waitlisted from so many schools. My brother thinks it was because of the aid but my parents think it was because of a C in Linear Algebra in 9th grade. I’m not quite sure which one.
I think its great that you have very good day school options.
Boarding school is competitive especially if you need a lot of FA (Which my family really needs even though I technically have a job). He didn’t get into any of his top choices mostly waitlists. Although he did get off the waitlist for one school but he couldn’t go since that was during August (He didn’t really want to go to that school anyways).
He’s set for success—no need to obsess over top BS. FA matters for BS, but not as much for top universities. Juilliard Pre-College + USAJMO + perfect scores? That’s insane.
Also a Juilliard Pre-College here, but am only applying to day schools. Balancing Juilliard with BS seems nearly impossible for us with the daily practice and weekend commitments. Some BSs even ask if kids can fully commit to their own weekend events—could that be a concern some BS has and a drawback for some applicants?
Yeah, for him he had to make a choice to choose JPC or BS. He chose BS. He still does orch in the boston area and still practices a lot, but he in the end chose that for him BS would be a better option. I do believe that some BS have concerns over weekend activities (I know that Exeter makes some exceptions for activities like BPYO. I do believe Groton too, but they are a bit more hesitant). I just think that it is a concern for most communities since they don’t want a BS student to just leave campus on the weekends and lose quality time with others. BUT if the activity is important enough and worthwhile enough, they will allow it.
Some schools still make it possible for kids to do JPC on Saturdays. I know a Choate student who used to do it, taking trains into the city at 6AM every Saturday. It wasn’t easy, but not impossible either. Going into the city every Saturday also meant he had to give up competitive sports.
Thanks everyone for encouragement and advice on this crazy journey.
Our kiddo was accepted at all of the schools to which she applied - Andover, Exeter, Hotchkiss, Choate, Lawrenceville, NMH, and Blair. So excited and nervous for her, and will be interesting to see how she goes about her choice.
What a nice problem to have! Congratulations. My guess is that you can only revisit up to 4. Which 4 will it be? Or will you just pick 2? PM me if you’d like to chat. Once again, huge congrats to you and your DD.
