Does this look like a good list?

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hi Guys!
I am reapplying to boarding school this year, and have changed my list quite a bit in the past few weeks. Last year I applied to Kent, Loomis, Choate, and Deerfield; the “ivy-leagues” of boarding school as some people put it. I am a FA candidate, and did not do that well on my SSAT last year. This year I am planning on studying way more than I did last year, so I can do well on it because that was a big struggle for me. I am a competitive swimmer, and get good grades minus some B+'s. Last year I took excel earth science, and didn’t do as well as I would have liked, but on my record it does show that I tried since it was excel. I am taking AP worlds this year, volunteering at a hospital, doing theater, and some other sports. This is my list right now.

  1. Loomis Chaffee
  2. Kent
  3. Suffield Academy*
  4. NMH
    5.Exeter
  5. Lawrenceville
  6. Deerfield
  7. Peddie***
    <em>Can anyone tell me anything about Suffield? There are barely any threads on it and I don’t know if its good for my list. I have talked to the swim coach numerous times and he seems very interested in me…which seems like a good sign! They also had the best inquiry that I’ve ever gotten!
    *</em>*Peddie is actually not on my list right now, but it was. Its the one school I keep taking off my list, and thinking if that was the right or wrong choice. I feel that if I applied to Peddie, I would have a good chance of getting in, just because its considered “easier” than some of my other choices.
    Please comment back to me, because I could use the feedback!
    Thank You!</p>
2

<p>Academically, I’d consider Peddie harder than Loomis and NMH. That’s just my opinion though.</p>

3

<p>If you are a swimmer, I would continue to look at Peddie. Even though I personally did not like the school after visiting several times and deciding not to apply, there is no denying that they have one of the top swim programs in the country. I feel like my guide told me, who swam, that unlike the other sports there, there are actually cuts for the team, since they are so good.</p>

<p>And also, I would disagree with the above statement about academic challenge. I believe that at any of these schools you will get a vastly superior education, and the level of rigor is for you to determine. But then again, I do start as a student at Loomis tomorrow, so maybe I’m biased. ;)</p>

4

<p>Suffield is mentioned in [this</a> thread](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1130908-hidden-gems-lesser-known-prep-schools.html]this”>Hidden Gems: Lesser-known Prep Schools - Prep School Admissions - College Confidential Forums) about lesser-known schools. (It’s a long thread, though, so you might want to do a quick search for “Suffield” when you get there.)</p>

<p>It might also be helpful to do a search for “Suffield” on the entire forum. It’s quite possible that’s it’s been the topic of one or more posts.</p>

<p>As for your list, having been through this with my own son (a FA candidate) this past year, I’d make the following recommendations:</p>

<p>(1) Go through [Boarding</a> School Review](<a href=“Boarding School Search Results”>Boarding School Search Results) with a fine tooth comb, looking for any school with a high acceptance rate that you might be interested in. And I don’t mean look only at schools that you recognize the names of. I mean that you should look at every school that’s geographically feasible. And don’t worry if the school isn’t mentioned on this forum . . . if it looks like a possibility, send a request for information!</p>

<p>The climate right now for FA applicants is brutal - ask any of the many highly qualified candidates who did not get accepted last year despite stellar grades and strong SSAT scores! You were not alone in not getting into your chosen schools. So you really need to expand your search to include some smaller “off the radar” schools. It’s true that they don’t have the gigantic endowments of the larger schools . . . but really, all you need is for the school to have enough money to cover your financial need. If they do, and they want you, then you’re in!</p>

<p>(2) About that list of eight schools you’re thinking about applying to . . . that’s a long list already, and I’m suggesting that you expand your search! I think you should apply to as many schools as you possibly can (and finances should not be an obstacle - if you have financial need, you should be able to get waivers of both application and SSAT fees), but be aware that it’s a tremendous undertaking.</p>

<p>Organizing school visits is a huge amount of work - especially when you’re looking at schools all the way from Massachusetts to New Jersey! Start scheduling your visits NOW . . . and be willing to accept the fact that you still might not be able to visit all of them. (And, even though people will tell you horror stores about Skype interviews, plenty of other successful applicants will tell you that they’re now attending the schools where they had Skype interviews!)</p>

<p>Completing all those applications is something else to look at. Get organized, figure out which of your target schools accept the same application or a similar one. If the schools accept the TABS application, use it! The SSAT application (which Lawrenceville requires) is virtually identical, so that makes life easier. There’s a limit to how many essays you can write . . . and getting them all done takes a lot of planning and strategy: can the essay for school A be modified to fit school B? can it be modified again to fit the TABS application? My son completed a lot of applications last year, and it can be done . . . but don’t underestimate what you’re getting yourself into. And if you have a choice between a hugely time-consuming application for a school that you think you can get into and a similarly demanding application for a school that’s a longshot, think carefully about how you want to use your limited time.</p>

<p>The one thing you didn’t mention in your post is what grade you’re applying to. You mention in a post elsewhere that you applied to 9th grade last year. If it is at all possible, I’d strongly encourage you to discuss with each of the schools you apply to the possibility of applying as a repeat 9th grader. At many schools, this will vastly improve your chances of acceptance. Even though the acceptance rates for 9th and 10th grade tend to be about the same, the fact that they accept so many more 9th graders really does give them more flexibility. So, talk to your family and talk to the schools about what grade you should apply for.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

5

<p>Sorry for taking so long to reply. Thank you all for your help. My list has altered quite a bit, and I have already scheduled all of my tours and interviews. The final list is:
Deerfield, Kent, Loomis Chaffee, Westminster, Hotchkiss, Suffield, and Lawrenceville. I am applying for 10th grade, and to answer @dodgersmom’s response, my parents do not feel comfortable with me reapplying for 9th grade. I am born in 1996, which is already a bit older than my fellow 9th grade classmates, who were all born in 1997. I am considered older for my grade, and to even consider reapplying for 9th grade would be terribly frustrating, considering these kids would basically be 2 years younger than me.</p>

6

<p>That’s looks like a good mix of different schools - best of luck to you!</p>

7

<p>Have you considered Mecersburg Academy? They have a wonderful swimming program and strong FA.</p>

8

<p>IMO, if you can narrow down the attributes of a school you want, you could then expand on those types of schools. If your unsure, than certainly you have an assortment of different flavors. They are all terrific schools. I don’t mean to change your train of thought, it’s just that if you have a better idea of what you’re looking for then you would be able to focus on those schools and ultimately get accepted to a school that whether it was your first or fourth choice you would still be happy. Sorry, don’t want to make this more difficult than it already is, good luck.</p>