<p>Our son wants to apply to prep schools this Fall, to enter as a freshman in September 2010. His top choices are St. Paul’s and Phillips Exeter. However, we live less than 2 hours away from both of these schools; we wonder whether that will work against him, as we’ve heard that geographical diversity is an important selection criterion for both of these schools.</p>
<p>Aside from that, he’s an all A’s student in a fine public school system, plays several sports quite well, plays two musical instruments, and was 97th percentile on the lower level SSAT this past Winter.</p>
<p>Yes. But being from around their won’t hurt. I suggest doing well on essays and interviews. Before he visits SPS definitely have him contact some coaches of the sports he’s good at…it’s good to meet with them and talk a little. I would suggest he do the same with the music department, keeping contact with people from the school and having them backing the application definitely goes a long way in my opinion.</p>
<p>It definitely won’t work against you, there are a lot of people who live within 1-4 hours of these two schools. And at SPS there are even kids who live literally 5 minutes away</p>
<p>Much of our extended family is from the Phippsburg/Bath region, although we live in DC (at least until we can move to Maine!) We sent our son (actually he sent himself) to Thacher in southern California. You may be aghast at the idea of sending him across country, but, if all else is equal, Thacher, and probably Cate, would be thrilled to have a Mainer. </p>
<p>There are a lot of connections between Thacher and Maine. Many Thacher faculty have attended Bowdoin, Colby or Bates (and send lots of Thacher graduates to these schools every year). Thacher, along with many other excellent boarding schools, is also a founding member of the Chewonki Maine Coast Semester program. </p>
<p>One of the most appealing aspects of Thacher to a Mainer would be the rugged beauty and the physicality of the Thacher experience, set, as it is, in the mountains of southern California. The School’s unique horse program, and the importance the School places on blending rigorous academics with the outdoors, would appeal to you.</p>
<p>And…getting out of Maine a couple of times a year for Parents Weekend and Gymkhana, will be amazingly wonderful mini-vacations. Thacher’s endowment, about 110MM, allows them to offer substantial financial aid if appropriate.</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m the CC Thacher homie, but with good reason. You might want to check it out.</p>
<p>I was sort- of in the same boat as your son, but it worked out fine for me at those schools. It’s definitely doable! Just nail those essays and the interview!</p>
<p>There’s also a connection between Thacher and New Hampshire. My neighbor’s son goes to a summer camp in NH that is directed by Thacher’s dean of admissions and dean of students (husband / wife). I think it’s called Camp Moosilauke. They rave about the camp.</p>
<p>Some NE preps cast a fishy eye at locals or nearby boarders as the source for liqueur, drugs, and party locations. Admission criteria can be higher for locals then distant boarders.</p>
<p>A significant number of the day or Nearby boarder slots will be taken by staff kids, alumni kids, or past parent counsel kids, leaving fewer slots for the nearby kid with out connections.</p>
<p>Don’t forget the influence of feeder schools! This concern isn’t particular to SPS or PEA, but more of a general observation. The NE preps accept quite a few students from the strong pre-preps, especially those in the immediate area.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Maine has a small population, less than 1.5 million. While you are close to SPS and PEA, you may not face as much competition from other Mainers, due to the small population. If you lived in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Connecticut, your son would be applying from a much larger pool.</p>