<p>I wonder if your or anyone can give me some advice on finding out how well the prep applicants writing was for the application and in SSAT. I called one of the above schools about it and obviously they do not give any information in that respect. Is there any way that parents can find out if the application essay was well done, how well it is positioned among other applicants and how comfortable the student can fit in the schools learning? I think there should be a way to approach it although most of the admission officers would rather not go that extra mile for anyone.</p>
<p>I hope you are kidding because if you are attempting to argue that going to preo school is a bad idea or something negative you are very ignorant. Hopefully you just don’t realize yet until I inform you that prep school draw the best atheletes and academic students at the high school level all into well endowed schools (millions in endowmnent even for the lesser reputable schools) that are also smaller and more close knit then public schools. The teachers are very dedicated and their are far less fighting, drinking, and drug use than at the average public school. The classes are challenging and colleges reward students for taking such a rigorous coarse load come admissions time. </p>
<p>Also, on the topic of “Prestigious prep schools” why are very well-known and prestigous schools like Miss Porter’s, Loomis Chaffee, Avon Old Farms, etc. being shot down using terms like "lower second tier when in reality they are better than almost all schools in sports with very exceptional academic track records. Just because that do not have pools of applicants who got 1450’s on their SATs in the 7th grade like a huge school (by prep standards) such Exeter does not make them worse schools. I personally think the schools I mentioned above have better well-rounded students because they are in my opinion more down to earth, very studious, but also exceptional athletes making loomis and AOF especially strong in all sports (NE title contenders/ winners in major sports already this year)</p>
<p>newcomer05- the essay on the ssats don’t count in the score, they are sent to the boarding schools, which is not much of a worry because you will have more time to do essays for the applications. my advice to u is to get someone with a degree in english to proofread the essay.</p>
<p>drew00, notice this thread is called “name the most prestigious prep schools” some of these schools are the best in the us. if you don’t know enough to contribute,then shut up ok? </p>
<p>Thank you, MrBoarding, for your advises. That is very much true, especially for applicants from non-native English speaking families. </p>
<p>Also, I second MrBoarding on the suggestion about visiting the campus, which may change your mind. That was exactly what happened to us. We had our mind set completely on school 1 with our interview visits to three New England schools. After the revisit days post-admission, school 2 came back to the picture like 50/50. We ended up going to school 2.</p>
<p>Choosing a high school should be determined by a number of factors, and as you say, an overall match in values. I went to Exeter, and the structure it provided led me to excel. My sister was admitted to Choate and Pomfret, but chose to go to the local public high school, which is among the best in the country, though it is not selective (such as Bronx Science). She just didn’t want to leave a close circle of friends. She and I both did well because our parents let us choose, and learn from our own strengths and failures. They let us fend for ourselves in a lot of ways. They would give their opinions, and let us figure out the rest on our own. We both chose colleges for the right reasons, and I have to say that most of my classmates (except our class president, a few others, and me) seemed to choose exactly the same type of school. Perhaps they knew they would love it there, but I really don’t know. I chose a school that many would consider “the top state school” rather than the “better ones” to which I was admitted because it had by far the best program for what I wanted to study. Also, they gave me a merit-based scholarship to pay for it, something the Ivies do not do.</p>
<p>Actually, all of the really selective schools attract students who are good at all kinds of things. It’s convenient to say “this school only has academics”, or “all those students are jocks”, but you’ll find that the majority of students at good private schools (as good public schools) are at least somewhat well-rounded (has to do with a lot of the core requirements in academics and sports), and many are tops in the country at art, science, wrestling, whatever.</p>
<p>Isn’t it also true that you tag someone with a high GPA who tests really poorly as an “overachiever”, i.e. a grind who simply works hard to attain grades, rather than someone of innate brilliance?
Also, do you find that a 710 on an SAT subscore looks that much better than a 690, in the same way that paying $19.95 seems a lot cheaper than paying $20.00?
Do you believe that either of these effects exist even if no admissions officer will admit this to others or to themselves?</p>
<p>Admissionsrep:
I tutored the director of admissions for a good private day school for the GRE, and she told me they have their own essay, but otherwise rely heavily on the SSAT/ISEE. I tutored my cousin’s niece for the SSAT, and despite her mediocre grades, she was admitted to Andover. On her admissions letter, a handwritten remark said “Nice SSAT score!” I tutored a swimming jock from Exeter for the SAT (okay, he was a nice hard-working kid of slightly above average intelligence), and his perfect score on the first edition of the inaccurately named “New SAT” helped him (perhaps a great deal?) get into Harvard. The dean of admissions at Exeter told me point blank (after I enlightened him a bit about the design of the New SAT) that the SSAT’s were the most important factor used in admissions. I could give many other examples of the like.
Shocked? Distressed?
What do you think of this all-too-common story?</p>
<p>Hey my name is george, I’m a sophmore upstate new york in a public school. I am applying sophmore year to Taft, Hotchkiss, St. Andrews, and Loomis Chaffee. I play 2 varsity sports and i have a 3.65 unweighted GPA in honors courses. I rank in the top 7 percent in my class. My teachers have given me stellar recs. I really am curious do i have a chance of getting into these schools.</p>