My daughter is entering 11th grade at a public highschool and has struggled academically. She is super smart, but gets distracted easily and we do have a chaotic house with grandparents and an 8 year old, etc. She is quite good at ice hockey and she is interested in trying a boarding school even if it means she would have to repeat a year.
We have no idea if she could get into a BS and/or if her hockey skills would help her with that, but she will be in Boston for the big “Beantown” tournament in July so it may be a good time to ask coaches to come watch and maybe visit a few places.
Not sure how to proceed though. Looking for advice, ideas, etc.
Thanks to anyone who can help!!
I would start by speaking with her coaches, what do they say about her college potential?
Has she spoken with any college coaches? Now is the time for her to be reaching out, telling them she will be at Beantown, sharing her academics, sharing her highlight video, etc.
She can also be reaching out to prep school coaches now, to test those waters.
What is her unweighted GPA and test score? Her academics will be important for highly selective prep schools and colleges.
If she struggles academically I would NOT target the most rigorous boarding schools! (Even if she’s off the charts brilliant).
If you look into boarding schools, check out Millbrook. I think they have a decent hockey program.
I would also look into Brooks and Tabor. They have good hockey programs and are accommodating to 2e kids and kids with ADHD/mild LD.
NMH is another to look into.
Agree with the previous posters. I would also look at Frederick Gunn. Possibly Williston-Northampton as well, they have an amazing girls hockey program but I’m not sure they accept many 11th graders.
I second this. It’s a school that has a rigorous academic program, but a collaborative rather than competitive culture. And a great girls’ ice hockey team.
Thanks for these replies!
It looks like her (W) Total GPA is 2.65 .
She is indeed a bit ADHD I think.
She is 5’9" and has had feedback from coaches that she could easily play competitively in college. She was already selected 2x by California to go to the USA Hockey Pacific District camps.
Ideally we’d like to find a school which she could get into which has an academic program that will work for her - and a halfway decent team/coach/hockey program.
Actually it looks like the academic GPA is slightly better at 2.72
What is NMH? Sorry…
Northfield Mt . Herman
I would look into Cushing Academy in MA.
We need her unweighted GPA, core courses only…hopefully that’s not below 2.0, as that would make prep school more difficult.
NCAA also has required GPA levels for eligibility, D1 is 2.3, D2 is 2.2. No requirement for D3. You can calculate and track that GPA here: http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/DI_and_DII_Worksheet.pdf
She might benefit from some testing to see if she is ADHD, and then get accommodations if she needs them. It is difficult at any high school as well as college to play a sport and do well in classes. In my area the high school age serious hockey players also miss a lot of school which doesn’t help from an academic perspective. Is she currently playing on an AAA team?
Given her GPA, I’d skip the low admit schools completely.
Try searching for something like “Best Ice Hockey Boarding Schools”. Look at the % admitted. Look at whether they claim to support different learning styles. 11th grade is a super important year, academically, and this late in the game the only way to apply for this fall is rolling admissions. And believe me, even schools that admit over 40% of applicants can be academically challenging. It would be a good idea to consider reclassing (applying as a 10th rather than 11th grader).
While you are in the Boston area, try to make a side trip to visit a boarding school or two, even if it is just a drive by just to get an idea of what the difference is, and maybe inspire your DD to do some of her own research.
I sympathize with your challenge. Although my kid always had high grades, we had our own form of chaos, and realizing that was one of the reasons that I agreed to look into boarding school. Fortunately my child was in boarding school when everything took a radical turn, and “you never know if” seemed to happen.
Every student is different, and maybe NMH really really values hockey players. But do you think a C+ average would be a possible admit for NMH? I know they are not Andover, but it’s still a competitive school.
Another option- there are Hockey Academies which are more focused on Hockey and may be a good fit. If she is playing at a level where she is getting selected for National Camp, these might work for her. You did not mention finances but there is less opportunity for financial aid at these schools. Check out NAHA, Lovell and someone already mentioned Cushing which tends to be more sports driven as well. Also, Cushing offers great academic support.
I don’t think so.
I would look up websites to Brewster Academy, Proctor, New Hampton, holderness, and Cushing. They all have great women’s sports, including hockey but more importantly they are schools with an approach to teaching that ‘may’ be more in line to what your daughter needs.
@SFTahoedad – My answer was in response to “what is NMH?” Not suggesting it’s a good fit.
Sounds like this student should find a school that can provide structure and scaffolding so they’ll be better prepared for college, especially if there is the possibility of recruitment.
How about Shattuck-St Mary’s in Minnesota or Carver in Indiana?
Not “Carver.” Culver.