As you can infer from the title I’ve re-applied last year and was WL to all schools I’ve applied to. My first year applying I applied to four of the highest ranking boarding schools (by that I mean, PEA, andover, etc) and last year I applied to a few more. I’m debating whether to re-re-apply this coming year, first because I am at a pretty solid ground at my current school and I don’t really have a particular reason to leave my current school (it’s more about wanting to get the BS experience). Among these schools I’ve applied to Hotchkiss and Exeter twice now, but these are the two schools that I really would like to be a part of, so I’m thinking I’ll probably apply to only these two this year. My biggest concern is what schools think about re-re-applicants, and whether I should inform the schools (like during my interview or in my essays) that I’ve already been waitlisted twice and I’m re-re-applying. Also I’m anticipating that my application direction will be very different last year and this year, so I probably won’t stand out as a same applicant.
They know that. No need to tell them.
But it should go without saying that you need a much, much stronger application to expect a different result
Nobody here can or should stop you from applying a third time. But the schools will know it is your third try. Up to you if you want to spend the time and effort on this again. If you truly want the boarding school experience, I would expand your application list.
It is up to you if you even want to uproot what sounds like a good current situation. If you are happy, involved, and doing well where you are, maybe just embrace and make the most of that experience. College will be coming soon enough at this point.
To me, wanting the boarding school experience would mean targeting a much broader range of schools than the same two top schools that you’ve already considered.
There must be dozens of other schools that could offer an amazing experience and that you would have a much better shot at for admission.
If, however, your view is that your experience should be at “the best” or nothing at all, that’s a common (though I think grossly uninformed) perspective. But even in that case, why not apply to a different cohort of “top” schools than the ones you’ve already tried?
It kind of sounds like you want to go to these places because of the brand. You’ll need a more specific and compelling argument than because you want a Boarding School experience. That’s not getting you into Exeter. As has been said, you need a materially different presentation for it to have a different outcome.
There are a lot of good schools. If you want a boarding school experience at a great place, expand your search. If you only want to apply to two very hard places to get into, well I suspect that will come out (again) in your application.
There’s no harm in applying a 3rd time to those 2 schools, especially if your application is markedly different. It’s possible that you’ll get a different decision but unlikely.
As others have suggested, if your heart is set on attending BS, cast a wider net. There is a large universe of truly excellent schools, and it’s possible that you may be a much better fit for one you have not yet considethere.
If you’re happy where you are, there is no reason to leave. Save your money for college and take advantage of the knowledge you have of your current environment to make the most of your time there.
There are some downsides of transferring high school half way through. As one example, when you apply to universities, you will need to send in references. If you stay at the same high school for a full four years this will give people there (eg, teachers and guidance counselors) time to get to know you. Similarly your ECs could be interrupted to some extent if you change high school half way through.
I am wondering if you will just need to wait until you go to university, which of course is very often a “live on campus” experience.
We have also had some good experience with study abroad, even in high school. You might want to see whether your current high school has a program where you get to go to some other country for a short time (sometimes for one semester, for example).