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).
Would it make my application weaker or stronger if I mention my having been waitlisted twice as like an adversity point in my interview and my essays? Because I did get a lot of motivation and it did sort of become a turning point in my life (which is also essentially why I’ve said my application would look quite different this yr).
Also although this reply isn’t for this comment, as a general reply to all the other comments, I’m rlly not looking at boarding schools for the brand name – i do think it did quite a bit last yr and two yrs ago – but now I have a really different perspective and I have a really firm reason especially for one of the schools. So that’s why I’m thinking of only applying to like one or two schools, but if applying more seems like a more valid option then I’ll also consider that too. Again, thank you for all the comments.
I would not mention this. The schools know they didn’t admit you twice. You don’t want to come across as someone who needs to fail at something to be motivated. What might that suggest about who you might be at their school? And what does it mean for your motivation if accepted?
Find something that matters to you and excites you for what it is.
Please think about what real adversity is: having a parent die, living in a homeless shelter, not having enough food to eat. Compare that to “I didn’t get into two selective boarding schools”. The latter is NOT true adversity, although it may have motivated you to work hard, reapply etc.
PS most boarding school applicants haven’t faced real adversity either.
Weaker
Being rejected from a school falls into the category of “first world problems” not “adversity.” Self-awareness, however, is generally a trait sought.
I can’t think of a single example where there’s a valid reason that only applies to one or two schools
Re-reading this thread and a couple of additional thoughts:
11th grade is a tough entry point. As much as you may have grown or have new perspectives, it seems a stretch to see you getting in now when you didn’t in the two easier entry points. You’re still you, and that you wasn’t compelling enough to tip luck in your favor the first two times. You’d have to be a different you to have a different outcome, I would think.
11th grade at these schools is traditionally REALLY hard for even the kids who got in as freshmen. The Boarding School experience you seek is a more difficult transition that I think you appreciate. So that it’s already really hard plus the transition may have detrimental implications for applying for the next step, which would be a shame after establishing a presumably great record and reputation at your current school. I find it hard to believe that you just drop in at 11th grade at Exeter and maintain the same trajectory. Would you consider reclassing to tenth (if such a thing happens at these places)?
Many believe that doing great at a great LPS gives you better admissions outcomes than being in the middle of the pack (at best) at Exeter. Maybe tell us why it’s worth it to you.
You think they won’t know you applied twice? You’d make their life easy to say no. But they will already know.
“I’m rlly not looking at boarding schools for the brand name” - then you wouldn’t be applying to only the exact same ones. Just like colleges - in many ways these are commodities. They deliver the same goods - regardless of the perception people have.
You already had a lot of solid advice from the responses above. I would love to learn from you the following:
- What activities or individual awards did you add to your resume since your last application cycle? Simply put, how have you improved your candidacy in the past year, so that the top schools are willing to accept you after turning you down twice in a row?
- What exactly is the “boarding experience” that you crave so much? Boarding school is not for everyone. In fact, some kids attend only because it’s a family tradition, and they wish they never had to.
If “boarding school life” really is that important to you, you could try to apply for a PG year, or you could choose a rural liberal arts college which will offer an experience very similar to boarding school.
If you still insist on re-re-reapplying, then you have to expand the list to include some target schools that are less selective. Hotchkiss, Exeter etc. are reach schools for EVERY candidate.
I think that there are a few schools that offer unique experiences that aren’t easily replicated at other schools. :
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Putney’s “Work Program” where you are contributing to maintaining the school farm
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Deerfield’s semester in Jordan for students who are studying Arabic
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Thatcher’s horse program where students learn to ride and take care of a horse over the course of 9th grade
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Burke’s Olympic caliber ski program
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Tabor’s semester studying oceanography on a schooner in the Caribbean
It would require a very specific applicant to be able to articulate why this is so important to them, but I do think that there are examples where one school offers a program that’s especially suited to a candidate.
Add 6. Millbrook’s accredited zoo 
While I understand what you are saying - and agree that several schools have specific and special programs that differentiate them, it is hard to see why only one is workable vs being preferred. There are other ski academies (Green Mtn, for example), other schools that have riding and horse care opportunities (albeit not as a requirement), and other schools that have farms. None is exactly the same, but a student would indeed have very specific needs for only one to fit rather than to be a preference. But yes, a preference can be strong!
Generally, I’d agree that many of the schools have similar programs by and large. I think that the largest differentiators of schools are size, academic intensity, and EC offerings. (I’m sure that there’s a PEA alum who’s going to jump in now to tell me all the reasons why they’re better than PAA….)
But, in all honesty, there are very few unique programs that would truly distinguish a school from others. (Someone DM’d me to tell me that Choate also has an Arabic Studies Degree program with immersion, so I stand corrected on that front.) It seems like there are only a few unique programs where an applicant could honestly make the case that there is no other school could offer the same experience. I could see someone making that case for oceanography, skiing or Arabic. Could you make that case for a farm/horse experience? Maybe. Otherwise, I think it would be difficult to tell a story about why one particular school is the only viable option for a candidate.
There aren’t any.
And it’s PA.
I’m liking the idea of a PG year if OP’s motivation is a boarding school experience, as they say. This way they get it and don’t screw up their HS trajectory and relationship equity.