I am a 14 year old Asian-American girl who lives in New York and is currently a Freshman in high school. Last year, I applied to a few prestigious boarding schools such as Exeter, Deerfield, and Lawrenceville. Sadly, I was waitlisted by all the schools, so I will be re-applying this year.
Here are the schools I will be applying to
Exeter
Lawrenceville
Deerfield
St. Paul’s
Middlesex
Hotchkiss
Taft
Loomis Chaffee
I will be applying as a repeat 9th grade for Exeter, Deerfield, and Lawrenceville. So I have a few questions:
Will I have a higher chance getting in as a repeat or if I apply as a 10th grader?
Does applying as a repeat affect how the boarding school views my application?
In addition to these questions, I have some about boarding schools in general.
First of all, I get pretty good grades in school and I currently have a 3.95 GPA (unweighted I believe) for the first quarter of school. Last year, I got all As and A+s. The problem is not my grades, buy my awards. I am not super smart or super good at a sport or an instrument. I have not received prestigious awards or participated in prestigious events. I am not renowned in anything and have not won many awards, and I feel like I won’t get into boarding school because of this.
You will have a better chance applying for 9th grade, as there are more spots vs 10th grade.
Calm down! You are smart! Not everyone has amazing awards!
However, you are applying to schools that reject 80-90% of the kids that apply. That’s a recipe for stress, and to possibly repeat last year’s outcome.
If you really want to go to boarding school – and you may have an excellent local option – you MUST apply to some schools that have higher admissions rates. Find a school that admits 40% of its students, as a more likely admit. There are quite a few, and they are excellent schools!
My advice as someone who had a child in a similar situation - emphasize a willingness to try new things and get involved in the community. These schools always need kids who are going to go out for the less popular sports teams, clubs, etc. My child is at one of the schools that you are applying to and they were very explicit about their enthusiasm to try new things! Someone on this board once said that boarding schools need these types of students as the “glue” that holds everything else together. yes, it’s nice to have a “spike” in interest or ability for a specific sport/interest etc but they are also looking for students who can fill spots and show an enthusiasm for contributing to the school community in whatever area is needed.
First of all, thank you so much for your insight. Do you have any tips for me as I apply for these schools? I’m super nervous that my essays and interviews won’t be that good. Is there anything your child did that made them stand out? I’m applying through Gateway.
Came here to say the exact same thing - 10th can be a better opening for qualified candidates and L’Ville is very open and honest about this fact vs other schools.
I feel like their interviews were key - I think they talked about wanting to contribute to the community in whatever way the community needed them, but I know in their interview they said things like “I’d love to try a new sport here.” I wonder if it wouldn’t take much digging to see which teams and clubs at your schools are under-attended and mention those specifically? But in general, a “I’m game to try anything and join anything” attitude would be the best way to signify that you’d be a member of that community that could be counted on to fill gaps.
I agree w previous posters about emphasizing willingness to get involved in new things. Depending on your personal situation you could discuss lack of such opportunities at your current school or alternatively the difficulty in outside activities due to cost or transportation or time!
My older son who was a mid HS transfer discussed what a poor fit his former school was (someplace he’d been since K) and that as a result he didn’t want to engage any more than necessary, which was why he wanted to transfer. (At his boarding school he tried all sorts of new things!)
As for repeating 9th grade - I think you need a substantive reason for doing so and not just because some people think it’s an easier entry point. You may feel you aren’t as academically prepared for 10th based on current school or you’re an athlete or you’re young for your peer group. A lesser 4th reason could be that you really want the full 4-year experience at boarding school. I’m a big fan of re-classing but I don’t think it makes admission easier.
I agree with @sunnyside2225. Schools like kids who want to be there - as in BE there in an engaged way.
If you’re game to try things, start doing that now at your current school. It’s totally fine to participate to check something out - no need to devote your life to it. It’ll be easier for a school to see you as a joiner and doer if you’re that person now, not simply planning to be that person.
@sharkstar presents an opening for a relevant question. Should some kids in this type of situation consider a “MIX & MATCH” approach - reclassify at some schools and apply for 10th grade at others? I guess the college equivalent would be applying TO in some spots and sending scores to some other schools, no?
Totally agree with this. Reclassing should not be about “easier odds of admission”. It costs $80k to reclass, so it’s a big decision, and should be for some of the reasons @NYMom139 describes.
If someone simply wants easier odds of admission then it’s best to have a well-curated list that includes somewhat easier admit schools.
I think mixing is fine. Some schools skew towards older and prefer applicants who will “fit” better on that front. Some may have enough offerings to consume 4 years. (This so depends on interests and could be anything from study abroad to a high level of a foreign language to advanced math.)
I 100% agree that it should not be about "easier admissions " and that any applicant considering this should be asking if it is worth it for them. It’s hard to put $ to some of the benefits but thinking through it, you may develop a sense of it.
[quote=“hoopsdad2000, post:10, topic:3676913, full:true”] Should some kids in this type of situation consider a “MIX & MATCH” approach - reclassify at some schools and apply for 10th grade at others?
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I think that depending on the reasons for re-classing, this can be an option. For example, the more rigorous the school the more likely a student may not feel sufficiently prepared. The larger and less nurturing a school, the increased maturity that might be needed to navigate your experience there.
That said, some smaller schools will consider whether you will be an outlier if you re-class - age or academics and might not want you to re- class. One school basically told us that they wanted him to apply for 10th - this was after our application was submitted.
Sometimes the school will ask you to reclass. My son went to an independent PK-9, so a lot of his classmates were applying to boarding schools. Two of the GLADCHEMS recommended re-classing to two different kids in my son’s grade.
One friend was admitted for 9th to one school but admitted to 10th at other schools. She decided to re-class and repeat 9th, as she was a legacy at that school and it was her top choice.
The other friend was told if he wanted to be competitive in his sport at that particular school, he should re-class. He went elsewhere without re-classing and was able to play varsity as a 9th grader at a smaller school.
Can anyone explain if there is an impact from reclassing, other than the obvious advantage of being more mature socially, academically and theoretically. The developmental advantage is obvious.
What I am asking is if a student gets a penalty at any point? Or is there only advantage? Do they age out of sports? It doesn’t seem fair to have 19 year olds on a high school soccer team?
If a student is from the southern hemisphere, they will have to do a “half-year reclass” because the seasons do not align. Is this bad? Good? Doesn’t matter?
I hadn’t thought too much about this, but this thread now has me thinking. Thanks.
No downside, or penalty. And yes, there are 19 year olds, maybe even 20 year olds, on the soccer field. High school soccer isn’t broken down by age, as you know, unlike club. So 14 year old freshmen compete with seniors. Which is one reason it is impressive for a 1st year to make varsity.
That is crazy. Even with a 6 month repeat of Year 9, my child will graduate when he is still 18. It’s looks like a bit of an arms race, viewed from afar. Not sure I am excited about this aspect, but I suppose it is good to go in with open eyes.
I believe I read that a student athlete cannot have turned 20yo at a NEPSAC school. I’ve known PGs who turned 20 shortly after their season.
The only other downside, is how a student feels about being older than the majority of their class and/or graduating later than friends at home. An extra year of HS may not appeal to many!
I think the reclassed 9th graders feel “old” that first year in relation to their classmates. But that fades by 10th forward.