Hi,
I’m a parent and looking in Concord Academy for a my niece. It is a VERY hard school to get into as I know. She is currently a sophomore at a day school in the northeast. Although, she loves BCDS she finds the classes are way too easy for her. We were wondering if she wanted to apply for junior year what scores, community service, and more she should do. Would applying this late hurt her chances of getting in? Her parents think so but she wants more rigorous classes and smarter kids. So far she is taking all the honors she can and has gotten all A’s. I really want the best for her so please help.
Thanks.
It’s not late to apply. The application season for entry for next fall is just ramping up.
@doschicos I agree! But, will applying in a year that is not considered a “transition year” hurt my nieces chances? Thank you so much!
Well, yes, getting in as a new junior is more competitive at most schools but why not try? If she is unhappy/unchallenged currently, I would suggest applying to more than just Concord Academy.
@doshicos What happens if she does not get in? Does that mean that her school won’t like her and will not push for her when college application time rolls around?
Of course not. I think they would be professional about it. They want stats to look good. They also want kids to be happy.
Honestly, I think you are overanalyzing a tad.
I went to an all girls boarding school way back when. It was an amazing experience. There were always a half dozen or so girls who arrived junior year for one reason or another. Most of them seemed to adapt quickly. I don’t think it is necessarily harder to get in as a junior than as a freshman - there will be fewer open spaces, but also less demand. I don’t think they’ll be expecting a high school sophomore to have a lot of leadership positions. She should have good scores on whatever standardized testing they require, good grades and a few extra curricular activities. New England prep schools (at least the former boy’s schools I’m familiar with) do value sports. You should also check out the prep school forum. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/
Are you only considering CA because she wants to be a day student and she lives nearby? If not, you may want to widen your search a bit. The larger schools may have more openings for new Juniors. Also, she could consider repeating Sophomore year - it’s a relatively common practice and, depending on the kid, may be worth thinking about.
@GMC2918 Okay! What other schools do you think could be good?
Hi! I think I may be able to shed some light on this. I applied my sophomore year to Concord Academy. It is extremely difficult to get in for junior year because Concord has a set number of seats available. Freshmen and Sophomore years are easier as they allow about 50 freshmen and 50 sophomores. For Juniors, they let in maybe 2. I applied my sophomore year and decided to repeat my sophomore year at Concord. For me the experience was worth it–I was coming from a public school. Concord is a very unique school and it would be a shame to come in junior year. Wish you the best of luck!!
I was thinking specifically about Northfield Mount Hermon, which is a fantastic school but is quite a bit larger than CA and may have more openings for Juniors.