Hi There - My son is in 5th grade and goes to a public elementary school in Lake Washington School District. We are applying to Overlake, Eastside Prep, UPrep for his 6th grade.
He plays Tennis (USTA tournaments) and Baseball (RNLL) competitively. He also participates in First Lego League and is interested in Robotics. About growth areas, Writing is something he needs to improve on. He is generally a very outgoing and excited kid.
Are these scores and his extra curriculars good enough for these schools? What are his chances? Any suggestions on the things he should look out for during middle school interview sessions at these schools?
No insight on chances but getting “in” now will alleviate the hassle of trying to switch from public to private at high school when the competition might be more fierce. Sports might help too if you can show how your student will help the teams. Are you looking at Bush SAAS and Lakeside too?
Your son’s essays and your essays and attitude will matter a lot. you don’t mention if anyone (current school or outside assistance) reviewed his application. his test scores are fine and that is just one piece. it will be important for him to show what he brings to the community through his writing and visits. The schools care about the family, so your writing and all interactions with the schools will matter too. Does your writing reflect growth areas outlined in his past report cards, how do you feel about his teacher feedback will be (obviously you won’t see this - but you should have an idea about how he is perceived), does he have a lot of tardies or absences - it is an entire app not just scores.
I have no insight to offer on your specific questions, but seeing a post like this here about a fifth grader just pains me. Please let your kid grow up and be who he is, free of constant concerns about testing, extracurriculars, sports achievements, etc.–it will come back to bite him. I grew up in the Seattle area and attended Williams, Harvard, and Yale, so am well familiar with the aspirational universe you inhabit…please don’t let its sicknesses become yours!
I hear you and genuinely appreciate your concern. Sometimes I think this too. However, I dont think we are pushing him into anything. FWIW, the only thing we requested him to do is to take the ISEE test. He loves playing baseball since he get to hang out with his friends. He loves tennis as a sport since he gets to play with me as well. I maybe wrong, but I believe he has a lot of fun in his life and academics/sports are just a part of his life. At least, thats what I feel like
Great questions. 1) No one has reviewed his application. We just wanted to be authentic and just present our answers without suggestions from others.
2) He is concerned about his essays since he knows writing is his growth area. I know he would expressed his authentic self though.
3) How would you recommend interacting with the school? We visited open houses, other sessions whenever there was a chance and our interactions were very good. Not sure if the staff would remember that though.
4) Our writing does reflect his growth areas - writing and needs to focus a bit more on serious situations. He is all fun now. This is consistent with what his teachers tell about him to us.
5) He does not have a lot of tardies. Maybe a couple of sick days and one week of vacation during Thanksgiving.
Really appreciate your insights here. I am very curious on your suggestions to improve communications with the school and how to show we really want to be a part of the community.
No. We are not looking at Bush or Lakeside. We live in the Eastside. Our understanding is Lakeside is super competitive. So, the only Seattle school we are looking at is UPrep.
Generally in line with @coffeeat3 - your son’s scores are solid for all three schools - they won’t keep him out of any of them. So no worries there.
It sounds like you’ve done what you can to make sure his application is authentic to him. My one suggestion to you is to have your son do some practice “interviews” with adults (not you, but doesn’t have to be a stranger - a friend or something), just so he’s comfortable answering questions or doing some problem solving with an adult, can remain focused and mature, etc. If he’s already comfortable with that scenario, then no need. This can just be a strange experience for a 5th grader.
Otherwise, there isn’t much you can or should do. There isn’t some minimum bar of extracurriculars that a student needs to meet: the admissions offices are all just building a class of students who they think will be successful and meet their institutional goals.
I wouldn’t think about doing anything else. They aren’t looking for demonstrated interest like you’d see in the college process, and are certainly not wanting to see parents who will be overly involved: as long as you didn’t do anything memorable (in an unpleasant way), you’re good. Fade into the background and let your son represent himself.
With respect, I’m not really sure what @Oshoyu’s goal was with their post - I don’t see anything that suggests you’re pushing your son in any directions he doesn’t want. A son who plays tennis and baseball and likes robotics seems very normal.
I would not have your son worry at all
about his writing - he is in 5th grade and writing varies a lot for kids coming into MS. His test scores show he is doing well and has a strong grasp in both english and math.
The essay prompts are very age appropriate. Too late to do anything - but ideally each prompt/short answer should introduce something new - not everything about loving ponies or single subject ? - including your writing too. The diversity prompt allowed a place for you to discuss community and your potential involvement.
It is smart to send thank you notes after your visits and interview. Don’t overdue it, but a short email about what stood out to
you (and your child should too) and being specific to the school. If you had/child had a great interaction with a teacher, coach, fellow student - that is a great thing to mention.
Lastly, if any of the schools seem out of your immediate geographical range - i would recommend you add in to one of those notes something that indicated your commitment to the commute. Excited about the bus, school near your office, or ? The admission team wants to offer spots to families that will say yes and I think showing interest can make a difference.
Obviously, just my opinion and there are several natural points in the process to be remembered without being annoying.
Interview by another adult sounds like a great idea. My son is very comfortable talking to adults generally about random topics in a group setting. I dont think he has experience talking to them 1:1 in a focused way. So, it would be great for him to just experience that.
The email about what stood out makes a ton of sense. In fact, in one of the student panel sessions during open house, there was a kid from his elementary school. He really resonated well with the kid and had a chat about his experience going to that school. I will find a way to share this with the school. Thanks
@coffeeat3@movingtothebeach - Thanks for all the suggestions. I have another question. We finally got his SSAT scores since there was some delay in EMA receiving the tests. His scores were Overall: 95, V:88, Q:91, R:98. Should we think about sharing these with schools since application window has technically closed now?
