<p>Definitions get messy. I included all students even if it was just one GGG father. The development people just look at parents. But the Annual Report lists all relationships. Most just had one parent, but there are a few that have multiple ancestors. </p>
<p>There was no “figure in the annual report”, I had to go through each name, total them by forms and then total them for the school. It is not applicants, it is enrolled students. So I do not know the number you seem to be looking for. And if I could find it it might not prove useful. Alums tend to self select. They have a better feeling for whether their teens can make it in than the general public. I have had a number of friends who told me ‘my teen could never get into SPS’. I have have several classmates of mine whose kids were rejected (tough to ask them to contribute after that!). SPS like most of these schools have evolved into meritocracies. </p>
<p>I hear you on FA, and I was there on a full scholarship (as was the current Rector). As to the performance #'s, I was actually surprised. I expected that maybe just maybe the bar was set a bit lower for a legacy. I expected maybe the non-legacies would perform better. The numbers to not support that hypothesis. That DID surprise me. </p>
<p>As you can appreciate, the school tries very hard to build a class (form) with tremendous diversity. So look at it this way: 82.9% of the students have no legacy ties to the school. That is a lot of fresh blood from 35 states and 20 different countries! </p>
<p>As to “the odds your son is facing”, that is an almost impossible question! Lots of people here ask to “be chanced”. If it was all about SSAT’s and grades, and the highest were chosen, then a computer could make the decisions. It isn’t and it can’t. The same is true for colleges. There are lots of high school valedictorians with perfect SATs that get rejected by lots of colleges.</p>
I’m little off topic now, but they shouldn’t be rejected by “lots of” colleges should they? But, I want to focus on the prep school not the college admission. What I am trying to say is that for Harvard, there may be too many “vaedictorians with perfect SATs” applying (?) so it’s natural that they can’t admit a whole class just based on academic performance/ranking. However, for a prep school, I don’t think there are nearly enough “vaedictorians with perfect SSATs” applying or am I wrong on this? Unless such an applicant is a major major “weirdo”, I don’t see why there is not a spot for an academic superstar like this in a prep school.</p>
<p>I don’t think this is apocryphal. A family friend had a son with 99% SSATs, strong grades and extracurriculars who really wanted to attend Exeter. After being rejected and some parental pressure some feedback came back that he hadn’t “demonstrated leadership potential.” Bear in mind this was a kid from Manhattan, and types like this are overrepresented in the applicant pool at top schools. He likely wound up at another top BS, though.</p>
<p>strong grades = straight A’s from a private or a good suburban public school? (less than that, he can’t be called a “star” - sorry just for the argument) Was the student applying for substantial FA?</p>
<p>Benley: Don’t take me too literary. My point was that “chancing” is chancy. Okay? Yes, of course talented kids will get in. Go back in the thread. Neato was just trying to figure out the odds his son is facing, the rest of it evolved from there. I was addressing legacies.</p>
<p>Luckily my kids are past the boarding school (and mostly college) application process, so I can be a bit more detached.</p>
<p>Winterset, fair enough. I was just trying to make the same point: talented kids should get in. There’s a chance he doesn’t get in one school, but there’s a much greater chance he’ll get in one of the best schools.</p>
<p>Did you ever know there is such a thing as Too short a message? I tried to reply “Agreed”. Too short. I tried “I agree” Still to short! Anyway… right. I agree.</p>
<p>Ha Ha, Winterset! Why do you think people write “tenchar” with short posts? It has to be at least ten characters. I just think it funny that it’s taken you nearly 400 posts to have a brief response. (In a very very good way, of course I happen to love your longer than normal posts.)</p>
<p>BTW. I wasn’t exactly asking for chances for my son specifically, but for different categories of applicants: legacies, FP, FA, etc. I’m kind of over worrying about this because my son has done all his apps and has presented himself as honestly as possible. It will all come to pass soon enough and all I can do now is “prepare for the worst and hope for the best.” </p>
<p>The “lack of leadership potential” seems to be the pat answer given to otherwise stellar applicants who are declined.</p>
<p>A few interesting items in todays morning Chapel reports:</p>
<p>Music With Lunch — Today at noon, the music program will present its first “grab ‘n’ go’ then listen lunchtime concert. This program will be presented by two of our music faculty – violinist Viktoria Tchertchian, accompanied by Gregg Pauley. They will play music by Beethoven and Brahms. We hope many of you will grab some lunch and come to the concert hall to hear these wonderful musicians.
Southern Society — Southern comfort food might be just the medicine for the post-holiday blues. The Southern Society is hosting its first meeting this Sunday in the Brewster common room at 3 p.m. All Southerners and anyone else who wants to learn and share experiences about Southern culture are welcome. Bring an appetite!
Top Chef Competition — The French Club is hosting St. Paul’s first ever Upper Top Chef competition tonight at 6:15 in the Lower. Specific rules will be e-mailed out later, but the basic goal is to create an original dish in 15 minutes using only ingredients normally found at the Upper: hotline, all the MYO bars, salad bar, toaster area, soup, etc. are all fair game. All are welcome to compete for categories such as best vegetarian, most visually pleasing, and most likely to induce a heart attack. The dishes do not need to have anything to do with French cuisine. Winners will receive Tuck certificates.
Bake Sale — Hosted by Wing in the Schoolhouse today until lunch time. All proceeds will go directly to aid the victims in Haiti. </p>
<p>Seems like as the winter gets cold everyone is finding a theme that involves eating! :)</p>
<p>hockeykid-do you know why the basketball coach left? Is the new coach the permanent or a temporary replacement? Is the new coach good? My son is applying and b-ball is his primary sport.</p>
<p>Quick question: How do you prounounce Jada Hebra’s last name? I have a phone interview with her coming up, and I don’t want to say it wrong! I’m sure she’ll introduce herself, but I want to make sure.</p>
<p>Author Janice Lee 90 It was every young writers dream of success your first novel, The Piano Teacher, takes the world by storm, is translated into 24 languages, sits for weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and is received with thrilling reviews. But add to this that you had to finish the novel lying on your side in bed for a month, writing on a laptop balanced on a pillow, as you waited to give birth to twins who arrived just three days after the book was finished, and you have an amazing writer with great gifts but also with a lot of grit. Janice Lee, this novelist, was born to Korean parents and grew up in Hong Kong before coming to St. Pauls and Harvard. She brings an international sensibility to her remarkable novel set in Hong Kong during and after the Second World War. We are delighted that this brilliant St Pauls alum will be with us today. She will give a seminar in the Squash Courts Common Room at 110 a.m. and a reading in Common Block (12:45 p.m.) in the Hockey Center lounge. Everyone is welcome to her reading with the exception of fourth and fifth formers who will have their own Humanities Common Block events.</p>
<p>That would be great. Is your daughter assigned an article or is she free to pitch her own? How much time is given to research and write each article? How often does the paper meet? Anything else she might think of would be appreciated.</p>
I happen to love your longer than normal posts.)</p>