Hello!
I am planning on applying to Suffield as an international student and considering applying in the ED round for an ‘advantage?’ How is the financial aid offered for internationals? Would appreciate hearing from any current/previous students.
Unless there is a Net Price Calculator and the school will honor the indicated support if accepted (as is done at the university level), I would not apply anywhere binding if financial aid is needed.
I didn’t even realize that high schools offered ED. I’m not a fan of the game in higher ed, and it leaves a very bad taste in my mouth as a method to yield (entice? pressure?) 13 year olds.
I don’t have an answer for you beyond wishing you luck. It’s a tough spot to be in.
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I didn’t realize that there were boarding schools that offered ED. Which other schools offer this?
I’m amazed that Suffied is able to turn around a decision between December 11th and 20th. That must be a crazy week for the admissions team. Does anyone have data on what proportion of the students are admitted ED?
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In my opinion offering ED is a sign of weakness.
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I believe Suffield, Millbrook & Westtown all offer ED
I think Frederick Gunn started offering ED last year as well.
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ED seems great for some families - fewer apps, tours, interviews, less stress. I can potentially see it for local day students
But how does a 13/14 year old kid know for sure what their first-choice, sleep away boarding school is by November, and presumably, without fully investigating other alternatives.
For schools to box young kids in like this to enhance their yield - not a good look
In Gunn’s case, it appears to mislead by stating one’s chances of admission are not lowered if they apply regular decision. How? The probability of acceptance is almost certainly higher if they apply ED. It’s a yield tool.
I can foresee regretful kids telling their parents months later they wish they could have explored other options.
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I was surprised to see BS offering ED as well and agree that it creates a pressure that may not be helpful.
With that said, in many cases where the Upper School is a BS and is part of a K-12 school, the students who are coming from the Lower School have had different and earlier application and (binding) decision dates if they want to continue on to the Upper School. At some schools, that ED option may be more equitable for new students. (Wondering if Westtown is in this group.)
Day schools are on an earlier cycle as well (often forcing students to deposit at their favorite day school before they get a BS decision.) Many offer an even earlier decision date (and priority) for 8th graders who want to continue to 9th.
This is to say that this is a surprising trend, but perhaps not completely new.
Pomfret and now Holderness (announced today) both now offer binding ED. New Hampton has EA which is non-binding.
I don’t know anything about Suffield specifically, but I would echo what others have said about applying ED: I would not unless you and your parents have run the financials, and I would really caution against using ED as an “advantage”.
I too don’t love that high schools are now starting to offer ED as an option. I get that kids need to have agency in the application process, but I would hope that parents are involved enough that they would be able to say no to their 13 or 14 year old if they are unclear about finances or the reasons for applying ED are not sound. For some kids, athletes for example, it might make sense and that school may in fact be the best option, but for the vast majority of kids, it’s better to keep the options open.
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Unfortunately, I doubt this is about what is best for the vast majority of kids. Typically, ED is about what is best for an institution’s reputation (even if it is not best for creating the strongest possible student body.) Namely, driving down acceptance rates in a play to climb rankings or appear more selective.
I didn’t think the game would trickle down to young adolescents. And yet, here we are.
I appreciate the voices chiming in to point out where it makes sense, but what is being sacrificed is greater than what is being gained… for the kids anyhow.
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Last week, I spoke to an AO at one of the BS that offers ED — and was told that unless you can pay at least 80% out of pocket OR are a heavily recruited athlete - NOT to apply ED. They don’t set aside very much FA for ED - at least at the particular school I was speaking to.
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Insightful.
Here’s a thought for BSs offering ED: why don’t they publish on their website exactly how ED really works, like what the AO just told @campcook? Instead, you have generic statements about how ED is the same as RD, only earlier, similar to what colleges tell seniors (leaving out most of the real reasons ED is offered), except now it’s targeted to 8th graders.
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Sad to hear that some of these BS are pushing kids into this position. I suspect it is to try to help make them more competitive and secure their yield. There is so mush to be learned in the process about the school and fit. It also sounds like a financial grab when the schools should be trying to acclimate the best fit students and meet the needs as best as they can, applying the same standard to all in their process.
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We emailed another school DS is applying to, asking about the benefits of ED. Here is their response, which is definitely NOT the same as the other BS we spoke to about ED:
“The FA determinations would likely be the same.
The offers of admissions are more likely in the first round.
If you feel that the aid package is not sufficient in the first round, or if you are not awarded a need based scholarship, you can ask for reconsideration at that time, but if you turn down the FA offer at the early stage, the offer of admissions and aid is not guaranteed for the second round.”
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thankyou for your inputs! this discussion had really helped me finalize whether or not I should apply for ED.
ED for Boarding School is a real shame. When our DS was admitted to two schools, we thought we knew which would be the best fit. But revisit days were so helpful and, had he applied ED, he would be at the wrong school for him. It was a close call. In my mind, ED is clearly something that will help the institutions, but hurt the kids. I hope the top schools remember their founders’ missions before they go down that path.
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