I was referring to the boys dorms @Calliemomofgirls at Groton which house 8th & 9th grade boys together. Bit surprised at the reaction.
There are many VI Form/ VII Form FP applicants ( day students and boarders ) applying from nine other JBSs ( there are ten ) with similar or much better stats. Then imagine or add all the applicants from PDSs from all around the country / world that will round out OP’s pool.
Then look at the school list and the stats again. Not an athlete and the ECs are fine but just okay. People here might see the wonderful SSAT score and think- WOW! but TBH - I’m thinking- so what?
The line forms to the left with that score and academics isn’t everything.
Plus- depending on the schools we’re talking about ( which JBS to what SS ) the SSs above aren’t known for taking large numbers of kids each year from any one JBS or Private Day school. Milage may vary from year to year - school to school ( of course! ) but the number is usually on the lower side - even though that is never written in stone.
Enter EVERYONE rolling the dice to a certain degree and the very reason why JBS/PDS parents and their kids DON’T talk about their SS apps or share their apply to list with anyone ( outside the placement office ) during the process .
We applied to SS from JBS three times and even though my kids were accepted to their FC schools, no one ( and I mean no one ) thought our pool or our apps from a JBS were a home run or somehow an “edge” on the other competition - especially without a viable option at home. It’s also important to note that the vast majority ( 99% ) go on to SS- BS from JBS and PDS applicant SS- BS numbers are larger today than they’ve ever been.
I’m fully aware of all the JBS perks and always onboard for a little JBS chutzpah, but come on! It’s not exactly a pool I’d wish on anyone. 
Go Big or Stay Home apps are what they are ( there have been sad sonnets written post M10 from a large number of casualties over the years ) so again - TBH- I’d give each app above 50/50 ( at best ) in that pool w/ that competition.
Obviously, I hope I’m completely wrong in this particular case, but unfortunately I’m being a boarding school realist right now for all the future applicants who will one day read this thread.
In sum ( and this is NOT directed at the OP ) : Never target a school or schools based on grades or one SSAT score. One score should never dictate which schools you apply to unless you want to go big and have a viable SS option to fall back on at home.
Anyway- fingers crossed, OP! I sincerely mean it and I hope your DC gets one or all on M10. Good luck!!
@Publisher Oh good to know there’s a difference. The 9th grade girls dorms also had the walls that stopped a few inches short of the ceiling, but the way the rooms were set up was really nice, with two sides sort of separated by built-in desks. Our impression was that it was a room that gave more privacy for studying, reading, etc… than other dorm rooms we visited. Anyway, the Groton dorms were a plus for us, even though many folks on here (I don’t mean just this thread) consider them a drawback.
No, that may have been how it was years ago but now second form boys live with second form boys and third form (9th grade boys) live with third form boys. 9th grade girls and boys have the same set up. Its been this way for a while.
I recall the scandal that probably prompted the change with respect to the boys.
Groton is a great school with outstanding college placement.
How would the parents/former students describe the vibe of the following schools? I think this could help to distinguish “fit” for us newbies?
Andover
SPS
Deerfield
Groton
Lawrenceville
Hotchkiss
Choate
Some basic, off-the-cuff thoughts:
Andover students do show signs of stress. Along with Exeter, has the largest enrollment. Both offer PG year which could be good or bad depending upon one’s view.
Andover offers easy access to Boston–which could be good or bad depending upon one’s perspective.
Deerfield is athletic. Beautiful & relaxing setting. Offers PG year.
Groton can be intense academically. Smallest enrollment of the super elite boarding schools.
Hotchkiss & SPS kids are nice. Friendly campus culture at both. Not sure if still accurate, but in the not too distant past, Hotchkiss had a lot of NYC / Conn. kids from Wall Street / Hedge Fund wealth.
St. Paul’s School has a gorgeous campus. 100% boarding. 50/50 male female. Saturday classes. Changed athletic league a few years ago. Left ISL. Competes with the largest boarding schools now (Andover, Exeter, Deerfield, Choate, etc.) instead of with ISL schools (such as St. Mark’s & Roxbury Latin).
Lawrenceville is interesting. Over the decades I have seen a bit of a love it or hate it, but mostly love it. Beautiful. Strong relationship with Princeton University. Do you prefer New Jersey or New England ? Competes with schools like Peddie, Wyoming Seminary, Mercersburg Academy, probably Blair Academy, etc. Offers PG year.
All offer outstanding academics.
Important to visit. Very important to attend revisit days after accepted as other parents & applicants are great sources for obsevations & insights about the various schools.
Although Exeter is not on your list, I think that it does offer the best setting / location, but maybe not the best college placement among this group of super elite prep boarding schools.
An important aspect to consider is whether or not 100% boarding population is important to you & your student.
@Publisher got Hotchkiss right. The kids are supportive of each other and friendly. The NYC/Greenwich wealthy families are decreasing in influence and presence. My oldest graduated in 2013, and my youngest is there now and there’s a marked difference (lessened) with that group.
@cinnamon1212 The Greenwich families at every BS aren’t as wealthy as they used to be given that most were in stock trading and investment banking ( much of which is now done online/automatically) at a much lower cost. Less about who you know and more about what you know every day. ;0
Actually most of the Greenwich families we know are in private equity which is still doing well quite well from what I understand. But their kids go to Brunswick and GA, or even public HS if they are in Darien. I think much like in the city, BS is falling out of favor there.
@417WHB: Is “GA” = GreenFarms Academy ?
@Publisher No, Greenwich Academy, a girl’s school that is basically girl’s equivalent to Brunswick, lots of families have kids in both.
I meant that there are fewer jobs in finance due to technology and also prices for housing have fallen fast in CT especially that area. Taxes ( both corporate and income) are very high relative to other areas. Also, that industry has many fewer people than 20-30 years ago. Not a field you want to be in.
Just out of curiosity, post M10, how much time does a BS typically give a student to make a decision? When are revisits usually done (in Mar or Apr)? Thank you.
@marvelcomics you get a month. Most boarding schools go on spring break right after the M10 decisions, so revisits are typically not till after everyone gets back last week of March and first week of April. A lot of schools have the revisit days on the calendar already, and there is a thread going about the specific dates for a bunch of schools on this site.
Thank you everyone for their comments to this thread. Thought to return the favor by, at least, providing the outcome.
We had a stellar M10 outcome.
Accepted: Andover, Exeter, Choate, Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville
Waited: SPS and Middlesex
These are stellar results - which I’d expect for someone with these stats, but so many others didn’t as you can see elsewhere on the site.
What do you think made the difference? Congrats!
I’m going to guess that part of it had to do with the sending JBS. Their placement counselors know the lay of the land and know the admissions teams at most BS and know how to construct a good application package.
Congratulations, @marvelcomics !
@marvelcomics : Since your daughter is currently at a junior boarding school, do many get accepted at St. Paul’s School ?
P.S. Did you submit a first choice letter ? If so, what was the result ?
@Publisher - DC said that many applied to SPS but only a few got in. Those that received offers from SPS had some sort of hook (mainly sports and/or legacy). We did submit a first choice letter early in the process and received a nice written response back (and DC’s first choice school offered a seat). I wrote a separate thread asking the community about the pros and cons of submitting a first choice letter and received a mixed feedback. We were very cognizant going in about how selective these schools are (particularly our first choice school). I know our first choice letter definitely added another “plus” to DC’s application to the first choice school.