BoardingPOV

As Malcolm Gladwell points out in his book: ,Outliers: The Story of Success
“Knowledge of a boy’s IQ is of little use in a formful of clever boys”.  That is to say, super-high intelligence is of little consequence when there are other factors that also contribute to success in life.  Things like being able to get along with others, negotiate and navigate within an organization – whether it be a school, or the workplace later in life.  This sort of thinking applies to success in your school application as well – success is more than high scores and grades.

So what are the main things that admissions officers ask for – and what are they really considering as they make their admissions decisions?

1. Grades

Good grades are the first indication that a student is motivated and able to do the kind of work that the best boarding schools demand.  And not just good grades, but did you take the advanced, or “honors” sections of your middle school courses?  Admissions looks to whether or not you took the toughest courses available, as one indication that you like, and respond well, to a challenge.

Of course, there is another side: We know of one student, locally, that had straight “A’s”, near perfect scores on the SSAT (see next item), and still did not get accepted to a top-tier boarding school.  Anecdotal discussions with other parents revealed that he was a “book-worm”, a bit of a loner, and loved to brag about his high grades. I wonder how he came across in the interview?

2. Test Scores

The SSAT (or sometimes the ISEE) are used to bring some objectivity into the “can the candidate do the work?” question.  A good score, relative to peers, are one indication that the student is likely well prepared for the rigorous challenges of boarding school.

Does a lower score mean certain rejection?  Depends.  If the score falls so low as to be a warning that the individual just doesn’t have the background strength to keep up with classmates, it might mean certain rejection.  And the cut-off is going to be different for different schools.  The top schools may be looking first at candidates that meet other criteria – like that highly recruited basketball player (see extra curriculars) – but will, in the end, be very cautious about bringing in a student that is going to struggle, potentially fail, academically.

On the other hand, don’t fret if your SSAT isn’t the 92nd percentile that you “heard was the average admit at Andover, Exeter, Choate, or wherever…” An average means just that.  There were certainly students admitted with an 89 percentile, probably some with 80th percentile, maybe even some lower than that. Remember, it’s the ENTIRE view of the student’s potential contribution to the school, and the other factors may indicate that the candidate is a much stronger student than the test scores may reveal.

3. Extra Curricular Activities

Do you swim? Are you a strong oboe player? Have you made Eagle scout, or the Girl Scout’s equivalent Gold Award?  The amount of time and effort you have put into something that you are passionate about, says something about you.  Your interests outside of yourself, be it part of a sports team, or a personal passion, means that you know how to manage your time between school and other interests.  And it means you are better rounded, not simply study, study, study – all the time.

I have seen many a boarding school candidate, perhaps on a website like College Confidential ask to be “chanced” (as in, what are my chances to get in?).  They indicate that they are straight “A” students, soccer stars, champion debater, work 100’s of hours at the animal shelter, speak 3 languages, and what do I think?  I wonder “is this 14 year-old for real?”  Great if it’s all true, but be extra careful about “padding” your resume (see Interview, next).

4. The Interview

So the interview is designed to get to know you. To really get to know you. I can predict that in the interview, the interviewer will be digging hard to determine if you really are a great debater…can you put together a coherent interview?  They’ll likely ask what you DID at the animal shelter.  Can you explain a 100 hours worth of work?  If you’re “padding”, and they come to a serious doubt about the veracity of what you say, can you be trusted?

Of course, most 13-14 year olds are simply who they are. The admissions officers will likely respond well to someone who’s likable, who’s outgoing and genuinely interested in the world around them.  It certainly helps if that prospective student has visited the campus ahead of the interview, talked to other current students, and can therefore talk about what they like about the school.  I’ve heard it said by several admissions officers that when it comes to making an “admit” decision, it sometimes comes down to a candidate that may be a little stronger academically, versus one that impressed them with really wanting to go to THIS school, and who could articulate good reasons why. Guess which one is likely to be admitted?

5. Teacher Recommendations

I left this one for last for a reason.  Imagine an “A” student, top SSAT scores, good extracurriculars, a winning smile in the interview, and then – a teacher recommendation that says “ (student) was a strong academically, but sometimes challenging/disruptive in class,  a bit of a loner”.  Do you wonder what the admissions officer might think?  If boarding schools distinguish themselves from other schools by being a residential community of learners – and wanting classes to run smoothly – would you take a risk on someone who his/her current teacher describes as “disruptive” or a “loner”?  Maybe, but you can be sure that there will be some extra probing during the interview, and perhaps even a phone call to the 8th grade teacher to try and find out more.

What can you do to help assure an “admit” decision?  First, recognize that your 7th and 8th grades are important.  Be helpful in the classroom. Turn in extra credit when offered.  Join in discussions, and make your voice heard.  Try to work with your teachers, even if they’re not your favorite. Remember, even in boarding school you’ll have teachers that might be not your favorites, or extremely challenging – how you work with your current teachers is one very good indicator of how you’ll interact with your boarding school teachers.  All the more important in boarding school – where you are expected to quickly take charge of your own education, and learn how to seek out extra help from teachers during “office hours”.

Other considerations:

There are at least two other considerations, that may come into play: Ability to pay, and Diversity.  Let’s take a look at each of these:

Ability to pay –

First announced by some of the most elite colleges, a very few top-tier boarding schools also came out and advertised they are “need blind”.  That is to say, they make their admission decisions first, before they even know if the student has a financial aid need.

But, that was before the 08/09 precipitous drop in the stock market, and thus school endowments that are used to provide financial aid.  Thankfully, some schools have maintained financial aid at previous levels – some have even stepped up aid for current students.

But, as a practical matter, most schools cannot afford to be need-blind. So, if you are applying for financial aid, while applying at most schools, you are likely to have your application viewed separately from those who don’t ask for aid.  That is not to say that full-pay students are automatically admitted either – with sometimes 10 applicants for every spot, they too are going to have to show that they can do the work, are likely to be engaged in their own learning, etc.

Diversity –

Most schools strive to be diverse.  The days of homogeneous student bodies are mostly gone.  We as a society have become more diverse, and as foreign parents have started to appreciate boarding schools as a strong and safe place to prepare for U.S. colleges.  And it has benefits for all – in a world economy, wouldn’t it be great to hear about Chinese culture directly from a Chinese student?

So, schools are striving to be more diverse.  Culturally, geographically, socio-economically.  As long as the school is able to successfully balance the needs for financial aid, and their need to have a student who can do well in a boarding community, they will seek to attract students from other countries, as well as other states within the U.S.  So, if you happen to be a bilingual, Hispanic, Asian, Kenyan, or similar, applicant from New Mexico, take heart – it may help!

So, I guess there’s really more than 5 factors.  And there are certainly other factors that come into play at each school, and for each candidate.  It just goes to show that you can’t control everything. Try to present yourself well with the main factors and hope for the best.  It’s as much art as it is science – there appears to be a significant element of “fortune favors the prepared” involved, and yet there’s also an element of being the right candidate at the right time.  If you’d like to hear a dialog from some top college admissions officers, discussing some of these same points, visit this website – we found it useful last year:http://questions.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/qa-college-admissions/

Good luck to all!