April 10, 2021 10:30 am Top Boarding Schools – It’s Getting More Competitive To Be Accepted!
Written by – Admissions Expert, Dr. Lowe
It’s April and parents continue to frantically call our offices or email us regarding waitlists! The common message: My child was waitlisted at a particular top boarding school or several boarding schools. They’re usually referring to one or all of the Ten Schools (a la Exeter, Andover, Choate, Lawrenceville, Deerfield etc.). Many parents decide to wait patiently, try to see what they can do on their own and then perhaps reapply next year to the 10th grade on their own.
Here is the problem with this approach. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected boarding school admissions. Getting into elite and selective boarding schools is more fiercely competitive than ever. More parents are interested in the boarding school dynamic and aware of the superior education at top boarding schools. A recently published article in the New York Times: “The Boarding-School Boom” has confirmed what we have been advising our clients who have been accepted to top boarding schools… there is now hyper-competition in boarding school admissions.
Several schools have reported to us, this year, that they had a record number of applicants and they were able to admit a mere 10% of all applicants (as opposed to 14-18% in past years). What does this mean? Getting off the waitlist will be difficult! More students will remain on the waitlist and will inevitably be perpetually waitlisted (effectively, rejected). For many of the competitive schools, April 10th is the date admitted students are asked to notify the Admission Office of their enrollment decision. After this date, many parents know if their children will be starting public school in the fall and will have to decide if their children will be reapplying next year for the 10th grade. The reapplication to boarding schools (especially ones where students were waitlisted or rejected) can be tricky and will involve different admissions strategies.
Successful boarding school admissions requires expertise and experience to understand how to manage risks, navigate pitfalls, design the right admissions strategies, and most importantly understand the admissions policies and professionals who are making admissions decisions – in other words an admissions expert!
“Being different and understanding differences allow me to help our clients stand out and be accepted!” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“Parents hire us because they choose to pay an admissions expert who will help them avoid making mistakes.” – Dr. Paul Lowe
Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Greenwich Admissions Advisors and founder affiliates – Ivy League Admissions Advisors and Private School Admissions Advisors of the Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group network.
Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive service for families and students who are interested in applying to top private schools, Ivy League and highly selective colleges and combined BS/MD programs. Dr. Lowe also helps students gain admissions into their top choice private schools and colleges after they have been wait-listed and rejected.
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