Admissions

Boarding school admissions can be competitive. Our articles provide helpful resources to give your child a leg up on the admissions process. We’ll help you discover the best ways to apply, provide tips on staying organized, and explain why school visits are so important. Should you read your child’s admissions essay? Are test prep materials helpful? Why do I need recommendations? Find the answers to these questions and more here.

View the most popular articles in Admissions:

5 Tips for a Successful Boarding School Admissions Interview

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5 Tips for a Successful Boarding School Admissions Interview
Discover essential tips for acing boarding school admissions interviews. Learn how to present your child in the best light without unnecessary stress.
iStockPhoto/Jacob Wackerhausen

Visiting boarding schools that you and your child are seriously considering is an exciting step in the admissions process. During these visits, you'll meet with admissions staff and possibly even a dean or the head of school. It's natural to want to make a great impression. You will put your best foot forward when you meet with these people. However, you will be in unfamiliar surroundings.

When parents think about secondary school interviews, they tend to focus on prepping their child for the all-important, anxiety-inducing applicant interview. The parent interview, which usually takes place during the same visit, can seem less significant, and parents often neglect to prepare for it in the same way. However, with a little planning, the parent interview can be a real asset to your student's application. Source: Secondary School Admission: The Do's and Don'ts of The Parent Interview...The Fay School

So, my advice is to relax, stay calm, and, above all, not let your nerves get the better of you. Here are some tips to help you navigate the admissions interview successfully.

This video shows a day in the life of Exeter.

1. Be Mindful About Discussing Learning Challenges

While honesty is important, there's no need to highlight minor learning issues during the interview. Admissions staff are adept at interpreting academic records and test scores, so let those documents speak for themselves. On the other hand, if

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I've Been Waitlisted. What Do I Do Now?

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I've Been Waitlisted. What Do I Do Now?
After months of research, school visits, interviews, and tests, you find out that you've been waitlisted. Relax. It's not the end of the world. Here's what to do.

You applied to several boarding schools. But your first choice didn't accept you. Instead, it waitlisted you. What exactly does this mean? And why do schools waitlist applicants? What do you do now?

I can tell you from my first-hand experience that you wonder what you did wrong. Did you make a poor impression at the interview? Were your scores not good enough? The questions are never-ending. As a father whose two daughters both went to boarding schools, I remember well all the second-guessing. So, I am writing this essay from the candidate's point of view and yours. Please share it with your child who has been waitlisted by one or more of the boarding schools she applied to.

What does waitlisting mean?

Most schools typically offer more applicants places than they have for the theory and experience that they will receive enough acceptances to fill all their seats. Calculating the actual yield from the acceptances they have sent out is something experienced admissions officers know how to do almost instinctively. For example, let's say the school has places for 100 students. It could send acceptance letters to 100 applicants. But what happens if only 75 of those families accept the places offered? Having 25 empty seats will wreak havoc with any private school's finances.

That's where the waitlisting comes in. The admissions officers know that if they offer a certain number of applicants over the actual number of places they have available, they will receive the necessary

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Boarding Schools Welcome International Students

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Boarding Schools Welcome International Students
American boarding schools have always welcomed international students. Rigorous academic programs, extensive athletic programs, and a wide range of extracurricular activities attract students from all over the world.

International students are welcome at boarding schools in the United States. Los estudiantes internacionales son bienvenidos en las escuelas secundarias residenciales en los Estados Unidos. Les étudiants internationaux sont les bienvenus dans les lycées résidentiels aux États-Unis. Internationale Schüler sind an Residential High Schools in den Vereinigten Staaten willkommen. Welcome! Welcome!

International students have always been welcome at American boarding schools. One of the reasons for that is the global view most American boarding schools have of the world outside the United States. While xenophobia and populism tend to get the headlines, the truth is that most American boarding schools reflect a fascination with and curiosity about other countries and cultures. So, when a teenager from Taipei travels halfway around the world to study at an American boarding school, her new classmates notice. But, more importantly, they welcome their new friend with open arms, hearts, and minds.

Statistics

How many international students attend American boarding schools? Approximately 50,000 students, according to the Institute of International Education® (IIE), an organization founded in 1919.

Why study in the U.S.A.?

You can study at boarding schools in many other countries besides the United States. However, when you examine the depth and breadth of the academic curricula in American schools, especially in the areas of STEM and robotics, you realize what good value an American boarding school education offers. Studying in the U.S.A. makes the adjustment from high school to college much easier. You will know the culture and will have become

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A Roadmap For The Boarding School Admissions Process

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A Roadmap For The Boarding School Admissions Process
Admissions to boarding school is a process with many components. The process can be confusing to parents dealing with boarding school admissions for the first time. We guide you through the process.

Admissions to boarding school is a process with many components. The process can be confusing to parents dealing with boarding school admissions for the first time. So, this article is a hub that includes articles I have written describing the private school admissions process.

The Overview

Admissions to Private School: A-Z puts all the information you need to navigate the boarding school admissions process in one convenient place. Whether you are just beginning or have been through this before, you will find help and advice to guide you. If you can't find answers to your questions or have specific concerns, contact the admissions offices at schools in which you are interested. Admissions staff are always ready to help.

Admissions 101 offers an overview of the admissions process, as well as the steps needed to find the right school for your child. The secret to finding the right school is to identify the school that fits your needs and requirements best.

Our Admissions Checklist will keep you on track as you work through the private school admissions process. Essentially it takes tall the aspects of the admissions process and formats them in an easy-to-follow checklist.

If you are good at organizing projects, the challenges involved in getting your child into private school will not seem especially daunting. Bear in mind that this project will stretch over eighteen months or more. 5 Challenges To Getting Your Child

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International Students: Offsite And Virtual Visits

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International Students: Offsite And Virtual Visits
International students who want to attend an American boarding school face several additional steps in the admissions process. More here.

Many students from countries outside the United States want to attend American boarding schools. According to The Association of Boarding Schools, international students make up about 15% of the student population in American boarding schools. It is essential to know that international students applying to an American boarding school deal with several additional steps in the admissions process.

Because many applicants live far from the schools they would like to visit, American boarding schools have devised ways to let parents and potential students experience the schools, their communities, and their programs. For example, if you live in Asia or Europe, visiting American schools in person is not always financially or logistically possible. So, what alternatives exist for those situations? There are several. Off-campus, school visits come in a couple of flavors. Since boarding school admissions staff have years of experience recruiting and admitting students from countries outside the United States, you will be able to get answers to all your questions and concerns. Decades of experience back up those answers. With that in mind, let's see how the overseas recruiting and admissions process to American boarding schools works.

Admissions Staff Visits Overseas

Many boarding schools send their admissions staff overseas to major cities in countries where they have a substantial applicant pool. Ask for details of visits in your area. While you will have to rely on school videos and web presentations of school life and activities, at

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Admissions

INTERVIEWS AND VISITS
Boarding school visits are an integral part of the admissions process. Despite the rave reviews of friends, family and consultants, you and your child should scope out each school and use your own judgment to determine if he/she will be happy there. This section will help you compile a checklist of things to look for and questions to ask.
ADMISSIONS OVERVIEW
This section provides a glimpse into the boarding school admissions process. From how to apply to the 10 things you must not forget, our tips and resources can be a huge benefit to successfully navigating boarding school applications. Find answers to the most common questions, learn when it’s too late to apply and get familiar with the Boarding School Admission Application