The following five common admission mistakes can and should be avoided. With a little advance planning and organization, this is quite doable. The point of avoiding these common admissions mistakes is to improve your child's chances during the entire admissions process.
Plan your private school search process. On this site, we have several articles which you can bookmark and refer to from time as you work through what is, after all, a lengthy, 16-18 month process on average. Our Applications Calendar will help keep you organized from week to week, month to month. With a long-term project like choosing a private school, it is easy to lose sight of some of the important deadlines. When that happens, you will stress yourself unduly as you try to accomplish several months' work in a few weeks.
1. Not Observing the Deadlines
Deadlines are set for a reason. The admissions staff has hundreds of applications to process. If you miss the deadlines, it may not be a big deal to you. But it does send a signal to the admissions staff. Most likely the wrong signal.
Missing deadlines due to unforeseen circumstances happens. If that happens to you, then call immediately when you realize you will not be able to meet the deadlines. People will be much more accommodating when you alert them before, not after, the fact.
Remember that each private school is unique. Many have the same deadlines. Others set their own cutoff dates. Be careful to observe those.
2. Not Giving the Recommendation Forms Out in Time
Parents forget that teachers frequently have recommendation forms for several students to complete. Handing a recommendation form to a teacher a week before it's due is thoughtless.
Since these recommendations have to be mailed via snail mail, be sure to affix the correct postage to the return envelope. Teachers appreciate that sort of thoughtfulness and consideration. Don't ask to see what the teacher has written about your child. That is confidential.
Teacher recommendations are typically asked for in English and mathematics. The school needs to understand how your child has handled instruction in those important core subject areas.
3. Not Preparing for the Admissions Tests
Most private schools use standardized tests as part of their admissions testing. They used standardized tests like the SSAT and ISEE because they are objective. All applicants are assessed using the same kind of tests.
There are dozens of ways your child can practice for the test using texts and online resources. While a poor test score isn't necessarily the end of the world, schools do use the test scores as one more way of comparing your child with all the other applicants. If the school only has 100 places and 300 applicants, it makes sense that they will select the candidates who offer the best of everything.
That's why your child needs to start practicing at least 6 months before the actual test date. Set aside a weekend morning (tests always take place in the morning) and have her work a practice test under test conditions. That means no interruptions or distractions such as iPods, TV, etc. If you insist that she do this a couple of times, she will be as cool as a cucumber on the test date. Remember: everybody gets nervous. Especially young people in unfamiliar surroundings and under stressful conditions.
4. Being Late for the Admissions Interview
It sounds so obvious, but being late for your admissions interview really can get things off on the wrong foot. Think about it: the admissions staffers have scheduled dozens of meetings like yours throughout the day. While they are pretty clever at juggling schedules and moving things around, it is never easy to do. Something unforeseen like a flat tire or sudden illness can change your plans at the last minute. The admissions staff will understand that. What they won't understand is if you don't call immediately and advise them of your expected late arrival or non-arrival.
This video explains what to expect in the private school admissions process.
If you are one of those people who simply cannot arrive on time for an appointment, then you need to tell yourself that the appointment is actually 30 minutes earlier than it actually is. If your admissions interview is scheduled for 2 p.m., then arrive at 1:30 p.m. You and your child can sit, relax, read a magazine, visit the powder room, and so on. Just don't be late. If you can see that you will in fact arrive late, call.
Being on time for an admissions interview is just as important as being on time for a job interview. Think of it that way and govern yourself accordingly.
5. Not Selecting a Safe School
Many parents assume that their child will get into Andover or Exeter. It's nice to be so confident. But the harsh reality is that competitive schools are precisely that - competitive. Very competitive. Andover and Exeter are examples of two schools which are very competitive indeed. They and other well-known schools have many more applicants than they possibly can accept.
That's why you need to apply to three categories of schools: schools that are a reach, schools which you are fairly certain she can get into, and schools that are safe schools or ones you can bet the ranch she will be accepted at. The underlying selection criteria you will use must remain the same for all three categories: you want your child to get into a school that fits as closely as possible with your requirements. Otherwise, you will have an unhappy child on your hands.
If you don't have at least one safe school on your shortlist, you will not only have an unhappy child but you will be very frustrated yourself. Why? Because you will have to scramble to find a place at the last minute. That's doable, of course, but who needs that kind of aggravation.
Other Things To Consider
Other factors to consider are whether you are applying to a local day school or a boarding school in another part of the state or the country. Choosing a day school is generally a much less complicated process because you eliminate the travel component. The other parts of the process stay basically the same.
Many schools use an online application system. The temptation is to leave completing that online application to the last minute. Please don't do that. Start in September. Create your account. Download the forms which have to be printed out and handled manually such as Teacher Recommendations and Candidate's and Parents' Statements. You can request a complete package of the admissions forms from the school's admissions office. Review those forms and set deadlines for you and your child so that everything is completed in a timely fashion.
This video explains the financial aid application process.
If you are applying for financial aid, that is another time-consuming process all by itself. Start that part of the process in September as well. Begin to gather the financial documentation which you need in order to submit the commonly used Parents Financial Statement. Once again you will avoid the unnecessary stress of having to do all of this at the last minute.
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