Today there were thousands of families gathering around their computers to learn the admissions decisions from boarding schools. Some went to a website with their login information, while others checked email accounts to see the opening line. If your letter began with “Congratulations” then you can pat yourself on the back for a job well done. A number of boarding schools, such as Hotchkiss, saw a record number of applicants, so this application season was quite competitive.
In a competitive application season, there are many more well-qualified students who opened their admissions notices to learn that they were either “Waitlisted” or “Denied” admissions. Ouch!
When waitlisted or denied admissions, remember, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger"
Now what? if you were Waitlisted or Denied to Boarding School
For students who were waitlisted or denied to boarding school, keep in mind the words of Kelly Clarkson, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!” You can even “stand a little taller” even though you’re disappointed in the results. Here are 3 ways that you can indeed stand taller if you plan to submit a stronger application next year:
- Continue to do well in the classroom – If you’re not understanding the content, ask for help from your teacher or work with a tutor. Sometimes, it’s not so much the content as it is a student’s organizational skills. You can improve your organizational skills by having a study routine or using a planner or other tool that helps you keep track of assignments.
- Manage your teacher relationships from the start – Many boarding school applications require that students submit recommendations from current teachers. Students are surprised by this every year, especially when they haven’t developed a relationship with their new teacher!
- Set a study plan for the SSAT – Taking any standardized test without prior review is risky. For the SSAT, plan to spend about 3-4 weeks of prep time.
These decisions provide good information, so you can use it as such. Keep on hanging in there!