Uniforms and Dress Codes

Many people find the admissions process to private schools intimidating, confusing, complicated and, perhaps, a tad invasive. "Why do they have to know so much about me?" is the question which keeps popping up as you peruse all those admissions materials.

The truth is that admission is more than test scores and a faultless transcript. The school wants to get to know you as much as possible. Who are you? What subjects do you like? What sports do you enjoy? What is your favorite pastime? Behind all those recommendations and test scores is a real person with dreams, aspirations and hopes. A private school wants to encourage you and help you be all you can be.

The other thing which the admissions staff looks for is the fit. Are you a good fit for their school? Can you do the academic work? Will you be a congenial member of the school community? Yes, those are the same questions which you and your parents have been asking as you evaluate schools. Your admissions profile offers the school a fairly complete picture of you, your academic strengths and weaknesses, the sports you like, your hobbies, and so on.

While this video describes a college admissions profile, private school admissions profiles are very similar.

What Are They Looking for?

The admissions staff are not looking for geniuses or stars. If you have good math grades and think that

Many students find that a PG or Post Graduate year is a beautiful solution to several situations. Perhaps they feel that they are too young to go to college. As Kim Chorosiewski points out, a PG year offers time to grow and develop without taking a year off. Maybe they want to perfect a sport or artistic activity. A PG year offers a well-focussed period in which to accomplish that perfecting. A PG year also allows you to remediate small gaps in your high school transcript. Or maybe you want a year before you head off for five years of pre-med or bio-kinetic science. The PG year can suit a variety of purposes.

The PG Year is sometimes called a Gap Year or a year off. From my point of view, either description implicitly implies that a PG Year is a structured program of study, not simply a year off where you sit around and do absolutely nothing. Over one hundred private day and boarding schools offer PG Years. It will be worthwhile to explore a couple of programs to see if they fit your requirements.

There is a big push in high school to complete your academic studies with the best results possible to get into the college you want to attend after high school. A gap year gives you an extra year to develop a skill for which you didn't have much time while studying for SATs or doing your IB papers. That skill

You have spent many hours selecting schools online. Some of the schools' websites were so good that you almost felt as though you had explored every corner of their campuses. You watched videos of classes, sports, and extracurricular activities. So, what more could you possibly need to know about the schools? After all, you have identified three or four to which you want to apply. That's the next step in the process, right? Not exactly. The next step is for you to visit those three or four schools on your shortlist. You really have to set foot on each campus. The schools will insist on meeting you and your child in person.

Here is an example of what I am talking about. This excellent video presents Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Faribault, Minnesota, and its fine campus and programs in the best light possible. But you still need to visit the school and truly experience all it has to offer.

Visit schools on your shortlist

Don't skip visiting the schools on your shortlist. Why? Because you need to inspect the campuses yourself. It's like buying a house or renting an apartment. A website and a video will not show you what you really need to see. Professionally done photo galleries and videos are no substitute for experiencing the school. All of those videos and photos are produced and positioned to present the school precisely

Once you have agreed on a short list of schools to visit, you must call and make arrangements for The Interview. Typically, this will take place while you visit the school. What is involved?

Almost every school wants to meet candidates for admission. The admissions test scores, teacher, principal, extracurricular recommendations, and the applicant's essay and parent's statement all offer a snapshot of an applicant at a particular time and place. Conversely, the interview gives the admissions staff a chance to fill in the missing elements and assess the applicant's character.

Schedule well in advance.

Be sure to schedule your interview and school visit well in advance. Do not do this on a Friday afternoon, expecting to turn up the next day. There are only so many hours a day with limited interview appointments. If possible, get your interview out of the way by the end of November. Most applications, including the interview, need to be completed by the deadline.

What does the interview entail?

How long is the interview? It's usually about 20 minutes. What will the admissions staff ask? The person who interviews you wants to get to know you. He already knows who you are and what you have accomplished. He will be looking to see what kind of person you are, how serious you are about your school work, what your hobbies are, and so on.

This video describes the interview process and how to prepare for it.