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College Success
(Admitted to NYU) |
"David was accepted at NYU. There is absolutely no doubt in our minds that your editing of his personal statement made the difference. Before your help, his application was rejected by two inferior schools. The same application -- AFTER YOUR EDITING -- got him into an excellent institution. You've made such a difference in our lives. Thank you."
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Researching
Schools
Parents just beginning a private school search may be overwhelmed with the wealth of available information. Finding useful and reliable information can be trying at times, but there is a systematic way to go about the search.
Testing the Waters
If you are just beginning your search, you may want to talk with families in your area who are familiar with the process. Even the most prestigious, well known private schools change over time, and talking with other private school children and their parents can provide you with firsthand information on what to expect.
If you do not know any private school families, your pediatrician, Little League coach, minister, or scout leader might be able to give you the names of some. Most parents are more than willing to talk about their child's school. Clearly, one family's response to a school does not give a complete picture and will need to be supplemented with other information, but it is a way to begin.
Beyond neighbors and acquaintances, you should take advantage of another invaluable resource at your fingertips - school counselors. Your child's middle school or elementary counselor can be a wealth of information, particularly if a fair number of students from your child's current school go on to private high schools. In certain cases, school counselors can help parents connect to the strong network of private school administrators across the country who are more than willing to recommend a list of schools to explore.
Getting Serious
If you are able to commit the resources, an independent school counselor can be a tremendous help in expediting your search. These counselors spend a great deal of time visiting and revisiting private schools and are familiar with the philosophy and special strengths of each school. After spending time interviewing you and your child and reviewing her records, the counselor will be able to steer you toward a list of schools that might fit well.
For a more economical approach, you might consider purchasing a guide to private secondary schools. Peterson's Guide to Private Secondary Schools includes a comprehensive listing of over 1,800 private schools in the United States and Canada. A brief review of each school includes up-to-date information about its program, facilities, range of grade levels, faculty, college placement, and special opportunities.
This book also provides specialized directories that group schools according to type, entrance requirements, curricula, and financial aid data. Although the size of the book, more than 1,400 pages, may at first seem overwhelming, it is comprehensive and helpful. Some families have been particularly grateful for its inclusion of schools with programs for students with special needs and of schools that accommodate underachievers.
Open Houses
Once you have identified a few schools in which you are interested, attending open houses can be a great way to acquire more detailed information. Most day school open houses are held on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon in the fall, last about 1½ hours, don't require preregistration, and include presentations by administrators, faculty members, and students. You'll see ads for the open houses in the local papers for several weeks before they occur, and you should feel free to call the admissions office of any school and ask for details of their event. Many include current parents and students as volunteers at these events, so prospective parents have a great opportunity to ask informal questions.
In addition to formal open houses, some schools arrange a series of informational gatherings in the homes of current parents. These are usually small, casual, and a great opportunity to ask questions about carpooling, athletics, or homework. The admissions office tries to have prospective families come to a gathering close to their neighborhood so they can connect with nearby families from the school.
School Promotional Materials
Once you have an idea of the schools you might want to pursue, you should contact the schools for in-depth information on their offerings. Many schools have their own web sites, which include tours of the campus, course descriptions, weekly events, and up-to-the-minute athletic results. Some include extensive information about their admissions policies and practices and allow you the option of requesting a catalogue and application online. Others include interviews with the Head of School and a section of frequently asked questions about the school. The most elaborate even provide interactive tours of the campus, and all of them provide a more complete picture of the school than what you can learn from just browsing through the printed materials.
Following the example of many colleges, some schools, primarily boarding schools, have put together excellent videos that will give you a good sense of the campus, the facilities, and at least a snapshot of some teachers and students. Expect to see only carefully edited pictures of a manicured campus and happy, attractive students interacting with teachers who look genuinely interested and concerned about these children. While the pictures may present a realistic view of the school, you'll probably want to see it for yourself.
Finally, most private schools spend a good deal of money and time producing attractive catalogs that showcase their students, campus, and programs. Although they vary with the size and resources of the school, these view books tell you a fair amount about the school's philosophy and what it considers its strengths and selling points. Most include descriptions of the required and elective courses, athletic and extracurricular offerings, and their college placement. Reading carefully through each catalog will tell you a great deal about the specific school and, perhaps equally important, will provide you with some criteria for comparing and contrasting schools. You'll see lots of similarities in programs, values, activities, and even photographs. But as you read more closely, you'll also notice the ways in which the schools are different.
Obviously they are promotional pieces designed to show each school at its best. Clearly no video, Web site, or catalog can present the same comprehensive, unrehearsed look at a school as you get when you visit. But when you are considering schools at a considerable distance, these tools can be helpful.
Schools usually revise and update their admissions materials over the summer, so call in late August or early September to ask for their new catalogs, application materials, current publications, and most recent college acceptance lists.
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