Will I get into boarding school?

Question

The boarding school I want to go to want the transcripts from the last 3 years of school and my current one. I did very good last year and will do in my upcoming one. I had a 95 math average. A few more A's and a few high B's. However, two years ago, I did not really commit myself and got mostly low B's with a low C. Would a school recognize that I have turned around and started committing myself?

I'm looking at Knox School.

Also, I am looking at Kent and Stony Brook.

And, if you can suggest any other good boarding schools in the northeast that I can get into, that would be great. Sorry, to ask so much. Thanks/

Answer 1

Boarding schools always look for improvement, so the fact that you went from B's and a C to A's and B's will help you quite a bit. However, boarding schools are not looking just for an improvement in your grades, they're also looking for involved, well-rounded students with great extra curricular backgrounds. This includes anything from sports teams and playing instruments to membership in school clubs and student organizations. This is quite important. However, what is of upmost importance is that the school sees you as a unique person who will be a unique asset to their school. If they see you as just one of the many people who are applying to their school then they will discard your application with great ease. So identify what makes you unique and make sure the application committees recognize it.

The Knox School has a 55% acceptance rate, this is below the national average of 60%. So this is a good thing for a person considering this school. But it still means that there's a 50/50 chance of you getting accepted. However, when you compare this to other New England boarding schools with less than a 20% acceptance rate (like Andover, Exeter, et al) it makes Knox's 55% look amazing. Knox is a small school witha  small endowment of $1 million, which translates into less money that the school has to invest in its students. Kent, on the other hand, is a relatively large boarding school (of almost 600 students) with a $73 million endowment, and a 50% acceptance rate. This seems to be a desirable boarding school. Stony Brook has around 340 students, a $10 million endowment, and an acceptance rate of 46%.

There are many, many good boarding schools in the Northeast. I would recommend looking for older boarding schools that are established and have a formidable endowment size. Look for your choices at Boarding School Review, which will provide you with a great deal of information on the school, including student reviews: http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/scho...

Best of luck.

Answer 2

Why would you want to go to boarding school?