Private/Boarding School Application Survival Guide

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Research 

• Reach out to people who is attending/attended the schools that you're interested in
  • Family
  • Friends
  • Alumni of your current school 
• Websites
  • There is a lot of information on schools’ websites. Look into their special programs, sporting teams, school traditions, etc
• Information Sessions
  • After the COVID era, there are a lot of information sessions on zoom. Sign up for them and listen in 
• Reach out!
  • Feel free to send a cold email. The teachers and administrators at schools are very friendly people. They will be more than happy to help you out
• Things you should consider when building a school list:
  • School Location 
  • School Size 
  • Whether the school is denominational or nondenominational 
  • Where you’ll be able to pursue your passions
    • Music ensembles 
    • Clubs 
    • Leadership opportunities 
  • Campus size 
  • Student - Faculty ratio 
  • Special Programs 
  • Course Curriculum
• Camps offered by the schools are double-edged swords. After your camps, the teachers will submit a report of you for the school’s database. If you’re confident that you can receive a good report, it might be helpful for you to go to a camp offered by your top choice school. Also, this experience will give you something you can talk about in your essays and interviews. There is no better way to get to know a school than living there for a few weeks.  
  • However, going to camps is not a must. Not many people go to camps in the first place, and going to those camps does not guarantee getting admitted to the schools. If going to camps is something you’re interested in, by all means, go for it, but if not, the schools won’t hold it against you.

Interview

• Most importantly, be confident
  • The interviewers are going to ask you to talk about yourself. YOU know YOURSELF better than anyone else in the world. So, be confident and be honest. 
• Be on time 
  • If, for some reason, you can’t make it on time, shoot them an email or give them a call explaining your current situation. 
• Dress up 
  • It is always better to be overdressed than underdressed 
• When you respond to your interviewer, elaborate on your answer
  • They might ask you to describe your relationship with your parents
    • Don’t just say, “I have a great relationship with my parents”
    • Talk about 
      • Your favorite memory with them 
      • Things you guys like to do 
      • Topics you like to talk about 
• Ask follow-up questions regarding your research
  • For example, I saw the Science Research Program on your website. I was wondering if you could tell me more about how students get their summer internships. 
  • The key point is to let them know you did your research subtly. Your interest in their school will touch them. 
• Write them a thank you email within a day or two

Essay 

• Be genuine and Be yourself
  • The admissions officers want to get to know you better. They’re not only looking for flashy awards, fundraisers, and other activities. They are more interested in getting to know you. What you like to do, things that you are passionate about, and fun memories that you made with your friends. 
  • For example, when I was applying to high schools, one prompt was “describe your perfect day.” I wrote about how I would sleep in, go on a bike ride, go to the movies with my friends, and go out for a nice dinner with my friends and family. My roommate wrote about how he would wake up around noon, get popeye, and play league until one in the morning. Also, another prompt asked me to finish the following sentence: I am not embarrassed to admit. I talked about how I procrastinate and am not a morning person. 
• Have fun 
• It’s probably the first time in your life that you have the chance to reflect on your life, amend your values, and make future plans. I know that the process is very stressful and that most of you guys don’t want to do this, but I promise you it’s all worth it in the end. 

Tips

• When you write, you thank you notes. Yes! make a template that you use, but also make sure to include specific programs/classes/teams/etc that you talked about with your interviewer
• During your tours
  • Take mental notes about your tours 
  • Ask questions 
  • Be interactive 
  • Some schools have tour guides to submit a feedback form, and showing interest during your tour is crucial when receiving a good feedback note.
  • Write a thank you an email to your tour guide. It’s a small gesture, but who knows, it could help you out later on.