Private School Admissions - 2017 (Paris: fit in, catholic schools, zoned)

[DuaneDibbley]

OK. Just over 100 hours to go. Anyone here have any salient gossip, speculation or invective about this year's admissions process?

[Privsch]

Has anyone received any pre-admission correspondence from these Schools?

[DallasMamaOf3]

Only the test emails...and we didn't receive a test email from every school. Just a few....

[BLDSoon]

Originally Posted by rrbcfy

I've said this before and I'll say it again... this is almost a repost from a while back from me...

As a parent with kids in top tier private schools, I'm going to jump in here and repeat something that I've posted before. Additionally, I have numerous friends who have children at St Marks, Hockaday, and Lamplighter in the DFW area, so I know their experiences well. (Disclaimer: I'm in the San Antonio, TX area right now)

It's been said a million times, but for these top private schools in Texas, gaining admission, especially in years that aren't typical entrance years (spaces available by attrition) you almost always will have the deck stacked against you.

These are always situations where you have far more applicants than spaces available, and no matter what anyone says, it boils down to the fact that there will always be someone with more connections, more wealth, more status, more more more that will have a greater chance of admission. If a child's parents are good friends with a father who has a classroom or building named after him, then you can bet a quick call to the admissions office (or office of advancement) will greatly increase the chances of admission. If there are parents who are friends with someone who sits on the board of trustees of the school, a quick call and introduction will greatly enhance the chances (many board of trustees work tirelessly to get on the boards just to raise their social currency for admission season). Multiply that times 5 kids, and then add a fortune 100 CEO moving into town, and then add a few truly gifted children with wealthy parents, and then 1 or 2 token kiddos from a disadvantaged background but gifted status or potential that have applied for scholarships, and you've easily exceeded the available slots for admission.

The simple reality is that these private schools can be as choosy as they want, and they don't follow any real set criteria for admissions - no matter what the brochures, web sites, and directors of admissions proclaim. It's all about raising the status of the school to create a self fulfilling prophecy of more this, more that, more status, more facilities, more NMSFs etc. These top tier schools should be viewed as major charitable corporations - with a huge focus on donations, contributions, philanthropic efforts etc. Just look at the size of staff for the "director of advancement" departments and the size of the endowments for each of these schools. The side effect is that those that are able to participate in this sphere get the opportunity for a fantastic education. And those that are chosen are constantly reinforced daily to not let the opportunity slide, thus you have enormous involvement from parents and students in the whole educational process. That is the principle reason I send my kiddos to private school.

Just to inject some hope in some parent somewhere... I sit on the board of nothing and i know no-one that does.( No donor connections) I was not educated in any of those schools as a child....or elsewhere in the country for that matter. (No alumni connections/impressive known high school credentials). I am not an athlete and have been featured in zero magazines in my lifetime (No celebrity status). My relatives range from dirt( and i do mean dirt) poor to upper middle class at best ( So, no familial status either and moderate to out-turned pockets for donations) I was the first of my friends to attempt 'first tier' privates (No current family recommendations).

What i do have is a smart child that likes/wants to learn and is not shy. (note i said smart, not genius... so no shoo in there either). One who was wait listed the first time we applied at the Pre-k level. That child did not go to meadowbrook or any other 'feeder' and did not get any tutoring for any test though i was tempted given the comments on city data. She got in the next year. While she did well, her CATS results were higher in some areas than others.

I said all this to say, yes... we are surrounded by overachievers and who's whos and donor and alumni families. Yes we are. But there are more than a few of us regular joes here who grind out teeth every summer when we have to write that check. (This kid better do something special..%€£¥{*%#!!!)

So please dont be too discouraged about your child's chances if you dont fit the 'mold' and even more so if you do. This may be the year they want to assign that space to a kid/family exactly like yours. Just trust in your child's abilities and if you don't get in this time.... by all means try again. Even if its not a high admission year. And if that fails too....well most great men/women of the world didn't attend these schools... so i say smart kids will be just fine either way.

If they were picking solely based on familial/donor/celebrity status my child would NOT be attending. So since we don't solidly know which kids they want this year...Good luck. To everyone.

[Waterdragon8212]

BLD is right on. Not to mention these top privates don't actually want to admit only people with connections, so there are always kids with no connections admitted - some years more than others. Hold out hope and keep applying if you are waitlisted and really love a school. We know plenty of people who applied multiple, consecutive years who eventually got in! Good luck!!

[dallas613]

I am getting my letters in over 100 hours. Good luck to all

[Privsch]

80 hours

[Privsch]

Did anyone receive test email from Greenhill? they usually send one a week early. Havent seen this time..

[Privsch]

Originally Posted by BLDSoon

Just to inject some hope in some parent somewhere... I sit on the board of nothing and i know no-one that does.( No donor connections) I was not educated in any of those schools as a child....or elsewhere in the country for that matter. (No alumni connections/impressive known high school credentials). I am not an athlete and have been featured in zero magazines in my lifetime (No celebrity status). My relatives range from dirt( and i do mean dirt) poor to upper middle class at best ( So, no familial status either and moderate to out-turned pockets for donations) I was the first of my friends to attempt 'first tier' privates (No current family recommendations).

What i do have is a smart child that likes/wants to learn and is not shy. (note i said smart, not genius... so no shoo in there either). One who was wait listed the first time we applied at the Pre-k level. That child did not go to meadowbrook or any other 'feeder' and did not get any tutoring for any test though i was tempted given the comments on city data. She got in the next year. While she did well, her CATS results were higher in some areas than others.

I said all this to say, yes... we are surrounded by overachievers and who's whos and donor and alumni families. Yes we are. But there are more than a few of us regular joes here who grind out teeth every summer when we have to write that check. (This kid better do something special..%€£¥{*%#!!!)

So please dont be too discouraged about your child's chances if you dont fit the 'mold' and even more so if you do. This may be the year they want to assign that space to a kid/family exactly like yours. Just trust in your child's abilities and if you don't get in this time.... by all means try again. Even if its not a high admission year. And if that fails too....well most great men/women of the world didn't attend these schools... so i say smart kids will be just fine either way.

If they were picking solely based on familial/donor/celebrity status my child would NOT be attending. So since we don't solidly know which kids they want this year...Good luck. To everyone.

Well said !!! My thoughts completly

[stan4]

More hope for you, op...

We know no one, have no connections, and can't donate a building.
My son's class is choc-ablock with siblings of existing students and kids of teachers.
Somehow he got in.


Have faith in yourself and your kid and don't take anything personally.