SECONDARY SCHOOL PARENT COFFEE: PROCESS NEXT STEPS NOVEMBER 2023, EVAN DIAMOND AND CATHY MARRERO
OVERVIEW • Where should you be now? Where should your child be now? • Establishing final application lists • Visit and interview feedback: a cautionary tale • The Application: commonly asked questions and general overview • Cathy and her established executive function skillset
• Emails from schools, coaches, and deadlines • Waitlists • Miscellaneous reminders • Questions?
WHERE SHOULD YOU BE NOW? WHERE SHOULD YOUR CHILD BE NOW? • Visiting schools and interviewing • Discussing the SSAT with Evan • Test optional? Send scores? Retest? • Friday afternoon classes?
• Completed Autobiography • Looking over the SAO/Gateway/Ravenna/school specific applications • create a schedule for completing applications • reach out to Cathy for application approach support
• Meeting with Evan to share observations and narrow school list • Talking and listening to the kids about what feels right!
FINAL LIST OF SCHOOLS • Too few? Too many? All bases covered? • What appeals about each school? Why did they make the final list? • Can your child see his/her self at this school? • Is there a clear first choice? • Have a clear cut #1? Tell Evan and Cathy by mid-February • #1 can be most helpful when applying for FA
• Should you be thinking about adding a school or two? • Evan can help! • Boarding vs Day
VISIT, INTERVIEW FEEDBACK and BEYOND • Does it matter who interviewed your child? • not the Director of Admissions? • Did you speak to a coach or special instructor during your visit? • Did anyone make you any promises? • Compliments and promises are nice, but be wary… • overarching goal is to get you to apply!!! • promises might be empty • Digital footprint and behavior matters...don’t let up after applications are submitted - open all emails
COMMUNICATION FROM SCHOOLS • Sell, sell, sell • Open houses, campus events, sporting events, concerts, etc. • not command performances • attend when there is true interest • attend when opportunities for meaningful connections exist • always good for you to meet people, and for them to meet you
• Abundance of emails from schools • invites to events in-person and virtual events • reminders of application deadlines and updates on missing components • read these and save them to ensure that you’ve got all your ducks in a row
APPLICATIONS 411 • Parent and Student application components: Use SAO, Gateway, Ravenna or school specific online application platforms • Transcript Release and Recommendations: Use Brookwood standardized forms that are contained in the “Resources Library” of the Parent Portal; please do not send school recommendation requests to us through SAO or Gateway • Print & complete (1) Transcript Release and School Recommendation form; list schools to which your child is applying, indicating DAY or BOARD; deliver to Mrs. Marrero • Print & complete (2) Subject Recommendation Request forms; deliver (1) to Mr. Carver; (1) to Mr. Falconer
• For non-English or math recommendations, use Special Interest/Personal recommendation form • These recommendations are sent directly to schools by writers, not through Brookwood. • These require school addressed, stamped envelopes so writers can send directly to schools or emails to send to a school’s portal. Samples of all Brookwood forms in your folder! Questions?
APPLICATIONS 411...continued • Individual school requirements • Some schools require an additional academic recommendation •
Please follow the Special Interest recommendation procedure
• Some schools require World Language Recommendation • Graded Work Sample •
Some schools require a graded writing assignment • •
Students should consult with Mr. Abramson or Mr. Falconer to help select appropriate work Need to take screenshots of comments for submission
• Parent statement is important so take it very seriously!!! • BE SURE TO CHECK ALL SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS EARLY IN THE PROCESS TO ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE ALL THE REQUIRED RECS REQUESTED IN A TIMELY FASHION.
WAITLISTS • What is the waitlist? Waitpool? • March 10 to April 10 • Nothing for you to do • Are you still interested in the school?
• Is the school your first choice? We will send spring mid-term updates as necessary • Timing is unpredictable - unlikely before 3/25 • Students come off waitlists through the summer • Sometimes…not at all ☹
MISCELLANEOUS REMINDERS • Talk to Evan about what to do with SSAT scores • SSAT test dates: Saturday, December 2 at Brookwood School
• Application deadlines • St. John’s Prep – Priority deadline for admission January 5, 2024/result known by Feb. 15, 2023. Enrollment deposit deadline March 31, 2023 • Some schools early Dec; most schools are January 15 or February 1 • refer to SAO/Gateway lists provided for all application deadline dates
• Autobiography • Due 11/17
• Thank you notes for visits/interviews • Ask teachers for recommendations • Identify a first choice school if one exists
Q&A 1. How does a parent ask a question in the parent interview that may be perceived as critical? For example, if you see something absent from the curriculum that appears in the curriculum of most other schools. You’d love to learn the answer, but don’t want to put an interviewer on the defensive. Of course we can try to frame it positively. Or do you save the question for another step in the process? 2. What is the ideal student essay length? Some schools have epic word limits... 3. Does it matter which online app you choose? 4. Just to clarify— we don’t submit math/eng letters of rec because Brookwood does it. Right? Will online apps allow you to send an incomplete application?