Applying to Boarding School after the Deadline
If you are considering a late spring/early summer school change, it’s okay. Even though you’re applying to boarding school after the deadline, you will still have options.
As a family, choosing a boarding school for the coming fall may not have been in your plans when the school year began, but circumstances change. This time of year, you may be thinking about a school change. Or perhaps your child’s first attempt at gaining acceptance to boarding school was not successful and you are seeking best possible alternatives.
Rolling Admission
While it is true that the most selective schools are full and have only waiting lists by the springtime, many good schools have openings and, as a result, they offer Rolling Admission programs throughout the summer.
First of all, just about every boarding school offers “Rolling Admission,” which simply means they will accept applications from students all throughout the year, even if there is a published deadline. Students who miss the deadline can still submit their applications in the spring or summer months, and will still be considered for the upcoming school year on a space-available basis. Several schools don’t even post application deadlines but instead only operate with a rolling admission schedule.
How does this work?
Even with the large amount of applicants the schools receive, it does not mean they are going to find the right “fit” among them; as well, students typically, and rightfully, apply to several schools at once to create more options for themselves. So even if a school’s admissions committee accepts a student, that student may choose to attend a different school. So as the admissions process unfolds and most schools announce their decisions by March 10 of the upcoming school year, there is the likelihood theirs’ and the students’ plans may change. As a result, the admissions committee must begin the process of drawing from the additional applications that arrived beyond their published deadline, and thus the “Rolling Admission” system becomes relevant.
Where to Get Help
Whether you are new to the application process and have only recently made the decision to attend boarding school, or whether your initial attempt for admission was not successful, there are still plenty of options that you and your education consultant can explore together. Boarding schools are highly competitive and the fact is several well-qualified, top-performing students will not be accepted as a result. Often it’s a numbers game. Schools have a limited number of spaces for the coming school year and exceptionally large amounts of applications from international students. So based on this, it’s easy to see how a great many students will need to seek alternatives come spring time.
Our Education Consulting Group has spent years developing relationships with, and possess an in-depth knowledge of a number of reputable boarding schools. We understand their requirements, how they function, what the admissions officers look for, and more importantly, what the schools have to offer students.
The number of higher-profile schools decreases as a realistic option the later it gets in the application process, but there are still plenty of reputable schools that have openings, and less strict qualifications for students. So these are the ones we want to target. Be assured that we are not setting our sites lower, nor are we sacrificing quality. We simply want to take advantage of the additional options available and increase the student’s chance of success during this next phase in the admissions cycle.
Just because a school requires high minimum test scores or requires the students to wear a suit while attending classes does not make them the best choice; and more importantly, does not make them the best fit for the student. That is our main concern here, finding the right fit for students at a new school that will provide a quality education and personal growth environment that offers greater opportunities than may be afforded them back home.
Best School Fit
Keep in mind that, as a parent, you’re not looking for the “best” boarding school. You’re looking for the school that best fits your child—the school that can meet your son or daughter in terms of who he/she is and help him/her grow the furthest and the fastest.
Success results from programs that truly fit a student’s individual interests and abilities and thereby encourage best effort to be put forward.
Getting Started
Of course the later it gets in the current school year, the less time there is to work with. Even though a shortened time frame accelerates events and decisions, it is still important to take the necessary time to analyze and prepare. The key is to move forward efficiently and carefully to achieve the best results.