| Be True to Your School |
By: Mary Lee Shalvoy, Education Columnist
On 1/17/06
All you parents with kids entering junior high schol, brace yourselves. High school is around the corner and it will soon be time for the High School Admissions process.
| "Once you’ve survived this process, don’t get too comfortable. The college application process will start up in a blink of your eye." |
If you went through the college admission process and thought it was tough back in the 1970’s and 80’s, wait until you hear what it takes to get into the high school graduating class of 2010. Especially if it’s a private school your child (or you) have set her sights on.
After talking to some parents who are currently in the throes of this process, I fear my impending future. My oldest are in fifth grade and have begun to talk about where they plan on going to high school. Based on a conversation with Winter Mead, the admissions director for Bentley School in Berkeley, Calif., I need to start doing my homework now. He notes that it is a multiple-step process that can be complicated. In an effort to make sense of it all, here’s my High School top ten.
- Start looking early.
Mead advises that parents and their children start attending school fairs and open houses when the child is in seventh grade. That gives you plenty of time to assess the child’s needs and personality along with what each school has to offer by the time eighth grade rolls around. He compares this to “kicking the tires” during a car purchase. “It’s not quite taking a test ride, but it’s getting to know the school and what it has to offer.”
- What it takes to get in
Public high schools are required to accept whatever student lives within their boundaries. Private and parochial schools are a different matter. According to Mead, Bentley, as well as most of the private schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, is considered a “Meritocracy,” which roughly means that the school accepts a student based on a combination of intelligence plus effort. Since it requires substantial resources to educate children with learning or behavior issues, any private schools rule them out as candidates. So, if your child doesn’t have the grades and the supporting activities, enthusiasm and drive, it might be better to turn to your local public school.
- Does your child qualify?
Even though your child makes the grade, there are other considerations when it comes to high school admittance. Some schools have middle school feeder schools and give less consideration to kids from other schools. Some parochial schools weigh the amount of religious and spiritual involvement. There is also the amount of family involvement required. It’s good to check all of this out when you are “kicking the tires.”
- A three-hour tour…
So, it may not be as treacherous as a sail on the S.S. Minnow, when you have narrowed down your list of choices, and make the call to schedule a tour of the campus and the school. The tour package will include time for you and your child to have a guide, but Bentley offers a chance for your prospect to have an “Ambassador.” (See #8)
- It’s time to file the paperwork, but Mom hasn’t finished her essay!
Applications, transcripts, referrals are all essential ingredients to the application mix. Most schools offer these documents as a pdf download from their Web site. Bentley requires referrals from core subject teachers as well as the principal. Many Catholic schools require recommendations from a member of the clergy. Mead also notes that Bentley requires both a student statement and a parent statement, in which the parent must answer a list of questions about their child.
- And then there are the tests
Both private and parochial schools require the student to take a standardized test. Mead said that Bentley requires Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) and Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) scores. Many parochial schools use different admitting tests. Check with the admissions office to ensure that your child is taking the proper tests.
- Fees, Fees and More Fees
Break out your checkbook when you apply for private high school. There will be payments due for the application, the test, the test prep class (costs for the ISEE is $200 for 10 weeks) and then the cost of the test itself.
- Shadows and Interviews
As I mentioned above, there’s a day when your child goes to the school to spend some time. He shadows a current student to get the “feel” for the school and its surroundings (at Bentley, these are “Ambassadors”). The Ambassador and the faculty provide feedback to the admissions director about whether or not to accept the student. Next is the admissions director interview that typically consists of questions to determine whether a student is able and willing to contribute to the school, shows signs of leadership, and has aptitude.
- Money makes the world go ‘round, but doesn’t affect your admittance.
Bentley and high-level private schools charge tuition costs of more than $20,000 per student per year (and it rises each year). Parochial school tuitions range in the $8,000 - $15,000 range generally. Before you drop out of the running, know that academic acceptance and financial qualification are treated separately. Fill out a financial statement, and in the case of many private schools in the US, a service called School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS) reviews the financial information to determine financial aid qualification. This is based solely on need and not determined by the school.
- Consider the child and the family.
I guess no matter what level of education your child is entering, the most important consideration is the child, first and the family, running a close second. If your child does not envision him or herself in the school, running around the halls, taking classes and feeling a part of the scenery, then that’s not going to work. At the same time, consider your family as a whole. If the school fits in terms of location, financial considerations and, of course, education philosophy and approach, then you’ve hit the jackpot.
Bentley School has openings for 60 – 65 students for Fall 2006. Interestingly, Mead says that Bentley has a yield of less than 50 percent. In other words, the school has to admit about 130 students to fill the spaces. As part of an association of Bay Area private schools, Bentley adheres to a “quiet week” meaning that the school has to wait a week before contacting you about your decision.
Once you’ve survived this process, don’t get too comfortable. The college application process will start up in a blink of your eye. Good luck!
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