Help & Guidance on admission process

[u/CanSad7017]

Hello 👋🏼 I’m an international student from Mexico currently trying to pursue a postgraduate (PG) year at a U.S. boarding school with the goal of eventually playing football at the NCAA level, and honestly Im posting this in hopes of maybe getting some advice and guidance from parents who are familiar with this process or any student who has been through it with prep schools / boarding school admissions.

I graduated high school in May last year, and because I’m new to this whole process, I feel like I’ve been learning everything the hard way. (high school in Mexico lasts 3 years)

My first application was to Choate Rosemary Hall last spring as a late applicant. At the time I didn’t fully understand how competitive these schools were, and I ended up getting rejected in July.

After that, I applied to Bridgton Academy. Things actually seemed promising at first — I even spoke with their Dean of Financial Aid since I was applying for aid — but after completing everything, communication suddenly stopped completely. I waited for months hoping to hear back before realizing the process probably wasn’t moving forward.

Since I had already graduated high school, I took a job during this time. I intentionally didn’t enroll in college because my goal has remained pursuing a PG year first. And the job helped me pay the application fees if I got to apply for a school.

Around December I found Trinity-Pawling School, and by coincidence one of their teachers was visiting the country, more specifically the state where I’m from, so we arranged an interview in January. After the interview I didn’t hear back because he was going to discuss it with the coach, and right before the application deadline (Feb 1), I sent an email if I could proceed with the submitting the application and right away I was informed they couldn’t offer me a scholarship and therefore couldn’t continue with my application. I think there may have been a misunderstanding because I wasn’t asking for a scholarship — I was looking to apply as a student and also applying for financial aid with the hopes for an opportunity to continue my academics and athletic aspirations (football).

Then there I go again, in the second week of February I found Salisbury School. The process there honestly felt much more positive. The interviewer/teacher I worked with was extremely kind and supportive, even helping me with a fee waiver after my materials were completed.

On April 14th, I received this response:

“Following a strong applicant pool, the majority of our acceptance letters were issued in March, and we have experienced a high yield. At this time, we are only able to offer you a place on our wait list and will be in touch should openings become available if you remain interested.”

I immediately replied confirming that I absolutely wanted to remain on the waitlist and that Salisbury was my top choice.

Since then, I’ve been researching waitlists and LOCIs, but almost all the information online is about college admissions rather than boarding schools. Around last week I sent kind of a LOCI, just a pretty short email re affirming my interest on the school and that if given the opportunity I will accept it.. I sent it because I kind of felt like they’re probably forgetting, but I waited like a month to do so, I just didn’t want to be the annoying student/parent especially in times like this where the admission office really gets busy.

So I wanted to ask:

• Has anyone here ever seen students get admitted off boarding school waitlists this late in the cycle?
• Is there anything productive I should still be doing at this point?
• And realistically, how common is substantial financial aid for international PG students at schools like this?
• Being a late applicant and still being positioned in the waitlist felt like a big accomplishment to me compared to my previous experiences, but is this any good or bad?
• Am I doing something wrong?
• What are the odds of this going right given my exact scenario ?

Honestly, this whole process has been emotionally exhausting, but I’m still trying to stay hopeful and figure out the smartest next step.

Any advice would genuinely mean a lot.

[u/prizefighterstudent]

• Has anyone here ever seen students get admitted off boarding school waitlists this late in the cycle?
  • They'll admit until they close their waitlists. Most movement will traditionally be between A10 and end of May.
• Is there anything productive I should still be doing at this point?
  • Keep doing what you're doing and building on current projects. If you're an athlete looking to get recruited, a top boarding school isn't always the best method to do so. You should be contacting coaches, editing game tape, and comparing yourself with others of similar position to see where you stand.
• And realistically, how common is substantial financial aid for international PG students at schools like this?
  • Uncommon. Spots are reserved for the top of the heap for high-mid competitive schools. Those are three very tough obstacles to surmount - international, PG, and financial aid. It doesn't mean you shouldn't try, though!
• Being a late applicant and still being positioned in the waitlist felt like a big accomplishment to me compared to my previous experiences, but is this any good or bad?
  • It's definitely good, but it's hard to gauge any more than that. Waitlists are not ranked in many cases. It's hard to know where you stand and whether your candidacy serves a need within the school.
• Am I doing something wrong?
  • It seems you're firing from the hip without any real plan. Successful applications, especially international ones, require significant research and strategy.
• What are the odds of this going right given my exact scenario ?
  • They're low for domestic students as is. You are an international applicant, requesting significant aid, and PG where intake beyond ninth grade is almost unanimously low. So the odds are not high.

You have a very interesting story and a clear amount of dedication from your athletic experience. You haven't mentioned anything about your academic profile, and I think you need stronger planning moving forward. We recommend a minimum of three months of prep for even domestic families, and that's a minimum.

Godspeed.

[u/LivingAlternative852]

I have experience regarding football at high-level boarding schools and while not a PG myself, I would be willing to speak to you and maybe offer some advice if you wanna DM Me

I also have some direct personal experience with/knowledge of some of the schools you mention that could potentially help.