Would Ivy Chances Be Better Out of Woodberry Forest than Deerfield/Exeter/Choate?

[Anonymous]

My kid is an athlete with coaches interest at Deerfield, Exeter, and Choate. He's almost-certain to get in, but I'm not sure if he's good enough to play D1. For college admissions purposes, would his chances at an ivy be better if he attended a lower-pressure school like Woodberry Forest? My son is very, very smart, but I don't think he'd graduate at the top of an elite New England school. I do think he'd graduate in the top decile at Woodberry due to easier work and less academically-intense peers.

My suspicion is that going to Woodberry might maximize his individual chances at a T10 college admission, because there are simply less Woodberry students aiming for Ivy League colleges. According to friends, there are like 5 kids max applying to Harvard out of Woodberry's senior class. At Exeter, there are typically 50 Harvard applicants per year, and around half the class applies to HYP in the EA round.

Even the smartest kids at Woodberry seem to really want southern schools like Vanderbilt, Duke, UVA, or UNC. The Ivy league lane is wide-open for the kids who want it.

Am I right in my assumptions?

[Anonymous]

I think it would be less appealing to colleges because it isn't as academically rigorous.

[Anonymous]

What kind of high school experience does your child want?

No college is required to accept a student from every school, so there is no "ivy league lane" that would be his.

[Anonymous]

False. It is an excellent school with outstanding faculty. It pulls a very diverse student body and has a ridiculous endowment. It’s going to have a lot more of a southern feel than the other boarding schools you mentioned. There is no wrong choice here. It will be a very different experience though because it is all boys. They build friendships for life, fish for fun, play golf after dinner and just enjoy each other’s company. It’s not for everybody, but if your kid might possibly think they are interested, I would encourage you to go look. I predict you will be pleasantly surprised. Focus on the experience and the outcome will take care of itself.

[Anonymous]

What sport ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:False. It is an excellent school with outstanding faculty. It pulls a very diverse student body and has a ridiculous endowment. It’s going to have a lot more of a southern feel than the other boarding schools you mentioned. There is no wrong choice here. It will be a very different experience though because it is all boys. They build friendships for life, fish for fun, play golf after dinner and just enjoy each other’s company. It’s not for everybody, but if your kid might possibly think they are interested, I would encourage you to go look. I predict you will be pleasantly surprised. Focus on the experience and the outcome will take care of itself.

NP who knew nothing about the place before reading this. I’m sure it’s more nuanced than this description but that sounds like a place where I’d like to send my nephews along with every single boy in my DD’s grade for a healthy reset.

[Anonymous]

Your kid’s sport would give him the edge in T10 admissions. Will he be a standout star at Woodbury vs D/E/C?

[Anonymous]

Honestly, it's a hook that will get him into T10/Ivy no matter where he goes. It could be you see the very smart kids at Woodberry attending these other non-Ivy schools because they were rejected from Ivy.

All that aside - just pick a school your child will be happy at. And remember - being with a less intense crowd may make him less intense too. (this can be good if it means less pressure cooker or bad if it means partying too much)

It's really not healthy for him for you to be angling before HS where to maximize his Ivy chances. I've seen super smart kids at all kinds of schools get rejected from the T10/Ivy while less than stellar hooked kids get in. It's not worth all the stress this early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, it's a hook that will get him into T10/Ivy no matter where he goes. It could be you see the very smart kids at Woodberry attending these other non-Ivy schools because they were rejected from Ivy.

All that aside - just pick a school your child will be happy at. And remember - being with a less intense crowd may make him less intense too. (this can be good if it means less pressure cooker or bad if it means partying too much)

It's really not healthy for him for you to be angling before HS where to maximize his Ivy chances. I've seen super smart kids at all kinds of schools get rejected from the T10/Ivy while less than stellar hooked kids get in. It's not worth all the stress this early.

Agree with above.

[Anonymous]

WF is very southern and sends almost no one to Ivies. It's also nowhere close to be an academic peer of the other schools mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WF is very southern and sends almost no one to Ivies. It's also nowhere close to be an academic peer of the other schools mentioned.

If. he's going to be recruited for sports it might not matter. He'll be a big fish in a small pond.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WF is very southern and sends almost no one to Ivies. It's also nowhere close to be an academic peer of the other schools mentioned.

They send no one to Ivies, because few kids are that interested and few apply. They are southern boys that are more excited to go to flagship SEC schools (Alabama, UGA, Ole Miss, etc.) or well-regarded southern schools (Sewanee, Charleston, etc.) The really smart ones tend to aim for UVA, UNC, Vanderbilt, or Duke.

In fact, I'd reckon that a boy that wants the Ivies might have a better shot out of WF, because they will have little competition for the seat. Maybe 4 kids might apply to Harvard, whereas in the top New England schools, probably a quarter of the class applies for 5 seats.

[Anonymous]

Well regarded southern schools.

[Anonymous]

Pretty sure graduates of Duke and UVA do alright. Just let your son pick where he wants to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WF is very southern and sends almost no one to Ivies. It's also nowhere close to be an academic peer of the other schools mentioned.

As an alum myself (albeit one who didn't love the experience that much), I can tell you that the "nowhere close to an academic peer of the other schools mentioned" is not true. Ivy admissions are not a be-all and end-all, but roughly a quarter of any given graduating class goes to an Ivy, UVA, UNC, Duke, Vanderbilt, Sewanee, USNA/West Point, etc. (with a few scattered Williams/Chicago/Hopkins in there too).