How many schools do you apply to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LO is a few years from Kindergarten so this is just planning ahead. Our top choice apparently has very few spots in their Kindergarten and we also won't know about financial aid package details until being accepted. How many schools is it wise or typical to apply to?

We did 6. 3 selective/rejective ones, a couple of moderately competitive ones and 1 shoe in.

You mean shoo-in.

Their kid is a future soccer star.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LO is a few years from Kindergarten so this is just planning ahead. Our top choice apparently has very few spots in their Kindergarten and we also won't know about financial aid package details until being accepted. How many schools is it wise or typical to apply to?

How do you already know what your top choice is??

Guaranteed it’s based on perceived prestige. This is DCUM after all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LO is a few years from Kindergarten so this is just planning ahead. Our top choice apparently has very few spots in their Kindergarten and we also won't know about financial aid package details until being accepted. How many schools is it wise or typical to apply to?

How do you already know what your top choice is??

OP, if your DC is "a few years from K *AND* you need a financial aid "package" it is best that you :

1) start attending open houses and tours this spring
2) apply at certain schools for pk3 if they offer aid at that level
3) repeat for PK4 if necessary
4) repeat for k if necessary
5) ask/know what ancillary benefits are included with financial aid at each school
6) do not expect more than 50% aid at any school (it happens, but not often and not at all at some schools)
7) be open to your first choice changing as you go through the process

[Anonymous]

We only applied to one school. Our goal wasn't "any private school" but rather "the best school for my kid"
There was one that we loved, was a great fit for DS, and we could afford. The rest were not significantly-enough different from our local public school, or were out of our price range.
Fortunately he got in, but we would have been happy with our public school if that hadn't happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about if you're applying for selective schools for 6th and 7th grade?

Our #1 school is Potomac, but it seems their expansion is 7th grade and not 6th. Meanwhile, a number of other selective schools also have 6th grade as an expansion class.

Kind of a conudrum:
(A) apply to all selective schools for 6th grade, with the odds lower on Potomac in a non-expansion and possibly turn down a selective school if get in because wanting Potomac; or
(B) only apply to Potomac when applying for 6th grade and, if DS doesn't get in, apply to all selectives for 7th grade (if DS doesn't get into Potomac for 7th grade, then DS missed the opportunity to apply to the other selectives for 6th).

Any advice? Anyone ever had a similar decision?

I think 7th is an expansion year at a lot of schools. Cathedral schools, Sidwell, Holton, SAES, St Anselms all add spots in 7th. The only one I can think of off the top of my head that doesn’t is GDS (and I am not sure about that, actually). Maybe someone else who knows more can chime in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our list:

BVR - Accepted
NPS - Accepted *Attending*
Primary Day - Accepted
Bullis - WL
Sheridan - WL
St. Andrews - Accepted

I'm so curious, why no Norwood?

Just wasn’t interested. Nothing major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about if you're applying for selective schools for 6th and 7th grade?

Our #1 school is Potomac, but it seems their expansion is 7th grade and not 6th. Meanwhile, a number of other selective schools also have 6th grade as an expansion class.

Kind of a conudrum:
(A) apply to all selective schools for 6th grade, with the odds lower on Potomac in a non-expansion and possibly turn down a selective school if get in because wanting Potomac; or
(B) only apply to Potomac when applying for 6th grade and, if DS doesn't get in, apply to all selectives for 7th grade (if DS doesn't get into Potomac for 7th grade, then DS missed the opportunity to apply to the other selectives for 6th).

Any advice? Anyone ever had a similar decision?

All the selective schools except GDS have 7th expansion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about if you're applying for selective schools for 6th and 7th grade?

Our #1 school is Potomac, but it seems their expansion is 7th grade and not 6th. Meanwhile, a number of other selective schools also have 6th grade as an expansion class.

Kind of a conudrum:
(A) apply to all selective schools for 6th grade, with the odds lower on Potomac in a non-expansion and possibly turn down a selective school if get in because wanting Potomac; or
(B) only apply to Potomac when applying for 6th grade and, if DS doesn't get in, apply to all selectives for 7th grade (if DS doesn't get into Potomac for 7th grade, then DS missed the opportunity to apply to the other selectives for 6th).

Any advice? Anyone ever had a similar decision?

I think 7th is an expansion year at a lot of schools. Cathedral schools, Sidwell, Holton, SAES, St Anselms all add spots in 7th. The only one I can think of off the top of my head that doesn’t is GDS (and I am not sure about that, actually). Maybe someone else who knows more can chime in.

GDS and SAES are non expansion years, but everyone else is

[Anonymous]

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