waitlisted at Sidwell for Pre-K
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Anonymous
Then don't. These schools aren't that different. Accept your first choice from your current options and stay there unless something is clearly wrong. Your child can bloom where they are planted. |
Anonymous
Yes to this 100%. In the immediate aftermath of getting decisions, I was sure we'd want to apply again for a later grade to a school my child didn't get into, and now that we're at the school we ended up at, we have absolutely no plans to try again somewhere that we weren't initially accepted. |
Anonymous
| Contact the school and let them know Sidwell was your first choice and that you'd take the slot if offered. Then wait...if your backups require a response before the deadline for Sidwell, then hold the spot at the backup. My older daughter got off the waitlist for her LS grade and we were called the day contracts were due. If you dont hear that day...it's less likely to happen because many families who are called from the waitlist have already told the school they will accept - and do that day. |
Anonymous
| Hate to burst your bubble but there is virtually no chance of getting in off the waitlist for PreK unless your kid has a sibling there or a parent attended. I know plenty of siblings that were waitlisted for PreK and had to apply again in K. If by chance a spot opened bc someone moved or declined, I guarantee it would go to a sibling first. They also work hard to ensure the class fits certain demographics so a spot might open up but it may be designated for a girl or a boy or a certain race or religion. Your kid on the waitlist would have to fit the demographic they need. |
Anonymous
Wanted to clarify, do you mean plenty of siblings were waitlisted for pre-k this year? I head of a non sibling family who got in for pre k this year. They are accepting so it doesn't change the waitlist but was curious if most of the slots go to siblings? |
Anonymous
|
Yes, of course they accept new students for PreK. That is why there are not enough spots for all siblings. But a large portion of PreK spots go to siblings.
I don’t know about the numbers this year but in past years there are so many siblings applying for PreK that they can’t accept them all. Parents are warned in advance that there will not be enough spots and advised to apply again for later years. They usually try again in kindergarten. I know a few families that have been in that position and they are pissed when the sibling doesn’t get in right away. If the school has an opportunity to make nice with the family by letting in the sibling from a waitlist spot, that is going to be a big consideration. |
Anonymous
They won't fill the PK with all priority applicants, but rather use about half for new families and half for priority (ie siblings, alumni etc) |
Anonymous
If 20 siblings applied, the siblings on the waitlist could easily be 10 kids deep. That said, if they try and balance priority applicants...that doesn't mean they will pull from the siblings on the waitlist first. If they are trying to balance priority applicants, wouldn't they be more likely to take a new family if another new family declined the offer? |
Anonymous
This seems valid, although I don't think WL movement goes one-to-one with declines at any of the private schools. I would assume (as a non-expert in this) that schools know they get a higher yield from siblings than unhooked and have made offers accordingly. So to fill a class of 20 with half siblings, they probably only need to offer admission to 10 siblings, whereas they might need to offer to 12 or 15 non-siblings. This is a general comment, not specific to Sidwell. Then again, if more unhooked declined than expected and they would be left with 9 non-siblings, it seems logical they'd go to another unhooked than another sibling from the WL. |
Anonymous
| I would assume that schools like Sidwell generally have a fairly high yield, and might want to be conservative with their acceptances. Because what happens if they accept 22 and there are 20 slots and all 22 decide to come?! |
Anonymous
| No place is going to have a 100% yield, not even Sidwell. In any given year, there are some applicants who will likely have admissions offers from multiple "Big 3" type schools. |
Anonymous
It does seem like pre k would have a 100% yield. Has anyone ever been taking off the wait pool for prek. Seems the other years have but haven't heard about pre k |
Anonymous
I know of one family who was called off the waiting list for PK so it happens. |
Anonymous
What year was it? |
Anonymous
| We got called in for K wait list a few years ago. It’s a real waitlist! |