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Submitting a First Choice Letter - Worthwhile?
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Anonymous
I heard that rumor but asked the AD and it turns out it's total nonsense. |
Anonymous
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I have never heard of a 1st choice letter. Can you write to each of them that it is your
first choice? Please specify. What goes into a first choice letter? Thanks! |
Anonymous
This has to be Sheridan. It happened to us. |
Anonymous
| I would not send a first choice letter to a school that is not my first choice. If they are all your first choice, then you should spend some time winnowing it down to one. I know this is exasperating - done it twice - but it is what it is. We would've been happy for DCs to attend a # of schools, but only one was our first choice. |
Anonymous
| I would not send a first choice letter to a school that is not my first choice. If they are all your first choice, then you should spend some time winnowing it down to one. I know this is exasperating - done it twice - but it is what it is. We would've been happy for DCs to attend a # of schools, but only one was our first choice. |
Anonymous
Gimme a break! Next you'll suggest submitting a letter from the dog! |
Anonymous
| OP here. Thanks for all the recommendations. Sounds like a letter is the way to go. (The worst part about likely not getting in anywhere this year will be having to do this whole process all over again next year - likely with a larger number of schools. I'm already dreading it.) |
Anonymous
DC was accepted at Sheridan and we didn't indicate to them that it was our first choice. |
Anonymous
| I'm assuming that this first-choice letter would not happen until after the entire application process is complete--including playdates and teacher recs? |
Anonymous
Why do you assume that? |
Anonymous
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I wrote a handwritten note to the AD at our first choice school and we got in. Was it the note? Who knows.
By the way, it wasn't a "Big 3." |
Anonymous
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You can't write a letter to a school before you've been through the process. They will see it as insincere and simply a ploy to get in. It will work against you.
I also think it is presumptive to state this unless you know they are very interested in your child. And you absolutely cannot tell every school that they are your first choice - we've heard of families burned by doing this, in part because schools talk to each other. When our top choice indicated that they like our child alot, we then let them know that we would immediately accept their offer, which we did. |
Anonymous
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6:15: Why is it presumptuous to tell a school "you are our first choice" if the school hasn't indicated their sentiments on the kid? I also don't agree that it is insincere to tell a school "you are our first choice" until the parent has been through the whole admissions cycle. We had done a lot of vetting of schools before the admissions cycle began - any of the schools we applied to would've been fine for our DC, but only one was our first choice. We told that school early in the process. If a parent doesn't know anything about the school, than they may seem insincere, but if they are very versed in the school's background and mission, and able to make a compelling case why it is the first choice, I don't think they need to wait till the very end of the app process.
I wholly agree that a parent can't tell every school "you are our first choice" - that could really backfire. |
Anonymous
| Not to mention the fact that it's simply immoral. |
Anonymous
| During a parent interview very, very late in the game, and AD flat-out asked us School X was our first choice or not. She also asked if DC would attend if accepted. |