Catholic HS Application Process — any insight?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here — thx for all the helpful responses. From reading prior threads on there topic I had come away with the impression that the Applicaipj max was 3 schools within a certain diocese. My DC came home from the practice HSPT at Ireton and noted there were only 3 slots to send scores on the form.

Re HOS/Principal involvement — we came a few years ago but my kids are not lifers and I’m definitely not on h th e inside track with admin like some other families seem to be. Hopefully my kid will be an easy admit on the HS side and not waitlisted bc I’m not sure how much the HOS would go to bat for them.

The limit only applies to sending HSPT scores to schools requiring the HSPT; on top of that you can apply to schools not requiring the HSPT not the ones that take other tests, like the SSAT or the St. Anselm's tests (OLSAT and SCAT).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here — thx for all the helpful responses. From reading prior threads on there topic I had come away with the impression that the Applicaipj max was 3 schools within a certain diocese. My DC came home from the practice HSPT at Ireton and noted there were only 3 slots to send scores on the form.

Re HOS/Principal involvement — we came a few years ago but my kids are not lifers and I’m definitely not on h th e inside track with admin like some other families seem to be. Hopefully my kid will be an easy admit on the HS side and not waitlisted bc I’m not sure how much the HOS would go to bat for them.

The limit only applies to sending HSPT scores to schools requiring the HSPT; on top of that you can apply to schools not requiring the HSPT, the ones that take other tests, like the SSAT or the St. Anselm's tests (OLSAT and SCAT).

**fixed typo

[Anonymous]

How do athletics fit into the admissions process? Do parents contact the coaches in advance of applying to determine if DC has the skills and athleticism in desired sport to make the team (for example, basketball). I realize some schools "recruit" athletes but with a vast number of local travel teams, I suppose the coaches would know of several top players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do athletics fit into the admissions process? Do parents contact the coaches in advance of applying to determine if DC has the skills and athleticism in desired sport to make the team (for example, basketball). I realize some schools "recruit" athletes but with a vast number of local travel teams, I suppose the coaches would know of several top players.

yes. If you are not scouted then you can reach out to the coach. Sometimes admissions will connect you with the coach once they read the application.

My son is a baseball player on a high level team and the schools had their athletic director or baseball coach email us once they (admissions) had read his file.
The school coaches then contacted his travel coach. They all know each other as the DMV community for most sports is pretty small. I found out after the fact about discussions that were had about my son between
his current coach and future school coaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do athletics fit into the admissions process? Do parents contact the coaches in advance of applying to determine if DC has the skills and athleticism in desired sport to make the team (for example, basketball). I realize some schools "recruit" athletes but with a vast number of local travel teams, I suppose the coaches would know of several top players.

For kids who are being recruited, the coaches have likely already identified the kids they will recommend to admissions by the summer before 8th grade. To get in the loop on a particular sport, many of the schools have summer sports camps run by the coaches (not sure what is happening this summer, but some schools are definitely proceeding). Those are a good idea for the coach to get eyes on your kid before school starts. There are no guarantees they will make the team and the WCAC is tough in many sports, even for long time travel kids, but that is usually at the varsity level. There are normally freshman/JV teams that are not as competitive to make.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do athletics fit into the admissions process? Do parents contact the coaches in advance of applying to determine if DC has the skills and athleticism in desired sport to make the team (for example, basketball). I realize some schools "recruit" athletes but with a vast number of local travel teams, I suppose the coaches would know of several top players.

For kids who are being recruited, the coaches have likely already identified the kids they will recommend to admissions by the summer before 8th grade. To get in the loop on a particular sport, many of the schools have summer sports camps run by the coaches (not sure what is happening this summer, but some schools are definitely proceeding). Those are a good idea for the coach to get eyes on your kid before school starts. There are no guarantees they will make the team and the WCAC is tough in many sports, even for long time travel kids, but that is usually at the varsity level. There are normally freshman/JV teams that are not as competitive to make.

That isn't true for all schools, nor for all sports. Also some sports are number sports, and they don't need "eyes" on the kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does being Catholic help when applying to Gonzaga from a non-Catholic k-8? How high do the HSPT scores need to be?

Yes, being Catholic helps. And Gonzaga is fairly competitive. I would guess at least 85th percentile with a strong all around application (grades, essay, recommendations, extracurriculars).

Brother/father legacy is huge at Gonzaga. From our Catholic k-8 this year, 4 legacies (who would not have been admitted otherwise) and 2 w/ no hooks were admitted (all 6 boys will likely play a high school sport, none college level). The 2 boys without hooks were both very strong all around candidates with HSPTs 95+.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does being Catholic help when applying to Gonzaga from a non-Catholic k-8? How high do the HSPT scores need to be?

Yes, being Catholic helps. And Gonzaga is fairly competitive. I would guess at least 85th percentile with a strong all around application (grades, essay, recommendations, extracurriculars).

Brother/father legacy is huge at Gonzaga. From our Catholic k-8 this year, 4 legacies (who would not have been admitted otherwise) and 2 w/ no hooks were admitted (all 6 boys will likely play a high school sport, none college level). The 2 boys without hooks were both very strong all around candidates with HSPTs 95+.

It is important to note that Gonzaga does not simply select students based on a high HSPT score, they value a diverse student body. Meaning there are students with a wide range of HSPT scores and grades. Admission is not solely based on academic achievement (it is not the “smart Catholic boy school”, despite some posters insisting the contrary), and teacher recommendations, essay, and interest from shadow day are all huge factors. A well rounded student body who will make an impact is the goal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is applying to Catholic HS this Fall as I’m realizing how little I know about this. Does anyone out there in DCUM know:

1. How may schools can students send HSPT scores to —
3 total — including both Arlington and DC schools or from each diocese?

2. Is there a set number of slots that each HS allots to each parochial?
We are at an Arlington diocese school and I hear rumors that there are 2 slots for Visitation, 2-3 slots for SJC
And a fixed but not exactly known number of slots for
BI, DJO etc. is this nonsense of based on
Kind of fact or at least anecdotal experience?

3. What role does the school Principal play of any?

Thanks in advance for any insight!!!

My dd just applied to Catholic high schools last year, and my ds is about to start the process next year, so I would say I'm pretty knowledgeable on the topic. (especially since my dd had about 10 meltdowns over the stress of it all ) First, if your school principal has an inside connection to the admissions office is DOES help. I'm not saying that its an automatic ticket in, but it is nice to have that extra support on your side. Most children in my dd's class only applied to 2-3 schools because applications are stressful, but yes op I think you can send them to as many as you want if you pay an additional fee. My dd applied to 2 schools, and only one of them took the HSPT so I couldn't give you a definitive answer. That is just my observation. Most schools want a diverse student population so if 10 girls applied to Visitation from your school, they probably wouldn't accept all of them (unless you have a connection). Legacy students are also more likely you get accepted at certain schools, depending on how the school culture is, and how important donations are. The principal at my dc's school has meetings with each student individually, and they work pretty hard to place the student in the right school. After talking to some of my dd's friend's moms from different schools, I know that not EVERY school principal does this, so this experience may not be the norm.

The most important thing I REALLY want to emphasize is the stress. It might not be a good idea for your dc to apply to more than 3 schools because the supplemental essays and test studying can become overwhelming very quickly. My dd is responsible and she wrote a rough draft of her essay over the summer and took an SSAT practice test, and she still walked away from the application process with sleep deprivation and a lot of mental turmoil. Maybe it was the stress her school put on the students to be accepted, but I really hope my ds doesn't have the same experience. At the end of the day op, they're children and it's high school. Showing your dc that you support them is probably the most important thing you can do.

[Anonymous]

My child is not Catholic and found a Catholic school very welcoming. He has to learn Latin and Religion but as an intellectually curious kid, he’s doing fine in these classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does being Catholic help when applying to Gonzaga from a non-Catholic k-8? How high do the HSPT scores need to be?

Yes, being Catholic helps. And Gonzaga is fairly competitive. I would guess at least 85th percentile with a strong all around application (grades, essay, recommendations, extracurriculars).

Brother/father legacy is huge at Gonzaga. From our Catholic k-8 this year, 4 legacies (who would not have been admitted otherwise) and 2 w/ no hooks were admitted (all 6 boys will likely play a high school sport, none college level). The 2 boys without hooks were both very strong all around candidates with HSPTs 95+.

It is important to note that Gonzaga does not simply select students based on a high HSPT score, they value a diverse student body. Meaning there are students with a wide range of HSPT scores and grades. Admission is not solely based on academic achievement (it is not the “smart Catholic boy school”, despite some posters insisting the contrary), and teacher recommendations, essay, and interest from shadow day are all huge factors. A well rounded student body who will make an impact is the goal.

From our experience, half are mostly HSPT and everything else strong. The other half are legacies and athletic recruits and they are the full mix from extremely lucky to hugely talented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does being Catholic help when applying to Gonzaga from a non-Catholic k-8? How high do the HSPT scores need to be?

Yes, being Catholic helps. And Gonzaga is fairly competitive. I would guess at least 85th percentile with a strong all around application (grades, essay, recommendations, extracurriculars).

The acceptance rate is about 45%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does being Catholic help when applying to Gonzaga from a non-Catholic k-8? How high do the HSPT scores need to be?

Yes, being Catholic helps. And Gonzaga is fairly competitive. I would guess at least 85th percentile with a strong all around application (grades, essay, recommendations, extracurriculars).

The acceptance rate is about 45%.

That may be right. But whatever the average acceptance rate isn’t really that useful.

The acceptance rate for Legacies, graduates of many Catholic middle schools, Catholics, and athletes in sports they care about is higher than average. these groups are advantaged in the Admissions process.

For groups like non-Catholics coming from public schools, the Admission rate is lower than average.

[Anonymous]

Do most of the Catholic High Schools have waitlists this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid only applied to 2 Catholic HSs from Arlington public and got into both. One is notoriously hard to get into. He had straight As 6-8 grades, 98 HSPT score, good recs. We have zero connections- at church or school.

I knew nothing about the process prior.

What year was this?