Getting into St. Albans
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Anonymous
I was told by the spouse of a Trustee that the Outplacement Director placed calls after Thanksgiving to all of the families to give them STA's "feedback," which roughly translates to a tentative yes or no. Did my friend just get this wrong? |
Anonymous
That's right tentative y/n feedback. An official acceptance letter should arrive some time around the week of Jan 20th. At least that's how it worked a few years ago. |
Anonymous
| Interesting. I know that there are parents of Beauvoir girls who haven't heard yet. NCS must handle it differently, I guess. |
Anonymous
How maddening. Hopefuly, someone will chime in with info on the NCS process. The STA feedback didn't really put my mind at ease. I remember that the outplacement director didn't say yes or no. She said something like it looks good. I didn't exhale until after I saw that thick envelope. |
Anonymous
| The families of the Beauvoir girls heard around the same time (Dec 1). It is not a definitive yes or no, but a strong thumbs up or down. Waiting for the letter to make it official. Most of the families that I know of that got the initial thumbs down from the outplacement director did not apply to NCS for early decision. |
Anonymous
I think this kind of language is not only incorrect but is one of the reason people hate Beauvoir. There is no "early decision". We don't talk like that. If you mean the school was their first choice, the outplacement director does know what family preferences are and presumably could make a stronger case for the child whose first choice was a cathedral school. There is also no thick envelope. Just a letter. Parents are anxious, mostly becuase their kids have to get in somewhere. They can't continue at Beauvoir if things don't work out. So that is the underlying reason for the stress, not because of some Ivy League ambitions. Everyone wants to make sure their kid goes on SOMEWHERE. |
Anonymous
The year we were accepted to STA the envelope included the letter, deposit form, and some other form. Without a doubt, I knew that an acceptance letter was in it just by looking at the width of the envelope Whereas the rejection envelope only includes the letter. Perhaps the process is different at STA than at NCS, a few years ago, the outplacement director did tell families in early December to apply elsewhere. I know of a few families who received rejection letters in January, they were indeed told to apply elsewhere in early December. STA was their first choice as it is most who apply. Most parents were stressed out before receiving their STA acceptance letters. Unless your boy is the son of an alum or is a sib or your family is flagged to have $$$ you had reason to worry. Early in the fall at a parent admission meeting, we were told about 6-8 boys don't get in. That fact was always in the back of my mind. It appears that the STA letters are sent out the week following the Saturday in January that non-Beauvoir applicants admission tests are administered and scored. |
Anonymous
| 6:12 I don't know where you are getting your information from but "early decision" is the exact language that the NCS admissions director used this year. I don't have the letter in front of me, but I am almost sure this is also the language in the letter from NCS to the family. They call it early decision because you have to commit to the contract (tuition) before hearing from other schools. I will confirm later this evening when I look at my letter. And this is not a reason to hate Beauvoir. NCS clearly stated in the letter that this is a process that is offered to Beauvoir girls. What is so offensive about "early decision"? |
Anonymous
I was quite happy that my family didn't have to wait until mid-March to find out. I'm pretty certain that my son's STA acceptance letter (from a few years ago) used the language "early decision." |
Anonymous
| To poster 6:12, now that I have gotten a chance to go home and look at my letter, you were incorrect. The letter does use the exact words "Early Decision" (with the upper case). The letter goes on to say that NCS offers "the early decision admission process exclusively to Beauvoir students." So I don't know why people would hate Beauvoir so much for quoting NCS' own language. |
Anonymous
Just to make sure, I looked at my son's STA acceptance letter from a few years ago and it also used the words, "Early Decision." |
Anonymous
I love the Beauvoir placement director, but trying to listen to what she´s really saying can be maddening. I assume looks good means you´re in. I also assume if she doesn´t tell you that you should be adding names to your application list, then she feels you´re likely to get in to at least one. For those of you who have had to read these tea leaves, are these fair assumptions. |
Anonymous
| i don't understand! if a child attend beauvoir why wouldn't they get into st. alban's? what criteria? not giving enough money to beauvoir? test scores? whether the mother was a pain in the ass? seriously? what pressure. if my son makes all of his friends at beauvoir then is devastated b/c he is one of the few that would have to move on to another school - say in the middle of no where? this doesn't seem fair! |
Anonymous
Yes, I would say that these are fair assumptions. I took looks good as meaning that he probably got in. There's just no way that she can give you an 100% guarantee during feedback that your child got in. She'll tell you that she has no control over the final decision that STA and NCS makes. She will do everything in her power to get your child in. Early in the process, she'll have you include additional schools on your list. The woman will work her butt off to get your child in some school. She's a great asset to Beauvoir families. |
Anonymous
| No, it's got more to do with whether the child can cut it academically...you really can't tell that when you're looking at PK & K applicants. Even kids with high WPPSI scores end up having learning disabilities or other issues. Or they are kids who just won't fit well into the STA/NCS culture...who need more flexibility and freedom. These are schools that, over time, weed out kids who aren't doing well, not schools that differentiate the learning and make accommodations for kids who struggle. |