Feedback for admissions offices: what did you like/dislike about the process?

[Anonymous]

As you went through the admissions process, what did you like/dislike? Did you have any particularly good or bad experiences? What worked well and what didn't? If you could change anything, what would you change? If you were having a private, candid heart to heart with the head and director of admissions at each school your child applied to, what would you be saying?

Please be honest but constructive. I often see people say that admissions offices monitor these boards. I'm not sure that's true, but if it is, let's provide them with useful feedback: things you really wish they knew, but feel you can't say while you're child is still going through the process.

[Anonymous]

It's been a while, but I LOATHED the coyness about the ratio of applicants to slots and the number of candidates put into the wait list pool.

[Anonymous]

Madeira: Pros: admissions staff very nice and professional; really worked hard to make my daughter and me feel welcome. Cons: they were urging people to ask questions by Twitter during the open house and displaying the tweets on a giant screen, which felt gimmicky (and distracting). Also, they sent my DD off to shadow classes that didn't really make much sense for her (E.g., French, though she takes Spanish, etc.).

Field: Pros: Open House well done and very informative. Cons: I actually thought the interviewer was a high school senior until she told us what subjects she taught. After introducing herself she spoke only to my daughter, never to me; while I understand and appreciate that they want to hear from the kids, not just the parents, she literally acted as if I was not present, which just felt awkward. If they want to hear from kids, why not just have a separate interview with the kid? Also, interviewer seemed unable to pause long enough to give my very shy DD a chance to speak: she'd ask a question, then if DD did not respond instantly she would rush to fill the silence with her own commentary. It felt pointless, and I felt irritated: it was very poor interviewing technique by an obviously very inexperienced interviewer. Made me feel significantly less enthusiastic about Field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Field:Cons: I actually thought the interviewer was a high school senior until she told us what subjects she taught. After introducing herself she spoke only to my daughter, never to me; while I understand and appreciate that they want to hear from the kids, not just the parents, she literally acted as if I was not present, which just felt awkward. If they want to hear from kids, why not just have a separate interview with the kid? Also, interviewer seemed unable to pause long enough to give my very shy DD a chance to speak: she'd ask a question, then if DD did not respond instantly she would rush to fill the silence with her own commentary. It felt pointless, and I felt irritated: it was very poor interviewing technique by an obviously very inexperienced interviewer. Made me feel significantly less enthusiastic about Field.

+1
When you charge $40,000 always good to remember who pays the bills

[Anonymous]

SIDWELL: HATED the application process! Extremely cold. Smug attitude. Didn't bother to finish applying because we were so turned off by the horrible attitude of the admissions office who seem overly full of themselves and could care less how they treat potential applicants and their families. It may be a great school, but you would never know it from your visit or interview, etc. My gifted child who is ranked highly in several extracurricular areas hated the school b/c she sensed the awful attitude of the place and decided it was not going to be a good fit for her. She is now thriving at another very well-regarded private.

[Anonymous]

GDS. Looked at the lower school. Admissions staff came off as self-righteous and smug. I'm very lefty by any standards but I found the self-satisfied PC vibe incredibly off-putting. Withdrew my kid's application.

[Anonymous]

St Andrews: really liked the process. Admissions staff seemed welcoming and genuinely interested in DC; conversations and interviews were not rushed, and it felt like the admissions staff were truly interested in hearing about and from DC. Head of school came by to say hello informally as we and other families waited for the interviews to start. Everyone was warm. Everyone was responsive to emails, which I really appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Oh yeah. Burke: overall great process. Nice tour, informative open house with lots of chances to see and hear from kids in "natural" ways. Teachers and head very welcoming and open. The only negative: the admissions officer who interviewed DC seemed to be having a really bad day. Sour and brusque in interactions with parents and kids in our group; rarely smiled.

Don't want to judge too much: I mean, maybe she had just had some horrible news or something. But she was a weird exception to an otherwise very pleasant and very friendly experience. I was glad she seemed uniformly sour to everyone, since otherwise I'd have been totally freaked and thought she just hated my family.

[Anonymous]

Ironically, "smug", "self-righteous", "awful attitude", and "incredibly off putting" are some of the same phrases I'd use to describe the PP who posted 18:25-18:34. I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.

[Anonymous]

Landon: the MS admissions director didn't know anything about the school. Couldn't answer our questions except those about sports. Disappointing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ironically, "smug", "self-righteous", "awful attitude", and "incredibly off putting" are some of the same phrases I'd use to describe the PP who posted 18:25-18:34. I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.

It is indeed in the eye of the beholder. But this is a thread about personal experiences with admissions offices, so how about adding your experiences with the admissions process, if you have any, rather than trashing other posters? If you had personal experiences with the schools they mention and came away with different views, I'm sure readers would find that much more helpful than a post about other posters.

[Anonymous]

I totally disagree about the PP view of Landon.

I guess it is in the eye of the beholder as the a-hole above pointed out.

We loved Landon! We couldn't have been happier about the whole process. They were extremely informative, answered every and all questions.

[Anonymous]

Field: Felt welcomed and engaged the whole time. Admissions staff did a great job with my child who is on the quiet side. She engaged me and my spouse in a natural way while focusing on our kid.

[Anonymous]

During the admissions process at one school, our DD, who was applying to middle school, was paired with a child who did not speak to her the entire time. She didn't introduce DD to anyone else and, ultimately, she disappeared. DD liked the school before her visit day, but her experience on the visit changed her impression.

[Anonymous]

Sandy Springs: If this school wasn't so far from DC it would be a whole new ball game. Admissions team was so welcoming and friendly. Loved the grounds and the arts focus.