What are your top choices heading into private K decision day?

[Anonymous]

The Dalton acceptance letters really are amazing! My child was admitted last year and is in K now. I am glad they kept the tradition up even though Babby has retired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC got accepted at collegiate

Congrats!! This is one of my top choices for DS next year. Would you mind sharing anything that you think helped or set him/your family apart?

Curious about this too. Anything you could share much appreciated.

Parent statement is 5000 characters so you can actually write a thoughtful statement. Some schools wanted less than half that in length which made it more challenging.

They allow you to submit a child's work sample too which also allowed for some additional flavorful storytelling.

In the end -- there's no surefire way if you're not sibling/legacy (which generally fills up 50%+ of these classes at most schools is my understanding). I'm sure these schools have way more interested families than they can accept so part of it is down to having your child have a good playdate (bright, curious, etc.) and coming across as interested and devoted parents who will be good partners along the way (no administration wants drama and misaligned expectations). The admissions team no doubt tries to assemble a class with varied characteristics so that adds a lot of unknowns as well.

But this can all be applied towards almost any of the private schools that continue to see lots of enrollment interest post-pandemic. I encourage you to visit and decide it's actually the right choice for you -- the school (like any other) wants to see genuine enthusiasm in the parents who choose to enroll their kids there as it's ideally a 13-year journey partnering with a school.

Do you mind sharing how you showed interest? Are there some non obvious ways you show interest besides attending all the events and writing a first choice letter?

Collegiate holds several virtual events as well covering various topics in depth (administrators and faculty will join).

It was clear from the questions asked during the Q&A that some parents were touching on very basic topics, while other parents clearly knew how to ask more insightful questions. We encountered similar dynamics watching other parent couples at other independent school events, some of which were live.

My own belief on why the admissions system can feel so incestuous (past alumni and siblings get enormous legs up, as well as alumni in general of the independent school system) -- per what the PP whose kids got into trinity/dalton hinted at -- is because people who have attended NYC independent schools leave with a sense of "getting it" -- they know how the system works, what to expect, what advantages it can accrue, and what it can't deliver too (e.g. guaranteed top college placement). And as a result schools find these parents easier to partner with -- they give off microsignals here just in the conversations they have. Given the income level of your typical parent couple applying, you're liable to have very type-A and demanding personalities (dual working income partner couples in law or finance are common) who will bring that same level of rigor in their professional lives and demands to their schools. For many administrators and teachers I can imagine this is a nightmare. Even the top schools are imperfect and organic in many ways and do not want to be treated as a service vendor or a means to an end.

This article probably summarizes the zeitgeist well: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/04/private-schools-are-indefensible/618078/

My spouse and I seriously considered public school as an alternative FWIW as a result of concerns around this. We did our applications fairly late and close to deadline and felt much more comfortable after talking to existing parents in the system, various heads of admissions, and gaining a lot more context.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also have a friend who got great feedback from one of the girls’ school and she FCed it. The feedback was that her DD will be one of the accepted students - at least that was how she presented to me and others. She got WL and also could not work the WL. Everyone was wondering what happened?

This happened to my kid too!! Great feedback WL, then nothing. We've moved on from that. Oh, kids aren't in NYC schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accepted to Dalton and Trinity (trinity legacy). Will be attending dalton.

aren’t decisions for these schools tomorrow? Did you first choice dalton? And curious why dalton over trinity?
Congratulations!

My sibling and I went to trinity, and, even though we both received great educations and ended up at top colleges, we didn’t like being there. Sometimes we truly dreaded it.

yes, sibling at dalton, so I’ll talk about why we chose it the first go round - our elder was admitted to trinity, as well.

We have family spread out among NY privates, and we talked with them, then to my parents (my mom is a spence grad and my dad went to fieldston). My parents chose trinity for the usual reasons, although one was actually proximity. They’ve said that in hindsight, they’re a bit conflicted about sending us to trinity when we probably could have been happier somewhere else. So, after a lot of consideration, we agreed that dalton at least appears to nurture and guide intelligent, curious children in the areas they truly feel passionate about rather than grind out the extremely ambitious. This isn’t applicable across the board - trinity was and is a wonderful school filled with passionate kids who will thrive in that environment. It’s just our personal experience navigating our education there was frustrating and frequently overwhelming. It did make college transition a breeze though.

Also, it simply came down to feel. Little Dalton has such a warm and inviting environment. The teachers were generous and enthusiastic. The high schoolers we spoke with were poised, confident, and knowledgeable, but they had some x factor which we didn’t notice so much with other schools. They just seemed to genuinely love Dalton and, more importantly, appeared to care more about learning for the sake of learning rather than matriculation. For us, that is the single most important thing. This was my failing, but I wish I’d done that during my high school years rather than gaming out the best way to gain admittance to a good college. Dalton seems to get those results with much less of the cynicism I experienced at Trinity. Again, to what degree this is true, I don’t know. Obviously, every school puts on a show. But so far, that’s what dalton’s delivered.

This is a very minor thing, but the note Dalton sent us offering a place… it nearly made me cry. The amount of detail and care they put into such a personal note may not be indicative of anything more than upping yield numbers, but their observations about our children were absolutely remarkable. If you’d like, I can post a redacted version of it here.

So, it’s Dalton. Of course, there’s that lingering bit of concern over whether it’s the right choice, but in this position you can’t really go wrong.

Thank you for this thoughtful response!
Would love to see the redacted version of the Dalton note, if you don’t mind.

I’m a trepidatious about posting this here, so is there a way of deleting it after a day or so?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accepted to Dalton and Trinity (trinity legacy). Will be attending dalton.

aren’t decisions for these schools tomorrow? Did you first choice dalton? And curious why dalton over trinity?
Congratulations!

My sibling and I went to trinity, and, even though we both received great educations and ended up at top colleges, we didn’t like being there. Sometimes we truly dreaded it.

yes, sibling at dalton, so I’ll talk about why we chose it the first go round - our elder was admitted to trinity, as well.

We have family spread out among NY privates, and we talked with them, then to my parents (my mom is a spence grad and my dad went to fieldston). My parents chose trinity for the usual reasons, although one was actually proximity. They’ve said that in hindsight, they’re a bit conflicted about sending us to trinity when we probably could have been happier somewhere else. So, after a lot of consideration, we agreed that dalton at least appears to nurture and guide intelligent, curious children in the areas they truly feel passionate about rather than grind out the extremely ambitious. This isn’t applicable across the board - trinity was and is a wonderful school filled with passionate kids who will thrive in that environment. It’s just our personal experience navigating our education there was frustrating and frequently overwhelming. It did make college transition a breeze though.

Also, it simply came down to feel. Little Dalton has such a warm and inviting environment. The teachers were generous and enthusiastic. The high schoolers we spoke with were poised, confident, and knowledgeable, but they had some x factor which we didn’t notice so much with other schools. They just seemed to genuinely love Dalton and, more importantly, appeared to care more about learning for the sake of learning rather than matriculation. For us, that is the single most important thing. This was my failing, but I wish I’d done that during my high school years rather than gaming out the best way to gain admittance to a good college. Dalton seems to get those results with much less of the cynicism I experienced at Trinity. Again, to what degree this is true, I don’t know. Obviously, every school puts on a show. But so far, that’s what dalton’s delivered.

This is a very minor thing, but the note Dalton sent us offering a place… it nearly made me cry. The amount of detail and care they put into such a personal note may not be indicative of anything more than upping yield numbers, but their observations about our children were absolutely remarkable. If you’d like, I can post a redacted version of it here.

So, it’s Dalton. Of course, there’s that lingering bit of concern over whether it’s the right choice, but in this position you can’t really go wrong.

Thank you for this thoughtful response!
Would love to see the redacted version of the Dalton note, if you don’t mind.

I’m a trepidatious about posting this here, so is there a way of deleting it after a day or so?

Yes. Hit the report button and ask Jeff to delete it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Dalton acceptance letters really are amazing! My child was admitted last year and is in K now. I am glad they kept the tradition up even though Babby has retired.

So many little things, right? Was yours addressed to “Family of X”, too? That was so touching to us - that they put our child first from the first line of the note. And the paragraph about their having the opportunity to educate (child) was such a beautiful, subtle way for a school to express their belief that your child truly adds something to the community. There are a few other things, as well, particularly the stuff about interests - they knew things even we overlooked in our child. And then the direct invitation to join the community in such a joyful tone. I’m not lying about nearly crying over it. It made a big difference to us.

[Anonymous]

Don't post it. Better to keep it private.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accepted to Dalton and Trinity (trinity legacy). Will be attending dalton.

aren’t decisions for these schools tomorrow? Did you first choice dalton? And curious why dalton over trinity?
Congratulations!

My sibling and I went to trinity, and, even though we both received great educations and ended up at top colleges, we didn’t like being there. Sometimes we truly dreaded it.

yes, sibling at dalton, so I’ll talk about why we chose it the first go round - our elder was admitted to trinity, as well.

We have family spread out among NY privates, and we talked with them, then to my parents (my mom is a spence grad and my dad went to fieldston). My parents chose trinity for the usual reasons, although one was actually proximity. They’ve said that in hindsight, they’re a bit conflicted about sending us to trinity when we probably could have been happier somewhere else. So, after a lot of consideration, we agreed that dalton at least appears to nurture and guide intelligent, curious children in the areas they truly feel passionate about rather than grind out the extremely ambitious. This isn’t applicable across the board - trinity was and is a wonderful school filled with passionate kids who will thrive in that environment. It’s just our personal experience navigating our education there was frustrating and frequently overwhelming. It did make college transition a breeze though.

Also, it simply came down to feel. Little Dalton has such a warm and inviting environment. The teachers were generous and enthusiastic. The high schoolers we spoke with were poised, confident, and knowledgeable, but they had some x factor which we didn’t notice so much with other schools. They just seemed to genuinely love Dalton and, more importantly, appeared to care more about learning for the sake of learning rather than matriculation. For us, that is the single most important thing. This was my failing, but I wish I’d done that during my high school years rather than gaming out the best way to gain admittance to a good college. Dalton seems to get those results with much less of the cynicism I experienced at Trinity. Again, to what degree this is true, I don’t know. Obviously, every school puts on a show. But so far, that’s what dalton’s delivered.

This is a very minor thing, but the note Dalton sent us offering a place… it nearly made me cry. The amount of detail and care they put into such a personal note may not be indicative of anything more than upping yield numbers, but their observations about our children were absolutely remarkable. If you’d like, I can post a redacted version of it here.

So, it’s Dalton. Of course, there’s that lingering bit of concern over whether it’s the right choice, but in this position you can’t really go wrong.

Thank you for this thoughtful response!
Would love to see the redacted version of the Dalton note, if you don’t mind.

I’m a trepidatious about posting this here, so is there a way of deleting it after a day or so?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't post it. Better to keep it private.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accepted to Dalton and Trinity (trinity legacy). Will be attending dalton.

aren’t decisions for these schools tomorrow? Did you first choice dalton? And curious why dalton over trinity?
Congratulations!

My sibling and I went to trinity, and, even though we both received great educations and ended up at top colleges, we didn’t like being there. Sometimes we truly dreaded it.

yes, sibling at dalton, so I’ll talk about why we chose it the first go round - our elder was admitted to trinity, as well.

We have family spread out among NY privates, and we talked with them, then to my parents (my mom is a spence grad and my dad went to fieldston). My parents chose trinity for the usual reasons, although one was actually proximity. They’ve said that in hindsight, they’re a bit conflicted about sending us to trinity when we probably could have been happier somewhere else. So, after a lot of consideration, we agreed that dalton at least appears to nurture and guide intelligent, curious children in the areas they truly feel passionate about rather than grind out the extremely ambitious. This isn’t applicable across the board - trinity was and is a wonderful school filled with passionate kids who will thrive in that environment. It’s just our personal experience navigating our education there was frustrating and frequently overwhelming. It did make college transition a breeze though.

Also, it simply came down to feel. Little Dalton has such a warm and inviting environment. The teachers were generous and enthusiastic. The high schoolers we spoke with were poised, confident, and knowledgeable, but they had some x factor which we didn’t notice so much with other schools. They just seemed to genuinely love Dalton and, more importantly, appeared to care more about learning for the sake of learning rather than matriculation. For us, that is the single most important thing. This was my failing, but I wish I’d done that during my high school years rather than gaming out the best way to gain admittance to a good college. Dalton seems to get those results with much less of the cynicism I experienced at Trinity. Again, to what degree this is true, I don’t know. Obviously, every school puts on a show. But so far, that’s what dalton’s delivered.

This is a very minor thing, but the note Dalton sent us offering a place… it nearly made me cry. The amount of detail and care they put into such a personal note may not be indicative of anything more than upping yield numbers, but their observations about our children were absolutely remarkable. If you’d like, I can post a redacted version of it here.

So, it’s Dalton. Of course, there’s that lingering bit of concern over whether it’s the right choice, but in this position you can’t really go wrong.

Thank you for this thoughtful response!
Would love to see the redacted version of the Dalton note, if you don’t mind.

I’m a trepidatious about posting this here, so is there a way of deleting it after a day or so?

Yes, I posted it briefly, but had it removed. Best to keep it private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also have a friend who got great feedback from one of the girls’ school and she FCed it. The feedback was that her DD will be one of the accepted students - at least that was how she presented to me and others. She got WL and also could not work the WL. Everyone was wondering what happened?

This happened to my kid too!! Great feedback WL, then nothing. We've moved on from that. Oh, kids aren't in NYC schools.

Was this one of the SS too? Could you say which one?

[Anonymous]

New poster here.

Got into Collegiate (early notification). Lots of positive things to say here though there's a clear personal bias.

We really liked Dalton as well - they offered a phenomenal tour of the First Program (the small building lends itself to a very intimate experience in general). Did our parent interview with the head of admissions and she had clearly read our statement and asked very pointed and solid questions. They showed that they had clearly paid attention during the child visit too and had good observations to share. Amongst all the other schools we engaged with, they were a standout from an application experience perspective (even though their long-time head of admissions recently left).

[Anonymous]

Congratulations to everyone who got accepted! Are early notifications only for siblings/legacy applicants?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Congratulations to everyone who got accepted! Are early notifications only for siblings/legacy applicants?

Yes, decisions are sent out in early December instead of February. You are usually given a week to commit and send in your deposit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster here.

Got into Collegiate (early notification). Lots of positive things to say here though there's a clear personal bias.

We really liked Dalton as well - they offered a phenomenal tour of the First Program (the small building lends itself to a very intimate experience in general). Did our parent interview with the head of admissions and she had clearly read our statement and asked very pointed and solid questions. They showed that they had clearly paid attention during the child visit too and had good observations to share. Amongst all the other schools we engaged with, they were a standout from an application experience perspective (even though their long-time head of admissions recently left).

Congrats on Collegiate! we have a few cousins there at the moment, all of whom love it. What made you choose Collegiate ultimately?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here.

Got into Collegiate (early notification). Lots of positive things to say here though there's a clear personal bias.

We really liked Dalton as well - they offered a phenomenal tour of the First Program (the small building lends itself to a very intimate experience in general). Did our parent interview with the head of admissions and she had clearly read our statement and asked very pointed and solid questions. They showed that they had clearly paid attention during the child visit too and had good observations to share. Amongst all the other schools we engaged with, they were a standout from an application experience perspective (even though their long-time head of admissions recently left).

Congrats on Collegiate! we have a few cousins there at the moment, all of whom love it. What made you choose Collegiate ultimately?

I went there so I can appreciate the benefits of single sex education.

Also spoke to recent parents, current teachers and more as part of my due diligence. All checked out - felt confident it’s a great environment for DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Congratulations to everyone who got accepted! Are early notifications only for siblings/legacy applicants?

Yes, decisions are sent out in early December instead of February. You are usually given a week to commit and send in your deposit.

Thanks for sharing. Congrats. Curious after you signed your offer did you need to withdraw applications to other schools?