Reapplying to a school.
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Anonymous
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Last year my child received a rejection with a request for my child to apply again to a school again next
year at both of my top choices . So we applied again. Not sure I should have done so and afraid I am getting my hopes up. Thus I am curious - does anyone have a sense of whether a students chances when reapplying after such feedback a) the same as that of other applicants b) less than that of other applicants or c) greater than that of other applicants? If you decided to reapply in such a situation I'd love to hear your story and any lessons learned. |
Anonymous
| Rejection letter or waitlist? Or is this for an early grade and they thought child was too young? |
Anonymous
No wait list, just asked to apply again. Last year it was for a young grade (prek) where child was not on the young side for that. This year is for k. I felt like we had a strong chance but now I am wondering how seriously we should have taken this and if we should start on a wide range of alternatives. |
Anonymous
| This is also being discussed on another thread, but I do know of schools that send such letters, and mean them. They do not send that suggestion to all rejected candidates. I have no idea which schools you tried for, but it's very possible that they were schools with a limited number of PK spots who have more for K, and liked your child but did not have room for him/her last year. It's also possible that this is just their routine rejection letter for PK, but honestly, I don't think many schools are inviting reapplications from candidates they know they would never consider seriously--it just adds to their work. I would assume it was a genuine invitation to reapply, and that they are interested in seeing your child this year, either because they will have more spots open or because they had some concern last year that they think time will have addressed. Good luck!! |
Anonymous
| At the private my kids attend, I know of 2 kids who didn't get in for K (both waitlisted), but one went on to get in for 1st & the other for 4th. At least at our school the waitlist is real & they do flat out reject some applicants, so I would say if you were told to apply again this year that it's a sincere invitation. I would guess that is particularly true if it's a school where there is one pre-k class & multiple k classes. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| Agree it depends on the school. If it was GDS, I don't think they reject anyone - their waitlist is a soft reject. |
Anonymous
Wrong, wrong, wrong. GDS rejects lots. We have experienced it, and know others who have as well. They even sometimes reject siblings that aren't deemed a "good fit" or "equally qualified", whatever that means. |
Anonymous
| Was PP just talking about Pk/k at GDS? I have heard they waitlist all those not accepted. Have no personal evidence of this though and honestly, hope it is not true. |
Anonymous
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Nope GDS does reject- even siblings of existing families - I can tell you this for a fact. If they think your child is not a good fit academically they do not waitlist.
However to answer OP's original question: I think it is hopeful that you were told to reapply. As another poster pointed out, the highly competitive schools are only creating work for themselves to invite you to reapply if your child will never be accepted. I would call and let the school know they are your first choice and that you are coming if accepted. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| Every waitlist letter I have read has suggested that the applicant reapply. Seems pretty standard. They don't expect everyone to reapply but are being polite when they say they are so sorry they couldn't accommodate the child this year and hope that you will consider them again in the future. |
Anonymous
| We had this happen and went in to meet with the AD at the time (March of that year) and asked straight out why was DC wait listed. The AD told us a couple of specific reasons that we could adjust for and DC enrolled elsewhere for a year. When it came time to start the new application process again, we met with AD again (new person this time, but who knew our DC). Told AD what we had done to address their original concern of a year prior and we reapplied. DC was accepted. |
Anonymous
Was this at a Big 3? I just can't imagine making an in person appointment with the AD at Sidwell or STA to discuss my kid's WL. Do they really take the time to do this? What types of suggestions were offered? |
Anonymous
| Yes, it was at a big 3. The AD office was approachable, thoughtful, and honest. We felt that the worst thing we would have heard was that they were unwilling to meet with us. So, why not ask for a meeting. Was well worth it. |
Anonymous
| Our child was waitlisted at a school last year. It was not an entry year. This year at our interview we asked outright if there were any factors that would prevent her from admission and she mentioned one concern. We tried to address it (test scores) but with limited success. The admissions officer said she would mention to the committee that it was a second time applying but I know that there are so many qualified applicants that it's just one factor. I don't really think we have any more chance of getting in this year just because we applied last but really hoping for the best. We have applied to multiple schools so as not to put all of our eggs in one basket but this is still first choice. |
pbraverman
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If the "request" for a child to reapply was personal, and not simply part of a pro forma WL or reject letter, it's not a guarantee, but it's hard to see it as anything but positive. No school wants to set a family up to be rejected. Reapplying is usually viewed positively, as a sign that a family really, really wants a particular school. If a student is qualified, there is no categorical reason that reapplying is not a good idea. A brief meeting with an admission office during a down time (end of the year or September), for the purpose of asking whether whether an applicant has any real shot in the coming year after being turned away, is a fair request. In any event, however, in case it's not obvious, I don't think applying more than three times is likely to yield a different result. Peter _____________________ Disclaimer: The anonymity here makes me uncomfortable; it's easy to be uninformed, personal, or simply mean-spirited if people don't identify themselves. For that reason, I have an account so you know whose words you're reading. I have more than 20 years' experience as a teacher and administrator in independent schools, and I have counseled hundreds of students in finding their next schools. I hope I can be helpful to some folks. If you don't like something I've said, you're in good company — there's a long line of past students and parents ahead of you.  If you want to chat further, please feel free to contact me offline: peter <at> arcpd <dot> com
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