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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Went through this last year. Basically, your kid follows another 9th grader around and attends classes and moves through the daily schedule. I don't know how much feedback is sought from the host. My sense is that is more for your kid to get a sense of the school, but I could be wrong.[/quote]

+1.  One of my kids did this two years ago when he was in 8th and my current 8th grader is doing it now.  My older kid also hosted when he was a freshman and the school did not ask him to assess his shadows. I agree that the purpose is for 8th graders to get a sense of a day in the life of a 9th grader at the school, and for my kids, it was the most helpful experience in helping them decide which school was right for them. Teachers might ask the shadow a few questions, but unless the shadow does something significantly positive or negative, it likely does not make any difference for admission.[/quote]

Yep, the shadow day at my DC’s HS is mostly for the benefit of the shadow day student. My DC is in 9th grade and has hosted shadows several times now and has never been asked to evaluate their kids. That being said, I advise shadow day students to be polite and act naturally. I’m sure that teachers alert admissions if a shadow is disruptive, but that is super rare from what my DC has seen.

Most of my DC’s shadows have been quiet, and calmly follow my DC throughout their day as they chat about the shadow’s interests, what school they are coming from, where else they are applying, what they are doing to prep for the admissions test/essays etc. Some of the shadows are more interactive and ask DC specific questions about the HS experience, but it is normal for shadow kids to quietly follow along and soak it all in. My DC and other hosts were just in their shoes a year ago so most see the opportunity as not just showing off the school, but as a mini-mentorship. My DC lucked out and had really good shadow day hosts last year as an 8th grader, so they are excited to do the same for others this year as a freshman. [/quote]

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