Field and Burke are looking for different kinds of students.

People on DCUM seem to think that these schools are for kids who cannot gain admission to the more competitive area independent schools. It is not true.

They don’t care as much about test scores and GPA’s.

If Field thinks you are using it as a safety school oftentimes they will reject or waitlist. Also, if they don’t have enough financial aid to offer you, they will also reject as they feel that it is kinder than saying, “you can come but you”ll have to find more money” Burke does the opposite. They will offer you a spot with less aid than you ask/need and leave it up to you if you want to find they money somewhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 years ago my DC was WL at Field. Good grades and I know the interview went well because I was sitting in it. No idea why he wasn’t admitted. Ended up at SSSAS, which has been a horrible fit socially.

My guess would be that they have to “round out” the class and his niche was already taken by someone else.

What type of niches are they looking for?

Anonymous wrote:3 years ago my DC was WL at Field. Good grades and I know the interview went well because I was sitting in it. No idea why he wasn’t admitted. Ended up at SSSAS, which has been a horrible fit socially.

My guess would be that they have to “round out” the class and his niche was already taken by someone else.

3 years ago my DC was WL at Field. Good grades and I know the interview went well because I was sitting in it. No idea why he wasn’t admitted. Ended up at SSSAS, which has been a horrible fit socially.

Anonymous wrote:^^^You have nothing to lose!

Agree. For the PP with the not admitted kid, your post here is really compelling and if you are able to share that with a school, it may make a difference now or get your DC on the radar for going forward.

They have historically had easier admissions than many others but as we’ve seen everywhere, a significant increase in applications means lower acceptance rates across the board.

Are these two schools generally easy to be accepted to?

Kids I know who didn’t get into Burke or Field usually had underlying learning challenges that weren’t well suited for the schools.

Good students but needed more help — kids who are thriving at Lab and Sienna and Commonwealth.

Field school is no longer the right school for quirky kids. This administration doesn’t communicate well, or work well with unique or creative children. You got lucky.

I don't think Burke does yield protection. Burke often admits students who turn it down for GDS, Sidwell, Field and other schools that might surprise you, like Gonzaga and St. Johns. (Some people turn down all of them for Burke, too.)

Over the years I've met some outstanding rejected students who Burke really should have admitted IMHO. Usually they ended up at some other progressive private schools.

I definitely do think that if you say something snotty to the admissions office that makes it seem like you look down on Burke, you risk getting rejected. Burke does care about fit and is not a snob school.

My child wasn't accepted at Field this year. He's rather quirky and it was his first choice (and like you, OP, ours too). He LOVED the intersession concept (he has two friends that go there and have for a few years so he knows the school pretty well). From what I understand, there were a ton of applicants this year (like every school) and a lot of boys. So, maybe that is it? We're trying again next year....!

As pp explained, Field is looking to help students that may not be able to succeed in more traditional environments.

Anonymous wrote:Field was our kid’s top choice for 9th grade and probably ours too. Mostly a straight A student with a handful of small stumbles, great extracurriculars and recognitions. We thought our interview with the school went well. He is a bit shy - so no telling how he did. He did tell them it was his top choice.

We were really impressed by the school and thought it was the best fit for him. Maybe we underestimated how competitive it would be, but we (and he) were quite sad when he was not even waitlisted - just not admitted.

I’m sorry OP that’s rough. Based on the fact your child wasn’t waitlisted, I would wait a week until after their decision deadlines have passed and ask if there were any specific areas of concern about your child so you can address them in the future.

Not sure if this is still true, but several years ago, one of the admissions team described their priority as kids who really “needed Field.” They were not as interested in kids who could thrive in other schools.