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Monthly Planner - February
It is strongly
recommended that the Private School Admissions Process Waiting Period -
the time between completing the process and receiving notification from
the schools of your student’s admissions status - be spent proactively.
First and foremost this is time for celebration. A process has been
started and completed successfully and much has been learned: You and your
student collectively established a goal; it was mapped out and the
necessary tasks were completed. You have learned a lot about your student
and they have observed a lot about you. New people have been met. You have
had new experiences that range from testing, completing an application
form, and writing a personal essay to interviewing with the admissions
staff at various schools. Take time out to congratulate yourself and your
student!
The Waiting Period can be an extremely anxious time. Keep yourself and
your student focused on the ultimate goal of acquiring the best education
possible for your student instead of the more narrow focus of "which
school will accept us."
Some helpful tips to combat these negative emotions:
Prioritize the list of schools that your student has applied to into
different categories - "best overall school," "school with best
extracurricular programs," "school with highest number of graduates
entering into 4-year universities," "school where friends already attend,"
"school closest to home or work," "school that have the best facilities,"
"school that student felt most comfortable with," etc.
These various lists serve several purposes. Prioritizing the schools you
have applied for now is of the essence. Before the admissions status
letters are received - you and your student will be able to arrive at a
consensus. Once the letters arrive a decision as to which school your
student will attend needs to be made fairly quickly. Make sure you and
your student will already know the answer.
These lists will also reveal that each school that you have applied to has
its positive points and that "having to settle" for a second or third
choice is really not the worst that could happen.
Compiling these lists with your student also is another opportunity for
you to stress the important aspects of a good education: positive and safe
environment, dedicated administrators and teachers, academically motivated
peers, and preparation for the next level of their academic career.
Focus now on your student’s Plan B - what educational path will your
student take if they are not accepted into one of the schools that they
have applied to? Reexamine your neighborhood school and consider
home-schooling possibilities. Talk with other parents and exchange ideas
and pool resources.
And last but not least, "roll up your sleeves" and get involved in your
student’s current school. This is the mid-point in the school year where
new energy is needed to carry schools through to the end of the year.
Bring in a plant to brighten a teacher’s desk, help collate and stuff
materials for student and parent distribution, help coordinate a
fund-raiser or school event, help carpool a class on a field trip or
transport a team to a sporting event.
Now is the time to demonstrate the importance of a good education to your
student through your continuous actions and support.
Alice Dickerson, author,
"I’m going
to high school. A Guide to the Private High School Admissions Process"
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