Have you decided that your precocious child needs to attend a prestigious school that will stimulate their academic talents? Maybe they are bored with public school or perhaps they are entering kindergarten and you want them to have a strong start. It is understandable, as elite private schools have several benefits that have the potential to catapult your child into a successful adulthood.
Benefits of Attending an Elite Private School
It may seem a bit contrived when parents obsess over getting their kindergarten student into one of the elite schools on their “short list.” In reality, they are aware of the countless benefits associated with these types of schools including:
- Smaller classrooms
- Exposure to field trips, the arts, and extracurricular activities
- A strong sense of community
- Higher standardized test scores
- An enriched education with highly qualified teachers
- Higher likelihood of admission to an elite university
- Elite networking opportunities
Many families view elite private schools as their ticket to upward mobility, securing their child’s position within high society. Elite private schools serve as status communities, known to open doors for students. Research also shows that private school students feel more positive about their school experience and feel safer.
According to the Coleman study, private school students outperform their public school peers because private schools are more academically engaging and private school discipline is more consistently enforced. This study is widely debated within the education community, but one factor that most researchers agree on is that attending an elite private school guarantees upward social mobility.
The Admissions Process
Many attractive private schools have prohibitive admissions acceptance rates. Some schools advertise having waiting lists for many of the grades. They often brag that they only accept one or two of every three applicants. Often some of these spots are filled with legacies, present families’ and/or alumni children. These factors make the application process even more competitive. To even have a chance to make it through round one of the selection process, your child will need to have every possible edge with their application to this outstanding school. What do you need to know?
The most important department in a prestigious private school is the marketing department. Marketing drives absolutely everything else in the school. Marketing attracts qualified students, outstanding faculty, and major gifts. Companies, foundations, and alumni give money to schools that are the best of the region or state. This is marketing!
Students flock to this school because of its outstanding faculty and the latest educational gadgets (money). This is marketing!
Faculty apply to teach here because of the exceptional pay scale and benefits (money). This is marketing!
How do they know this about that school? The school blasts this news from the rooftops. This is also marketing!
The question is, then, what does my child have to offer this elite school that is so unique that the school can market it?
At one elite school, the parents were to answer the following essay question on their child’s application to kindergarten, “Why are you applying to kindergarten for your child at “X School Elite?” The most common answer was, “So he can get into Harvard!”
This is the wrong answer. Getting into Harvard might help the school’s marketing department in 13 years, but the parents missed the opportunity to explain what their child brings to the school today!
Once you view the admissions application as your opportunity to show the elite school what you can do for them, your chances of admission will increase.
Application Hacks
So now that you know that the application process and subsequent school tour is your opportunity to show the school how your child can benefit the school, here are some ways to accomplish that.
When completing the school’s application, seize the opportunity to tell the admission people what is unique about your child. Such as:
- My son walked at ten months old.
- My daughter could read full sentences at three.
- My son won the helpfulness award at his preschool.
- My daughter was MVP of her soccer team.
- My son scored in the top 25% of high school juniors when taking the SAT in seventh grade for a middle school summer program.
- My daughter qualified for and attended a three-week summer sleep-away program after fifth grade.
- My son has chores at home which he performs faithfully without reminder.
- My daughter had a story published in a children’s magazine in third grade.
- My son loves sports and has participation certificates in the town’s baseball and basketball leagues every year.
Keep An Ongoing File
Keep a file, either paper or digital, for your child beginning with their developmental milestones. Log every certificate, every award, every accomplishment, and every recognition into that file. If you are applying to an elite kindergarten, the file may only have a couple of entries, but when it is time to apply to an elite high school or college, the file will help you remember your child’s accomplishments at every age. Just pull out the file and the memories will come flooding back.
The Tour Is About Your Child, Not The School
When you visit the school for a tour and interview, refrain from asking questions about what the school has to offer to your child. The school’s brochure and website tell you everything you need to know. Save those questions for after your child gets accepted and you are deciding whether to attend. The questions to ask in the interview should demonstrate what your child can add to the school. Ask questions such as:
- My son loves soccer. Tell me about your team and the coach.
- My daughter is a thespian. Tell me about your drama program.
- My son loves to sing. Do you have a choral group?
- My daughter started a debate team at her last school. Do you have a debate team?
- My child has a gifted level IQ. What gifted enrichment do you offer?
You get the idea.
Yes, admissions is about admitting students who will thrive at this school. However, whether the elite private schools admit it or not, admissions is mostly about adding students who can add something new and marketable to the school. If you ask around to friends and acquaintances, you can find out what the school needs. Before applying to the school, talk to other families who have ties to the school. Does the school need a tuba player for the marching band, that key player to make a championship soccer team, or that verbal child who can score nationally on a verbal exam? It takes all these students to make a great school. Elite private schools look for families that will represent their brand within the community and students who will open doors for the school and generate impressive headlines.
Students help the school market itself, because marketing means more money, better teachers, and better facilities. So, ask yourself, “In what ways will my child improve the school and its ability to market?” The parent who can best respond to that question wins the admissions spot.