Tag: private school

Cracking the Private School Admissions Code (2021-22 ed.)

Posted by: admin on September 15th, 2021

Watching this mom walk out of my office, less anxious than when she arrived, I thought about our conversation — a frequent one I have with 8th grade parents as the fall application season starts to take shape. All of them have started to recognize that the private school admissions process in the DMV (and […]

High School Admissions Research: 6 Tips for Families (2020 ed.)

Posted by: admin on October 12th, 2020

Eighth-graders are taking on some of their most challenging courses to date, enjoying the last year of middle school, and preparing to launch their high school career. In the midst of all this, parents should make time to help students familiarize themselves with potential high school options through virtual visits, chats with current students, and […]

SSAT Testing in 2021

Posted by: admin on September 1st, 2020

For students considering the SSAT during the new testing year (August 1, 2021 – July 31, 2022), there are significant changes to available testing opportunities, and families will have several options to consider as they sketch out their child’s individual application plan. Register to Take the SSAT At Home Students may take the test via SSAT-At-Home. […]

Cultivating Responsibility Through High School Admissions

Posted by: admin on September 1st, 2020

Many families with rising 8th-grade students are well into the process of looking at potential secondary schools for their children. Although parents naturally want to do everything possible to ensure their student’s successful entry into the right school, it is important during this process to recognize opportunities to shift a sense of responsibility for this […]

Making the Final School Choice

Posted by: admin on May 12th, 2020

By Jeff Knox and John Jones This is it. Your student has been working towards this very thing. They have taken tests, written essays, completed applications, interviewed with admissions, and visited school campuses—with your help, of course. The schools have sorted hundreds of applications and made their decisions. Your child has been accepted to some […]

Cracking the Private School Admissions Code

Posted by: admin on November 21st, 2019

Even in a typical year, the private school admissions process is a daunting one. And like with everything else in 2020, it feels even more confusing this year. As you look forward to the spring of 2021 and think about how to get started on this journey, here is a quick round-up of what we […]

What Role Do Scores Play in High School Admissions?

Posted by: admin on November 7th, 2019

As fall takes a firm position in our lives and the winter holidays loom on the horizon, our students are visiting schools (in person or remotely) and preparing for the next round of standardized tests. Clearly, we want our students to maximize their scores and to give themselves as many options as possible. We want […]

How to Approach the SSAT and ISEE Essays

Posted by: admin on October 23rd, 2019

The essay is the first section that students tackle on the SSAT and their final task on the ISEE. On the ISEE, each student is given 30 minutes to answer a single prompt — typically, a question that asks for their position on a somewhat-relatable issue for students (say, “Do you think the driving age […]

What’s on the HSPT? How Do I Prepare?

Posted by: admin on March 19th, 2019

The High School Placement Test (HSPT) is the entrance exam required by many Catholic high schools. Its content is reasonably similar to that of the SSAT and the ISEE, but the HSPT is much faster paced: the HSPT has roughly twice as many questions as the other two tests, but the test runs for about […]

Comparing & Choosing a High School: Interpreting the Data

Posted by: admin on March 5th, 2019

The flurry of a private school admissions process feels, in some ways, more complex even than the looming college process. Parents in the Washington, DC area have a vast number of choices, but they often lack some information that feels necessary to understand what their child’s experience may be like at a given school. Further, […]