Before you even begin to seriously discuss school choices with your child, come together as parents and decide how much input you intend to give your child. If Independent schools are out of the questions, please make that clear up front. You may be interested in your child’s input, but reserve the final decision for yourselves, please explain that right away.
- Sit down and determine a general list of interests and abilities with your child.
- Be realistic regarding your child’s level of commitment and talent in the following areas: academics, sports, fine arts, socialization, and community service.
- Also consider the following criteria when considering a secondary school: size, single sex/coed, distance/transportation, location, educational approach, philosophy, and day vs. boarding.
- By the time you have completed step three; you have a brief profile of your child and their preferred school type. A sample profile might be:
"Johnny is a slightly above average student with a good academic record and excellent teacher recommendations. He is not an athlete, enjoys the acting he tried at Montgomery, and wants the stimulation of a socially active campus. The school should be bigger than Montgomery but not over fifty to sixty students in a class. He wants a coed school that is within a day or less travel by Amtrak from Philadelphia. The school should offer an academically challenging curriculum but without undue pressure. Support systems such as personal advisors and tutoring should be available." By putting this in writing, you have a springboard for discussion.
- You are now ready to match a school to your child’s profile. There are several good sources with which you can begin.
- Mr. Hall and/or Mrs. Sheldrick will sit down with all families and discuss the application process, and possible matches.
- Brochures and videos from boarding and day schools are available.
- Please visit the nais.org website.
- Handbooks, such as those published by Bunting and Lyon and Porter Sargent offer a quick reference to national and international schools. Copies are available at local libraries and at Montgomery.
- Independent consultants are also available.
- As you begin to formulate your list, do not be exclusive. List local public schools, or schools outside your district, which appear to be reasonable match. Once you have created a long list, you will need to consider each school carefully. At your second family meeting with Mr. Hall and/or Mrs. Sheldrick in October 2011 you will begin the elimination process that will result in your short list of about five schools.
- With your short list in hand, you may begin to visit schools. Please visit first as a family, if possible, and do the same for your public school options. At this point, you may decide to apply to your entire short list or to a fewer number of schools. Please consult with Mr. Hall prior to shortening your short list. Now is the time for checking the schools’ references. Contact friends that attend those schools and ask them what they like and dislike.
- After you have applied, you will hear from the school’s admission office. A good admission officer will explain the process carefully. As parents and students, bring questions that relate to your profile. This helps you decide if the match would be a good one.
- Following your application, you will be asked to provide certain test scores, records and recommendations. Mr. Hall, Mrs. Sheldrick, and Mrs. Dowlin will help you with the process. Most schools require national entrance tests. Montgomery offers the ISEE test. If your school of choice requires other tests, their admission offices will provide dates and locations for these tests. All test scores need to be reported to Mr. Hall. Financial aid differs from school to school, and each office will provide appropriate information for your consideration.
- Once the process is complete, you will wait for an answer from the school’s admission committee. Rejection is always difficult, but if you are realistic in your choice of application, the chances of rejection will be reduced. Often, it is more difficult to be accepted to all of the schools on your short list and be faced with a limited amount of time to decide. In either case, it is our responsibility as adults to help children keep their perspective. The school to which they are accepted or choose to attend is much less important than what they do with the opportunities that are offered once they enroll.
Questions will arise and the only bad questions are the ones not asked. Mr. Hall, Mrs. Sheldrick and Mrs. Dowlin will assist you in every way possible and look forward to hearing about your child’s success in the next school.
See this
timeline for the sequence of events. Please note, this timetable may vary according to region of the U.S., or individual school. However, the same steps should occur in this order and as close to the suggested timetable as possible.