Guide to the Secondary School Placement Process

Guide to the
Secondary School
Placement Process
2014–2015
Table of Contents
Secondary School Placement Calendar
Schedule of events in the placement process.
Components of Your Son’s Admission File
A list of the parts of the application and who is responsible for
each section.
Common Application Resources
Information regarding common applications, as well as a list of
select schools that are accepting common applications for the
2014–2015 school year.
School Visits and Interviews
Tips on how to make a favorable impression, common
interview questions, examples of questions to ask
an admissions officer or tour guide, things to consider
following a school visit, and attendance policy.
Standardized Testing (SSAT and TOEFL)
Information on each test, how to prepare for the tests, and
registration information.
Contact Information
Relevant addresses and phone numbers for the Placement
Office and for financial aid information.
Secondary School Placement Calendar 2014–2015
Please follow closely the instructions that coincide with each
date to ensure your son the smoothest and most productive
placement process possible.
June and July Complete and return the Placement Office
questionnaire. This, along with your son’s
questionnaire, is very valuable to us in creating
a list of suggested schools for your son. (Please
note that international families will complete
this process in May.)
Begin preparing for the SSAT test. You may
want to look into a preparatory guide for
some summer study. Two good ones are
Barron’s How to Prepare for the SSAT/ISEE
and Princeton Review’s Cracking the SSAT
& ISEE. SSAT also produces a guide, mainly
consisting of practice tests. It is available from
their website, ssat.org, which also has practice
questions and “word of the day” features.
August
List of suggested schools mailed to you. (Please
note that international families can expect these
school lists in June.) View websites/send for
catalogs from these and any other schools you
may be interested in. Keep in mind that our
choices will reflect your son’s current level of
performance and may have to be adjusted in the
fall depending upon his progress.
Once you have looked at information from the
schools, decide which ones you wish to visit
and make appointments to interview at these
schools during Cardigan’s long weekend in the
fall.
Rick Exton will visiting with international
families during international travel.
Early September September
All interview appointments should be made
for the week of October 20–23, 2014. It is far
better to schedule an interview and cancel
later on than not to schedule one. October
is the busiest interview month for schools!
Additional school visits may take place
Columbus Day Monday and/or the days
following the Thanksgiving vacation.
Opening weekend of school there will be a
“placement meeting” for ninth-­‐grade parents
and students.
SSAT preparation will be offered in the fall for
interested students.
October 5
Optional SSAT flex test offered for interested
students. Please contact Patti Crowe to register
your son for this test.
October 17-­‐18
Parents’ Weekend—Placement Team available to meet with ninth-­‐grade parents.
October 20-­‐23 Fall
Term
Long
Weekend:
SCHOOL
INTERVIEWS! Students are free to depart
on Saturday, October 18, after their final
commitment. Arrange interviews for Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Boys are
due back at Cardigan at 9:00 p.m. Thursday
evening, October 23. If you need to use extra
days, Columbus Day (no classes at Cardigan)
works well, as do the days that immediately
follow Thanksgiving vacation: December 1–4
After Interviews “Thank you” notes (handwritten preferred):
Nothing elaborate or lengthy, but they should
be done in a timely fashion. In the hotel, the
evening after the visit, is a good time to take
care of them.
November
After school visits, most boys reduce their list
to eight or fewer schools (international families
will reduce their lists to 10–12 schools), and
students applying for financial aid will reduce
their list to 10-­‐12 schools. Given how busy
boys are on campus, we encourage the boys
to complete drafts of their applications over
Thanksgiving vacation and complete their
applications during December vacation. We
are more than happy to help your son with
his applications once a draft is complete. To
simplify the process, we encourage students
to use an online common application offered
by SSAT (Standard Application Online, or
“SAO”) or Gateway to Prep Schools. For more
information on common applications, please
refer to the “Common Application Resources”
section.
November 15 December 13
January 15 Ninth-­‐grade SSAT—Your son will be
automatically registered for this test by Patti
Crowe, our SSAT coordinator. Students will be
excused from classes that morning.
Ninth-­‐grade SSAT—Optional testing date
for ninth graders who want a second set of
scores for their applications. Your son will be
automatically registered for this test by Patti
Crowe, our SSAT coordinator. Students taking
the test would be excused from classes that
morning. If you do not want your son to take
the December test, please notify Patti Crowe.
Deadlines for financial aid forms vary from
school to school – make sure the on-­‐line
forms are completed on time. Remember to
request that a copy of the report be sent to
you as well as the schools so you can see what
financial aid officers are looking at as they
calculate your need. More information can be
found at http://sss.nais.org/
January
January 15-­‐31
Cardigan placement packets mailed to schools.
Packets include letters of recommendation
both from teachers and from the head of
school/Placement Office, fall grades, Cardigan
transcript, and SSAT test scores. Please note
that international families must send TOEFL
scores directly to schools to which their son is
applying.
Deadlines for most application forms. Please
check deadlines carefully. Late applications
are often looked at secondarily and may result
in waitlist decisions, at best.
March 10
Schools notify you of their decisions.
End of March Schools offer revisit days to accepted
students. Families are encouraged to notify
school admissions offices should they chose
to decline an acceptance or remove their son
from the waiting list. Notifying schools of your
decisions allows them to offer acceptances to
students who may be on the waiting list.
April 10
Parents should notify schools as soon as
possible of their son’s decision to attend, but
no later than this date.
Components of Your Son’s Admission File
By Parents—
Application: The only portion of the placement papers
that must be handled by parents and their son is the
application form. The application often includes such items
as a student autobiographical sketch, student response
to short answer questions and/or an essay on a topic
selected by the school, and parents’ comments about their
own perception of the candidate’s talents and/or needs.
Parents must also provide payment of the application fee.
Late or absent payments will delay the application process.
International students often have to pay higher application
fees to cover the cost of international communication. We
encourage parents to play an active role in supervising the
student’s completion of the application materials.
Many schools now use common applications offered
through SSAT (Standard Application Online, or “SAO”)
and Gateway to Prep Schools. More information on the
common application process can be found in the “Common
Application Resources” section.
By Students—
Application: Questionnaires and personal essays are
often required in addition to an application form. For
those who choose to complete the student portion while
at school, Mrs. Scoville, Mr. Exton, and Mrs. Newbold
will be happy to review the application. During January,
the primary focus of the Placement Office is the writing,
gathering, and mailing of recommendations (see “Senior
Packet” subsection below), so we have much more
time to dedicate to application assistance in November
and December. We strongly encourage families to work
together on this piece of the application while the students
are home during Thanksgiving vacation and winter
vacation. It is highly recommended that the students have
their piece of the application completed upon their return
to school in January.
By Cardigan—
Senior Packet: Sent out to each of the schools to
which your son is applying. Families must notify the
Placement Office of the final list of schools to which
their son is applying. The Senior Packet includes:
• Cover Sheet—Includes your son’s school
photo, full name, hometown, and grade for
which he is applying.
• Cumulative School Record—Includes fall
term grades, marks from previous year(s) at
Cardigan, and standardized test (SSAT) results.
Note: Boys who have only been at Cardigan
one or two years may find that some secondary
schools require grades from previous schools
(attended prior to Cardigan) as well.
• Teacher Recommendations—Cardigan utilizes
a standard recommendation form, which will
mean that you do not have to worry about
math, English, or personal forms for any
specific school. If a school requires specific
additional forms (e.g., foreign language,
science), please notify the Placement Office if
such an additional recommendation is needed
so that the appropriate Cardigan teacher can
complete the form and it can be included
in your son’s admission packet. Given the
importance of these recommendations, it is
essential that your son work to display both
superior attitude and performance in all classes
as soon as he returns to campus in the fall.
• Graded Student Composition—Many schools
require a graded composition from an English
or history class. The Placement Office will work
with your son’s English and history teachers to
select an appropriate piece of work and include
this in your son’s application materials.
• Placement Letter—A letter co-­‐written by
Dave McCusker and either Mrs. Scoville
(for domestic students) or Mr. Exton (for
international students), that summarizes
your son’s achievements, activities, and
general performance while at Cardigan.
• The Inside Push—Occasionally, in the case of
a remarkably talented musician, athlete (or
the like), a teacher or coach at Cardigan will
apply pressure to assist a boy’s candidacy.
By Schools—
Interview Impressions—An interviewer’s notes about your
visit are often pivotal in the decision-­‐making process.
In completing the application form and the accompanying requested
materials, please observe the following:
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Send all parent and student application materials directly to the
receiving school from home.
Assistance in completing forms, essays, and so forth, can be
provided by a boy’s English teacher, dorm parent, or by Mrs.
Scoville, Mr. Exton, or Mrs. Newbold. Faculty will generally be
glad to help, when approached courteously. Faculty are typically
more receptive to requests for help when they come early rather
than at the last minute.
Remember that the application and materials submitted along
with it are judged both on content and neatness. Students must
do rough drafts of everything they write for their application
forms and carefully consider their responses to all questions,
while doing the best possible job on spelling, grammar, and
such.
Some students will send additional writing samples, newspaper
clippings, or artwork to supplement their applications. As long
as the amount of additional information is not overwhelming,
schools are receptive to these submissions.
Common Application Resources
Most schools accept the common applications available through
SSAT (http://www.ssat.org) and Gateway to Prep Schools (https://
www.gatewaytoprepschools.com). These applications are often
completed online. The use of a common application removes a
great deal of stress from the ninth-­‐grade year. It is important to note
that most schools require a supplemental portion to the common
application. Each school is unique in its supplemental requirements,
so please be sure to clarify any application questions you may have
while on school visits.
As mentioned, students and their families are responsible
for the components of the common application, including the
general application form, student short answer responses,
student essay response, and any supplemental materials.
Cardigan will submit the English teacher recommendation
form, math teacher recommendation form, any required
additional teacher recommendations, SSAT test scores, school
transcript, graded student composition, and placement letter.
For more information or instructions regarding these common
applications, please refer to SSAT’s Standard Application
Online site (http://www.ssat.org/admission/the-­‐sao) or
Gateway to Prep School’s resources site (https://www.
gatewaytoprepschools.com/resources).
On the following page, you will find a list of schools (to which
Cardigan graduates have recently applied) that accept the
SSAT common application and/or the Gateway to Prep Schools
common application. Schools marked with an * accept both
the SSAT common application and the Gateway to Prep Schools
common application.
SSAT Standard Application Online
This is a selection of schools to which Cardigan
graduates have historically applied—the complete list
of schools accepting the SAO can be found at
http://www.ssat.org/member-­‐search
✓
indicates that a school requires a supplemental form in
addition to the SSAT SAO application.
Avon Old Farms
Baylor School
Berkshire School*✓
Berwick Academy
Bishop’s College School
Blair Academy
Blue Ridge School
Bolles School
Brewster Academy
Brooks School*
The Bullis School
The Canterbury School✓
Cate School*
The Church Farm School
Chapel Hill-­‐Chauncy Hall
School✓
Cheshire Academy*
Christchurch School
Concord Academy*✓
The Culver Academies
Cushing Academy
Darrow School
Dexter School
Dublin School*
Dunn School
Episcopal High School*
Forman School
Fountain Valley School of
Colorado*
George School✓
Gould Academy*
The Governor’s Academy*
The Gunnery*✓
Hawaii Preparatory Academy
Hebron Academy
The Hill School
Holderness School
The Hun School of Princeton
Hyde Schools
Kent School*
Kents Hill School
Kimball Union Academy✓
Lawrence Academy✓
Lawrenceville School
Loomis Chaffee School*
Lowell Whiteman School
McCallie School
Mercersburg Academy✓
Millbrook School*
Milton Academy*
New Hampton School*
North Country School
Northfield Mount Hermon* ✓
Northwood School
Peddie School
Pingree School
Pingry School
Pomfret School*
Portsmouth Abbey School*
Proctor Academy✓
Ridley College
St. George’s School (RI)*
St. Mark’s School*✓
Salisbury School
South Kent School
Stanstead College
Suffield Academy*✓
Tabor Academy
Taft School✓
The Thacher School*✓
Tilton School
Trinity-­Pawling School
Vermont Academy*
Western Reserve
Academy*✓
Westminster School*✓
The White Mountain
School*
Wilbraham & Monson
Academy
The Williston Northampton
School*
The Winchendon School
Woodberry Forest School
Wyoming Seminary College
Preparatory School
Gateway to Prep Schools
Berkshire School*
Brooks School*
Cate School*
Cheshire Academy*
Choate Rosemary Hall
Concord Academy*
Deerfield Academy
Dublin School*
Episcopal High School*
Fountain Valley School of
Colorado*
Gould Academy*
The Governor’s Academy*
Groton School
The Gunnery*
The Hotchkiss School
Kent School*
Loomis Chaffee School*
The Madeira School
Middlesex School
Millbrook School*
New Hampton School*
The Newman School
Northfield Mount Hermon*
The Perkiomen School
Phillips Academy
Pomfret School*
Portsmouth Abbey School*
The Putney School
St. George’s School (RI)*
St. Mark’s School*
St. Paul’s School
St. Timothy’s School
Suffield Academy*
The Thacher School*
Valley Forge Military Academy
Vermont Academy*
Walnut Hill School for the Arts
Western Reserve Academy*
Westminster School*
The White Mountain School*
The Williston Northampton
School*
School Visits and Interviews
We encourage students to complete school visits during the
October break (October 20–23), Columbus Day Monday (October
13),or the days immediately following Thanksgiving vacation
(December 1–4, during which normal classes are scheduled).
Should a student miss any portion of the class day for a school
visit, the director of student life must first approve this. For more
information please refer to the “Attendance Policy” section.
Many schools require an inquiry form to be completed prior to
scheduling school visits and interviews. These forms are often
on the school’s website and should be completed by parents.
First impressions are extremely important in the admissions
process, for the school as well as for the student and his parents.
From the school’s point of view, the tour guide and interviewer’s
job is to gain an impression of the candidate in a half-­‐hour or
less, and he/she may be comparing the student with many other
candidates. Keep in mind that tour guides often provide feedback to
the admissions office, so polite and courteous behavior during the
tour is wise. The following suggestions are intended to be helpful
to our boys, especially as they approach their first interview.
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Study the school website prior to the interview so that you can
ask intelligent questions that reflect your interest in the school.
Be neat and well groomed. A coat, tie, slacks, dress shoes, and
such, are always acceptable interview dress, even if the school
has a more casual dress code.
Look through the school’s materials in the admission office
(yearbooks, course catalog, school newspaper, etc.).
Give a firm handshake.
Try to remember the name of the interviewer and address him/
her by the proper name (e.g., Mr., Mrs., Miss ).
“Yes, sir” and “No, sir” are more impressive than “Yeah” and
“Nope”!
Show your interviewer that you are interested and involved in
this process by giving him/her direct eye contact.
While bearing in mind all of the above, be yourself and act
natural!
Smile and be enthusiastic!
Common Questions Asked by an Admissions Officer
Below are questions that sometimes are asked by interviewers.
This is a good time to consider answers to such questions.
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Why do you want to come to this school?
What goals do you have in life?
What hobbies and interests do you have at (and outside of )
school?
In what sports, clubs, and activities do you participate at school?
What is your favorite class, and why? Most difficult?
What book have you most enjoyed reading in the last year?
What have you done to help your present school?
If you want something, how would you advocate for yourself?
What have you enjoyed most about CMS? What would you
change?
Have you been in a leadership position? What have been the
biggest challenges?
Tell me about your family.
How would your best friend describe you?
How do you spend your summers?
Use three adjectives to describe yourself.
If you knew you were going to be stranded on an island for a
month, what three things would you bring with you (besides
food and water)?
Remember that the interviewer is also trying to sell his/her school to
each boy. It is, therefore, important to be an attentive and discerning
listener. Prepare questions (from both student and parent points of
view) prior to visits, and then write down the school’s responses
immediately after leaving.
For the student who is not convinced that he wants to even visit
a specific school, or perhaps any school, keep in mind that one
always wants to keep options open. If a boy intentionally tries to
mess up an interview, it reflects poorly on him, his school, and
his classmates, some of whom might be quite interested in that
school. If that school later becomes a more attractive option, it is
impossible to erase that first negative impression. If appropriate
for your son, please ask about the structure and effectiveness of
academic support systems. Ask questions of the kids on campus,
not just the interviewer. Don’t make too much of your son’s
learning difference so as not to tarnish his candidacy unnecessarily.
Examples of Questions to Ask an Admissions Officer or Tour Guide
This is by no means intended to be a script to follow, but merely an
idea of the sorts of questions you might wish to have answered. Be
careful not to come on too strong, but do make sure that you are
finding out all you need to know about a place where your son will
be spending his secondary school years.
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What are the specific strengths of the school—academic
and other—that distinguish it from other similar schools?
How important are SSAT scores in determining the admissibility
of a student? What factors are more important?
What colleges and universities do the school’s top graduates
generally attend? How about students from the middle and
lower sections of the class?
Are study hours mandatory? Where do students study? To what
extent do faculty members supervise them?
How does the school handle counseling? Does each boy have
a faculty advisor? How are advisors chosen? Do advisors
report regularly to parents?
What type of contact is scheduled (from an advisor, dorm parents,
or counselor)?
Is the nonacademic portion of the day fairly structured, or do the
students have significant independence?
What service commitment is required of the students, either on
campus or in the local community?
What sports commitment is required of the students? Are there
other options provided or encouraged?
Weekends: What is the school’s attitude toward providing
weekend activities for the boarding student? What
percentage of the student body is generally off-­‐campus for
any given weekend?
If the school is church-­‐affiliated, what is expected of the students
in terms of religious participation?
How is faculty supervision in the dormitory handled?
For international students: What percentage of the student
body is international? How many students from [your
country] will be accepted?
Things to Consider Upon Leaving the School
Put a lot of stock in your “gut reaction” to the school. Often, that
initial feeling about the overall warmth of a campus or the fact that
students were very helpful to you in finding the admissions office,
for example, is a good way to judge how happy you might be with
a school. Prior to visiting schools, determine those criteria that are
important to your family. Facilities can be important, but closely
evaluate the people you meet. Observe the relationships between
students and faculty. Finally, take the time to summarize your
feelings about a school orally and in writing, considering responses
to your questions as well as the following.
• Academic appropriateness of the school for this student.
• Interview procedures.
• Extent of the facilities and grounds and their general state of
repair and cleanliness.
• Friendliness, spirit, and enthusiasm of the students (and faculty)
for the school.
• The general level of involvement of the faculty in the daily life of
the students.
• The overall “fit” of the school and how much of a “fit” it would be
for the applicant.
Attendance Policy
The School realizes the importance of allowing ninth-­‐grade boys
and their parents opportunities to visit secondary schools during
the fall and winter. At the same time, Cardigan ninth graders are
engaged in rigorous courses of study, in addition to myriad other
on-­‐campus responsibilities for which missing time is prohibitive.
Thus, the School approves the following times for ninth-­‐grade boys
to visit secondary schools during the fall and winter terms. Students
are accountable for all academic work missed during secondary
school visits.
• October 13: Founders’ Day/Sandwich Fair Day
• October 19-­‐22: Fall Term Long Weekend (Seniors return by
9:00 p.m. on October 23.)
• December 1-­‐4: Final opportunity for senior school visits.
Any other days missed beyond the above for secondary school visits
will be considered unexcused absences.
In regard to revisits in the spring, ninth-­‐grade boys may miss a
maximum of two school days to revisit secondary schools if a revisit
is necessary for the boy’s decision process.
Standardized Testing
Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT)
As has been mentioned earlier, the SSAT is an important
component of a boy’s application. Recognizing that a few points on
the test can sometimes make or break a candidacy, it is essential
that boys take the test seriously. However, recognizing that anxiety
about the test can hinder performance, it is important for parents
not to overly emphasize the test or any “target score” a boy
should be striving for. Returning students have already taken the
test, in some cases multiple times. As ninth graders, boys will be
automatically enrolled for the November 15 sitting. Even if a boy is
not considering private secondary school, the experience of taking
the test is excellent preparation for collegiate entrance exams, and
the like. An optional sitting will be offered on December 13.
To prepare for the test, the School provides a variety of offerings:
• Math and English classes spend a bit of time reviewing in
early November.
• A fall SSAT preparatory course is offered focusing on both
verbal and math areas. The SSAT Flex Test is also offered
in conjunction with this course. The SSAT Flex Test will be
offer in October. Parents interested in registering their son
for this course should contact Patti Crowe.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Most schools require a TOEFL score for all international students
for whom English is not their first language. Families will have
to register their son for the TOEFL test themselves at www.ets.
org/toefl. The School encourages students to take the TOEFL test
during the summer after their eighth-­‐grade year. If the student
needs to take the test again, the School prefers that the student take
it during a vacation. If there is no alternative, students may take
the test while at Cardigan. The family will need to clear this with
the director of student life, and the student will need to notify his
teachers of his absence. This absence will be counted toward one of
the five visit days. Transportation can be arranged with our travel
coordinator. Finally, parents will need to have official TOEFL score
reports sent to all the schools to which their son is applying.
Keep in Mind
• Make a positive impression whenever you can—at the
interview, with thank-­‐you notes, with the application, and
with your record.
• You can’t do anything about last year’s grades, but you have
control over the future.
• Don’t listen too much to friends—the right school for others
might not be the right school for you.
• Meet all deadlines, in classes and with applications.
• Take tests seriously, but don’t panic about them.
• This can be a stressful process, but try to keep it fun!
Contact Information
Cardigan Mountain School
62 Alumni Drive
Canaan, New Hampshire 03741
603.523.3500 • Fax: 603.523.7227
www.cardigan.org
General Student Placement Information:
Sarah Scoville
603.523.3532
[email protected]
International Student Placement:
Rick Exton
603.523.3838
[email protected]
SSAT Preparation:
Patti Crowe (contact for sign-up or questions about program)
603.643.3507
[email protected]
Absences:
Ethan Harris (contact for clearing school-day absences for visitation)
603.523.3591
[email protected]
Travel Plans:
Mary Knapp (contact for school visits that occur while school is in session)
603.523.3500
[email protected]
Financial Aid Forms-School & Student Service Help Line:
866.387.2601
http://sss.nais.org/