“We visited Spire and were unimpressed with the education. It’s basically the minimum. When we visited Mercersburg, we were blown away.”
This from a dad whose child is a B+ student at a good parochial school and projects as a college-level athlete. The dad also has a very limited budget for prep school and his niece, a scholarship-level athlete, currently attends Spire for free.
His AAU organization said they would help us find a prep school. I told my son that the organization doesn’t necessarily have his best interests at heart like his mom and I do. They will do what is best for them. Even if they find you a school, and even if it’s free, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be the right/best place or a good education. We’re hiring you because we’re trusting you to do what’s best for us.
This from a dad whose son has a realistic chance to be a scholarship athlete and is part of the most powerful AAU program in the region.
Mike,
Thank you again for everything. I would never have approached NBPS if you hadn’t recommended them….and you kept me calm when I thought I was going to lose my mind LOL. Keep in touch…
Lucy xx
This from the mother of an 8th grader who needed to transfer mid-year from one prep school to another. Despite having sent all 3 of her kids to different boarding schools, she didn’t know where to find what she was looking for, so she contacted me. The school I found, the school he ended up at, turned out to be right in her backyard – and she had no idea it was there.
How do you know when you might have hired the wrong person as your new head of school? When the new HOS doesn’t know the answer and can’t guess within 80% or $800,000,000 the size of the largest prep school endowments in the country.
This conversation took place when several senior coaches/administrators at a prep school were having one of their initial conversations with the new head of school regarding financial aid, athletic recruitment, school resources etc. One coach/administrator asked the new HOS if he knew the size of the endowment at Exeter. Those that knew the correct answer were shocked at the inaccuracy of his guess.
Trey is so excited about the possibility. I’m totally freaking out as this becomes closer to a reality. Dad is being stoic, but will crumble soon.
This from a mom whose child had barely thought about prep school two weeks ago and now appears to be leaving for prep school in just a couple weeks. If that’s not enough, his older sister is leaving in three weeks for her freshman year of college. Suddenly mom and dad are going from three at home to one.
I think a PG year is by far the best choice, no matter what D1 offers he gets. Every year athletes who graduate from my high school drop out of college during their freshman year. They are good kids and good students but they drop out because they aren’t equipped to handle the overall transition to college. This kid is not ready to survive in college.
This from a longtime Athletic Director at a very poor and low performing urban school district talking about a D1 scholarship talent football player.
It’s hard being a friend and a prefect. I can’t just make them do something and I can’t hit them if they don’t.
This from a senior at a top prep school who has obvious natural leadership skills and has just started his first year as a prefect. This is his second year at the school after transferring from one of the statistically worst urban areas in the country.
Prefects are the student leaders in the dorms. They are selected by the students and faculty after a competitive application and interview process. (At other prep schools they go by different names, such as proctors.)
What’s better than four years at the University of Chicago? Four years at Chicago plus a year at Hotchkiss.
My response to a dad whose kid is visiting the University of Chicago next week and whose wife is wondering why they should do a PG year at a top 10 prep school like Hotchkiss if they get an offer from Chicago.
I’m calling to let you know I’m the new director of admission and financial aid at …. I started here three days ago. I liked working with you when I was the director at …. and I hope to keep working with you at my new school. You have a strong organization and we need some athletes.
This quote speaks for itself. It’s one good example why families should use Prep School Sports Connection. We have access to opportunities that families don’t. Schools are not calling you when they’re looking for athletes.
I don’t know how much the financial aid form said we can pay. My son filled it out.
This from a dad who wants $50,000 of financial aid for schools that cost $55,000 per year, but who let his 17 year old son fill out the financial aid forms. They applied to five different prep schools. They can’t understand why the boy wasn’t accepted at any of the five, and they’re upset.