How to Apply for a Private High School (USA)
Find out what your interests are., Research schools., Rank your school choices., Request and fill out all of the schools’ application forms., Turn in the application and transcript forms on time, if not earlier., When you go for your tour and...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find out what your interests are.
Figure out what you want to get out of a private school experience.
Do you want a small school or a large school? Do you want to attend a co-educational school or a school with only people of your gender? Where is your primarily strength? Art? Athletics? Are you a musician? Are you a distinguished scholar? Do you like to write? Do you like to act? Are you a good foreign language speaker? Have you always wanted to get far away from home and experience life in a different part of the country, or even in a different country? Finding out what your interests are will help you find out what school best fits you. -
Step 2: Research schools.
You will want to research more than one school.
Find the best ones (the ones that best fit your interests).
Some of these will be safety schools, just in case you don’t get into the ones you want to get into.
Others will just be for experimenting with the application process (ie: the interview).
Try to contact a few of the students from the school and ask why they chose the school that they chose, rather than another school.
Find out what examinations you need to take to get into the school.
Download application forms from the internet, or request them yourself.
Obtain a copy of the school handbook and course guide, and then read through them.
Find out what the schools’ policies are concerning financial aid.
Look up when their Open House dates are, and then go to them.
Meet the administrators and a few of the teachers if they are present.
Introduce yourself, be polite, and be confident (confident, but not arrogant).
Leave a lasting first impression of yourself in their minds. , You can rank them from first through however many you apply to.
The ones closer to last you may use as your trial schools so that you can experiment with the application process (just do not tell them that you are doing so).
For example, when scheduling tours and interviews, schedule the first interviews with the schools that you really don’t think you want to go to, and use this as a means of practicing for the real thing: interviewing for those schools where you want to get in. , Some of these forms must be filled out by your teachers (departmental recommendation forms from the Mathematics, Languages, History, Sciences, and Extracurricular departments).
Other forms must be filled out by your parents (forms concerning how they see your strengths and weaknesses, where they believe you will excel, what they hope you will get out of a private school education, what kind of a learner they believe you are, what learning disabilities you do or do not have).
The main purpose of those two forms is to give the school an idea of what accommodations they may have to make to fit your needs, and whether or not you can thrive at the school.
There is also the student application form, which asks a mix of personal and academic questions.
These questions deal with how you see yourself as a person, scholar, athlete, artist, musician, etc., what your hobbies are, and possibly some philosophical questions where you will be asked to elaborate on an opinion.
Some of these questions will be short answers (only a sentence or two will suffice for them), while others will be longer (the essays, for example).
The main purpose of the student application is for the school to have some sort of an idea of who you are as a person and how well you can articulate who you are in how you write.
The school uses your responses to see if you are the type of person whom they would want to bring into their school. , This shows the admissions office of the school that you are really serious about applying, and that you are not a procrastinator.
Schedule your interviews and tour dates. , You want to appear as genuine as possible.
Be yourself.
This is your chance to find out more about the school.
Ask plenty of questions on the tour of the campus.
As you will probably be toured by a student of the school, some questions you may want to ask of your guide are: what are classes like?, why did you choose the school?, what classes are you taking? what do you think of the music/theatre department? what is the arts curriculum like? what extracurriculars do you participate in? do you play sports? what sports do you play? what is the food like here? what is it like to live on campus (if you are touring at a boarding school)? how did the interview go for you when you were applying here (this is an excellent question to ask, especially if you haven’t interviewed yet). , This is another chance for you to find out if the school fits you.
The interview is also the schools way of finding out who you are and how you are in person.
Just relax.
Make sure you look nice for your interview.
Wearing a suit usually works well, but a polo and khaki pants also work well.
Ask the interviewer questions about the school.
Try to find out as much as you can.
By doing so, you further display your interest in the school.
It is okay to make a joke or two during your interview, as you don’t want to appear as though you are only all business.
The interview is a two-way process: the school learns more about whether or not you fit it, and you learn whether or not the school fits you. , You may be surprised at what scholarships you may get.
For example: if you apply to a school with a strong hockey program and have been playing hockey for the past ten years and are good at it, you may get a full ride through school off of playing hockey for them.
Likewise, if you are an excellent student, you may want to apply for an academic or merit-based scholarship. , These may include the SSAT (Secondary School Admissions Test), ISEE (Independent School Entrance Examination), TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), or similar tests.
Some schools will hand out their own exams.
Some of these will be placement exams so that they school can see what class they should put you in (these usually come following your acceptance and a confirmation that you will attend the institution). , Wait, patiently.
After you have finished with the application process, there will be a long time to wait (usually, you will know the results of your application by the end of March).
If you have been placed on a school’s waiting list, and the list expires following the deadline for indicating whether or not you will attend another school, then you will have to choose between going with the school that has already admitted you, or waiting to hear from the school where you have been wait-listed, which may not accept you in the end. , -
Step 3: Rank your school choices.
-
Step 4: Request and fill out all of the schools’ application forms.
-
Step 5: Turn in the application and transcript forms on time
-
Step 6: if not earlier.
-
Step 7: When you go for your tour and interview
-
Step 8: relax.
-
Step 9: Do your interviews.
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Step 10: Apply for financial aid if the schools offer it.
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Step 11: If the schools to which you apply require the results of a certain test
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Step 12: schedule and take the standardized test or tests that your school requires you to take.
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Step 13: Once you know that you have been accepted into the school that you wanted to get into
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Step 14: do not hesitate to let them know that you will be attending.
Detailed Guide
Figure out what you want to get out of a private school experience.
Do you want a small school or a large school? Do you want to attend a co-educational school or a school with only people of your gender? Where is your primarily strength? Art? Athletics? Are you a musician? Are you a distinguished scholar? Do you like to write? Do you like to act? Are you a good foreign language speaker? Have you always wanted to get far away from home and experience life in a different part of the country, or even in a different country? Finding out what your interests are will help you find out what school best fits you.
You will want to research more than one school.
Find the best ones (the ones that best fit your interests).
Some of these will be safety schools, just in case you don’t get into the ones you want to get into.
Others will just be for experimenting with the application process (ie: the interview).
Try to contact a few of the students from the school and ask why they chose the school that they chose, rather than another school.
Find out what examinations you need to take to get into the school.
Download application forms from the internet, or request them yourself.
Obtain a copy of the school handbook and course guide, and then read through them.
Find out what the schools’ policies are concerning financial aid.
Look up when their Open House dates are, and then go to them.
Meet the administrators and a few of the teachers if they are present.
Introduce yourself, be polite, and be confident (confident, but not arrogant).
Leave a lasting first impression of yourself in their minds. , You can rank them from first through however many you apply to.
The ones closer to last you may use as your trial schools so that you can experiment with the application process (just do not tell them that you are doing so).
For example, when scheduling tours and interviews, schedule the first interviews with the schools that you really don’t think you want to go to, and use this as a means of practicing for the real thing: interviewing for those schools where you want to get in. , Some of these forms must be filled out by your teachers (departmental recommendation forms from the Mathematics, Languages, History, Sciences, and Extracurricular departments).
Other forms must be filled out by your parents (forms concerning how they see your strengths and weaknesses, where they believe you will excel, what they hope you will get out of a private school education, what kind of a learner they believe you are, what learning disabilities you do or do not have).
The main purpose of those two forms is to give the school an idea of what accommodations they may have to make to fit your needs, and whether or not you can thrive at the school.
There is also the student application form, which asks a mix of personal and academic questions.
These questions deal with how you see yourself as a person, scholar, athlete, artist, musician, etc., what your hobbies are, and possibly some philosophical questions where you will be asked to elaborate on an opinion.
Some of these questions will be short answers (only a sentence or two will suffice for them), while others will be longer (the essays, for example).
The main purpose of the student application is for the school to have some sort of an idea of who you are as a person and how well you can articulate who you are in how you write.
The school uses your responses to see if you are the type of person whom they would want to bring into their school. , This shows the admissions office of the school that you are really serious about applying, and that you are not a procrastinator.
Schedule your interviews and tour dates. , You want to appear as genuine as possible.
Be yourself.
This is your chance to find out more about the school.
Ask plenty of questions on the tour of the campus.
As you will probably be toured by a student of the school, some questions you may want to ask of your guide are: what are classes like?, why did you choose the school?, what classes are you taking? what do you think of the music/theatre department? what is the arts curriculum like? what extracurriculars do you participate in? do you play sports? what sports do you play? what is the food like here? what is it like to live on campus (if you are touring at a boarding school)? how did the interview go for you when you were applying here (this is an excellent question to ask, especially if you haven’t interviewed yet). , This is another chance for you to find out if the school fits you.
The interview is also the schools way of finding out who you are and how you are in person.
Just relax.
Make sure you look nice for your interview.
Wearing a suit usually works well, but a polo and khaki pants also work well.
Ask the interviewer questions about the school.
Try to find out as much as you can.
By doing so, you further display your interest in the school.
It is okay to make a joke or two during your interview, as you don’t want to appear as though you are only all business.
The interview is a two-way process: the school learns more about whether or not you fit it, and you learn whether or not the school fits you. , You may be surprised at what scholarships you may get.
For example: if you apply to a school with a strong hockey program and have been playing hockey for the past ten years and are good at it, you may get a full ride through school off of playing hockey for them.
Likewise, if you are an excellent student, you may want to apply for an academic or merit-based scholarship. , These may include the SSAT (Secondary School Admissions Test), ISEE (Independent School Entrance Examination), TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), or similar tests.
Some schools will hand out their own exams.
Some of these will be placement exams so that they school can see what class they should put you in (these usually come following your acceptance and a confirmation that you will attend the institution). , Wait, patiently.
After you have finished with the application process, there will be a long time to wait (usually, you will know the results of your application by the end of March).
If you have been placed on a school’s waiting list, and the list expires following the deadline for indicating whether or not you will attend another school, then you will have to choose between going with the school that has already admitted you, or waiting to hear from the school where you have been wait-listed, which may not accept you in the end. ,
About the Author
John Bell
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in practical skills and beyond.
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