Eleanor Munson, PhD

Educational Consultant

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5 Ways to Kickstart Your Dallas Private School Search

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Are you thinking about applying your child to a Dallas private school this fall? If so, you’ve landed at the right place. And, rest assured, it’s very early in the process, so you have plenty of time to come up with a game plan. I’ve put together some tips to help get you started.

  1. Identify your priorities and begin making your list accordingly. Consider what’s most important to you; Single-sex? A uniform? Religious environment? Full-time school nurse? Cast a wide net and think about different types of schools (Montessori, religious, international baccalaureate, cooperative, etc.).
  2. Scour school websites. You’ll be surprised how much important information private schools make available on their website. It’s not uncommon for schools to publish parent/student handbooks, curriculum guides, and course catalogs. Delve in to start narrowing your list of possible schools.
  3. Use my Dallas private school tour schedule to put dates on the calendar for school visits. Schools typically have several events, some for parents only, some for the entire family. Be sure to follow their guidelines and rsvp, if required. I highly recommend you visit each school on your list.  You can quickly rule a school in or out by simply seeing it yourself in person.  Nothing can replace that experience.
  4. Attend the Dallas Private School Preview, September 10th, from 1-3pm at The Hockaday School and stay for the either ‘Navigating the Private School Admissions Process’ or ‘Navigating the Boarding School Admissions Process’ panels afterward, at 3pm. Read more about the preview here.
  5. Read application instructions carefully and make a calendar or spreadsheet of deadlines, testing requirements, etc. If you’re applying to several schools, everything may overlap…or not. It’s critical to get materials in on time, so come up with a system that works for you.

If you need help forming your list or want to discuss private schools and the admissions process, please don’t hesitate to contact me for assistance. Good luck on this journey!

© Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Decision Day 2017

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Tomorrow’s decision day for many Dallas private schools.  Emails will go out in the late afternoon; then schools close their doors for spring break.  I want to extend my very best wishes to everyone for an optimal outcome.

If you need help next week (choosing between schools, dealing with a wait-list situation, or regrouping from bad news),  I’ll be available. Contact me if you need assistance.

Good luck!

© Eleanor Munson, PhD.  Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, PhD is strictly prohibited.  Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, PhD with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Dallas Private School Admissions, Financial Aid

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For years, Dallas private schools have chosen to extend their financial aid offers in May, many weeks after sending out their admissions notification in March, leaving families of admitted students in limbo, unsure if the offer they receive will be enough to afford the school of their choice.  However, soon this will change.  Many top Dallas private schools have decided to alter this practice and instead will send their financial aid offers along with their acceptance notifications beginning this March.  Students given wait pool status will also learn of their financial aid offer at this time.  As a result, families will be able to immediately consider their options and quickly make the best choice for their family’s situation, thus eliminating the waiting…and nerves that go with it.

Due dates for financial aid applications vary, so be sure to check each school’s calendar.  Some schools ask for this information as early as December, others in mid-February.  Just as there are different due dates, there may be different offers from each school. Endowments among schools vary.  Schools with larger endowments can provide more aid and at earlier grades.  I’m glad to see this change for families and schools, who now can wrap up their admissions season by April, instead of stretching it into June.

© Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Dallas Private School Admissions, ISEE Changes for 2016

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Many students applying to private schools in Dallas this year will take the ISEE, Independent School Entrance Examination, as part of the admissions process. This year, the makers of the ISEE (the ERB – Educational Records Bureau) have enacted several significant changes to their testing policies.

Traditionally, students have only been permitted to take the ISEE one time per academic year. However, starting this fall, students may take the ISEE up to three times during the twelve-month admissions cycle, which has been divided into three four-month testing seasons; fall, winter, and spring/summer. Students can now take the ISEE once during each of these seasons (see below). The reason for allowing multiple test opportunities, according to the ERB, is to lessen test anxiety for students (and families), who in the past had their performance riding on one test, one time.
 
ISEE testing seasons2
 
Another change in testing policy is that families may now view test scores before sending them to a school or schools. In the past, when families registered for the ISEE they were required to indicate at least one school that would receive the test scores, sight unseen. Now families receive the scores and can decide, along with their placement counselor or educational consultant, if their child’s scores are an accurate reflection of their abilities. If a student takes the ISEE more than once, families may decide which score report to send to a school, and schools will not know that a student has tested more than one time. However, families can’t ‘superscore,’ pick the highest scores on each section and only send those. Families may choose to send multiple test reports to show improvement from one testing time to another.

Hopefully, these changes will reduce anxiety and help families find the best educational fit between their student and prospective school (s). If you have questions about the Dallas private school admissions process, don’t hesitate to contact me.

© Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

3 Tips for Dallas Private School Admissions

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3 Tips for Dallas Private School AdmissionSchool is back in session, and if you’re thinking about a private school for your child next year, I have some tips to help you prepare for the Dallas private school admissions season.  First, before you panic, please know that if you’re reading this, you’re starting early!  You have plenty of time to make school visits, compare and contrast different educational environments, complete applications and gather needed information.  So take a deep breath and consider the following tips.

Tips

  1. Visit a wide variety of schools.  Sometimes it’s tough to know what the right school environment is for your child until you see it.  So give yourself a chance to experience different types of schools (Montessori, religious, single sex, etc.) and see what feels right to you.  Check my private school tour schedule for suggestions, dates and times.
  2. Scour the website.  You’d be surprised how much important information private schools make available on their website.  It’s not uncommon for schools to have parent/student handbooks, curriculum guides, and course catalogs on their site.
  3. Attend the Dallas Private School Preview for the opportunity to learn more about a number of private schools all at once.  This year the Preview is Sunday, September 11th from 12 to 2pm at the St. Mark’s School of Texas.  Then stay for either ‘Navigating the Private School Admissions Process’ or ‘Navigating the Boarding School Admissions Process’ panels afterwards, from 2:15-3:15pm.  Read more about the preview here.

If you need help forming your list, want to discuss private schools or the admissions process, don’t hesitate to contact me for assistance! Good luck!

© Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.