Eleanor Munson, PhD

Dallas Educational Consultants

dallas private school wait list

Decision Day

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Eleanor Munson private schoolIt’s D-Day for many Dallas private schools; emails go out late this afternoon; letters are in the mail, etc.   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 a negative outcome),  don’t hesitate to contact me for 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.

Waiting List Decorum

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Munson school consultantWhy the bridge you ask?  My number one mom mantra is ‘don’t burn bridges.’  It is the one phrase guaranteed to elicit eye-rolling from both of my kids.  However, when it comes to waiting list decorum, the issue at hand is less about the bridge and more about just doing the right thing.

It’s been an unusual admissions season, with spring break falling so late in March.  Many Dallas private schools send out their decision letters on the Friday before spring break.  This year that date was March 22nd.  Schools asked parents to notify them of their decision by April 5th (two weeks later), either by bringing in a contract and deposit or by declining the offer with a phone call or email.

I learned something this week.  Some parents of children waitlisted at their top-choice school have not given notice at other schools where their children were accepted. So, a child is accepted at schools A & B, but really wants to attend school C, where they are waitlisted.  The parent, hoping a spot will open up at school C, has not accepted, declined, or even contacted schools A & B, assuming that their child’s offer will remain as their ‘backup’ if a spot doesn’t open up at school C.

My thoughts?  To not notify a school that has given your child a place is inconsiderate and unacceptable.  You have put a great deal of time and effort into applying to the school, and in turn the school has spent time and energy considering (and eventually accepting) your child.  It’s rude to ignore their deadline.  Additionally, just as you may be hoping beyond hope that a spot opens up at your first choice school, there are others who feel the same way at the schools you have ignored.  Being on the wait list is excruciating for everyone, so you’ve really done those folks a disservice.

So, what to do?  If there is no way you will send your child there, then call immediately, apologize, and decline their offer.  If you’re seriously thinking of sending your child there if a spot does not open up at your top choice school, fill out the paperwork and put the deposit down.  Yes, you will lose your deposit if you end up with a place at the other school.  But you will have done the right thing by everyone.

In this world, you never know what the future holds.  What if the first choice school isn’t a good fit and you decide you’re interested in the school you neglected to contact?  What if that school turns out to be a great possibility for one of your younger children?  You’ll wish you hadn’t burned that bridge.

© 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.

Wait List, Wait Pool …. Stressful No Matter the Name!

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Munson phd consultantTom Petty had it right …. “the waiting is the hardest part.”  A number of parents I’ve spoken to this week have received news that their child has been put in the wait pool.  Hockaday, St. Marks, Greenhill, Good Shepherd, and Parish are some of the schools that have parents sitting on pins and needles in hopes that a spot will open up.

Many schools have moved away from having a traditional ‘wait list’ and now use a ‘wait pool.’  Both are for students that meet the school’s entrance requirements but are not offered a place.  A waitlist means that for each grade prospective students are ranked, so that when a spot opens up the first on the list gets an offer.  The next opening goes to the second person on the list, and so on.  Schools that maintain lists tend to be smaller, have a smaller number of applicants, and may use the sign-up date as a basis for entry.

A waiting pool consists of all of the ‘approved’ students for each grade, without any ranking.  If a spot opens up, the admissions committee reconvenes to review the students again to determine who is offered the spot.  Though it requires more work on the part of the school, it also gives them the most flexibility, as they may consider gender and other variables that change from year to year, grade to grade.

Honestly, when your child is ‘approved’ for admission but denied a place, it stings.  You know how wonderful your child is, why doesn’t the school see that?  As difficult as it is, try not to take it personally.  There are many reasons why another child was offered a spot.  She may be a sibling, a member of the church, an alumna child…you’ll never really know.  The best thing you can do is let the school know you are still interested and then just wait……and hope.

© 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.

Waiting on the Wait List….and Other Strategies to Deal with Private School Wait Pools

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mailboxThe letters have been mailed and, if you’re lucky, you now know where your child will go to school next year.  You can put the decal on your car, put the new-student social on your calendar, and thank the heavens that it’s all over.  That is…..unless your child is on the waiting list.  I’m getting a lot of questions about what it means to be on the waiting list at various schools – what you should do, who you should tell, what to tell your child, etc.  There are no easy answers in this situation, but hopefully I can help clear some things up for you.

Speaking to the Admissions Office

It’s a tough week to be an admissions counselor.  Their offices are filled with parents whose children were rejected, and their phones are ringing off the hook.  What should you do?  If you haven’t already done so, fax or mail in the form that asks you if you want to keep your child on the waiting list.  Next, you have two choices.  You can make an appointment to meet with the admissions counselor or phone the admissions office, leave a message, and let them know that you would like to speak directly with the admissions counselor.  Either option is fine.  What’s most important is to convey how interested you are in the school for your child and how eager you are to get a spot.  If your child is on the waiting list, he has already met (or exceeded) the admissions requirements and has been accepted…..but just doesn’t have a place yet.  It is fine to ask the admissions counselor where your child is on the waiting list, how many candidates from the waiting list are typically given spots (understanding that there are no guarantees and that every year is different), when spots typically open up, how long they keep the waiting list, and if being on the waitlist gives your child any edge if he applies the next year.

Who to Tell

Who you decide to tell is a personal decision.  If your child is at a school that ends at the end of his grade, then everyone is in the same boat.  Expect a lot of discussion about schools from now until the end of May.  That’s just human nature.  In situations like this, sometimes it’s better to be open than make yourself fodder for the gossip mill by being secretive.  If this is not the case, and your child is leaving a school, then this is a different matter.  You may want to keep it quiet until closer to the end of the school year, but it’s up to you.

What to Tell Your Child

Again, this depends on your child’s current school situation and their age.  For a younger child, it’s probably better to tell them “you’ll either be going to Meadowbrook or St. John’s”  knowing that at this age they are just focused on the present and don’t have a clear understanding of what attending either of these schools means.  An older child will have a great awareness of the situation and will have invested some of their time at a school visit, taking the ISEE test, and writing answers to questions on the admissions form.  It’s best, to be honest, explain that they have been accepted to the school, and let them know that they just have to be patient and hopefully there will be a place for them.

Most parents say that being on the waiting list is tougher than a rejection.  You’re forced to live with uncertainty and make difficult decisions about schooling that could easily change.  Stay hopeful, stay busy, and the time will pass more quickly!

© 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.