Express
Yo ES u S TH r E s SCHO e OL lf
TO IMPR
ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE
ARDILLO BY MICHELLE BLANCHARD
Eighth-grade year for many brings tears of joy and sadness.

Students must leave the safe cocoon of middle school and spread their wings as
high school freshmen. For parents interested in pursuing secondary education in
a Catholic school or private school for their children, this process can be formida-
ble. And, to make matters worse, this same process will repeat itself in four short
years when it is time to apply to colleges and universities. Many of these tips and
strategies will be helpful for both.

Where to begin? Gather as much informa-
tion as possible. Research the school online,
talk to friends who are alums or have older
children who attended the school, go to an
open house, attend a sporting or perform-
ing arts event, schedule a day for your 8th
grader to shadow at each school and drive
to and from the school during rush hour
traffi c. Inquire about tuition, book fees,
meal options, bus and/or carpool options,
dress code, curriculum, in-house tutor-
ing and especially advanced placement and
honors courses. If you have a child with
documented learning diff erences, inves-
tigate what programs and resources are
available for your student.

After choosing schools of interest, the
next step — applying for admission — is
equally daunting. Here are some tips to
ease into the competitive world of Catholic
or private high school admissions.

22 Washington FAMILY
OCTOBER 2019
THE APPLICATION
Every school’s application is diff erent. In
today’s digital age, most schools require that
you set up an online account to access the
school’s application. As soon as the appli-
cations are available, set up your account
and print out a hard copy of the application.

Set up a two-pocket fi le folder for each high
school of interest. On the front of the folder,
in black marker, write the important dates
for that particular school, such as:
‰ date of open house
‰ date of scheduled shadow visit
‰ deadline for the actual application
‰ deadline for applying for fi nancial aid
‰ deadline for applying for an academic
scholarship, a performing arts schol-
arship (some schools off er performing
arts scholarships in speech and debate,
theatre, music and dance), or a fi ne
arts scholarship
‰ deadline for teacher recommendations
or letters of recommendations from alums
of the school
THE ADMISSIONS ESSAY
Applications for most Catholic or private
high schools require an admissions essay.

The purpose of the admissions essay is
twofold: It gives the admissions commit-
tee a sample of your writing, and it lets the
admissions committee get to know you in
a diff erent way.

Some high schools have a specifi c writ-
ing prompt for the essay topic. Some high
schools have an open-ended statement or
question to respond to.

ANSWER THE PROMPT
First, is there a writing prompt on the
application? If so, read it carefully. Decode
and analyze the prompt: What is it asking?
It is important to answer the prompt fully
to submit the best possible essay.

Here are some sample topics that have
been on applications for Catholic and/or
private schools over the years:
‰ If you were able to get into a time machine
and travel anywhere in time or place, where
would you go and why? This is a very spe-
cifi c prompt. It is asking the 8th grader
to specifi cally identify a time and place
they would like to visit in person. The
essay must be fi lled with visual images