²ÝÁñÉçÇø

5 Admissions Tips for International Students

If you live overseas and are thinking about sending your child to a private school in the United States, pay attention to the following five admissions tips for international students. I assume you are not an American citizen or a green card holder, and English is not your first language. Many students from countries outside the United States want to attend American private schools. International students make up about 15% of the student population in American boarding schools, according to .

The I-20 Form

Be aware that not every private school is certified by the United States Immigration Service to accept foreign students. Why is that important? Always confirm that the school in which you are interested is a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certified school. If the school is not SEVP-certified to accept foreign students, it will be unable to issue the I-20 form, which is the first step in applying for and obtaining a student visa from the U.S. Immigration Service. Once you have received the I-20 from the school that you have chosen to attend, you will pay the I-901 Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) Fee. The Immigration Service will not allow your child to enter the United States as a student without the proper paperwork. If in doubt, ask the school if it can issue the I-20 form. Do not assume anything.

Pay Attention to The Deadlines

Applying for

Safe schools are everybody's concern these days. Remember how years ago, we only worried about keeping the dormitory doors locked at night and ensuring the trip to New York City was properly chaperoned? It was so simple. But everything has changed. According to the , over 900,000 reported incidents of violence in U.S. public schools in a single school year. This statistic underscores the importance of understanding and ensuring school safety.

The Importance of School Safety

Now, parents, teachers, and students have to deal with cyber-security, stalking, substance abuse, bullying, suicide, and a host of other really tough issues. School safety is more than just preventing violence. School safety encompasses measures designed to protect students from threats, including bullying, natural disasters, and health emergencies. Parents and school community members expect us to provide a safe environment. That, after all, is essential for fostering the academic success of students and the emotional well-being of every member of the school community. When students feel secure, they are more likely to thrive academically and socially. How does a school community implement a robust, effective safety program? Let's take a look.

Improve your communications

In a very small school -100 students or less- you might be able to get away with the old-fashioned telephone tree where one person calls five others and so on. The problem with this method of alerting the community is that there are always a few people who don't get called. Install

The Writing Sample

At some point in the admissions process, your child will have to write an essay, otherwise known as The Writing Sample. Don't be unduly fazed by this requirement. It is simply one more piece of the private school admissions puzzle. Interestingly enough, writing samples are often part of the admissions process for college and graduate school. Learning how to write well at a young age will benefit her in the future in a great many ways.

What is the Purpose of the Writing Sample?

Very simple, really. The school wants to determine how well your child can express herself in her writing. Many schools will split this part of the application into a series of questions. The Madeira School , for example, asks her to answer five questions in Part 2. By the way, the candidate must complete Part 2 of Madeira's application. This is very important. The school wants to hear what your child has to say. Not what her uncle or father has to say. One thing you must never do, no matter how tempted, is to use the services of an essay-writing company such as . Most of the time, it isn't possible anyway because the two places where an essay is required are on the SSAT test itself and during the interview at the school. So, put that thought out of your mind right now. The school wants to hear what your child thinks, it wants to

Your child has taken the SSAT as part of the admissions process for several schools. You have received the Scores Report. Now, what does it mean? How do you read the Scores Report?

Background

The first thing to remember about the SSAT is that each private school you are applying to views SSAT test scores through its own admissions lens, as it were. That means that your child's score won't necessarily mean the same thing in the various admissions offices. Why is that? The answer lies in the fact that each private school is an independent, legal entity. In other words, each school does its own thing. Each school has its own educational philosophy, its own idiosyncratic approach to teaching, and so on. Most schools also have had years of experience and tradition teaching young people. That means that their admissions officers know what kind of applicant will be successful in their educational and community setting.

So, where does a standardized admissions test like the SSAT fit in? It provides a common platform for assessing basic academic knowledge. Put another way, if Sally from Middle School A applies, she will be taking the same admissions test as every other applicant, regardless of where they go to school. Standardized testing provides a level playing field; at least, that is the theory behind standardized testing. Read Aaron Churchill's essay for an overview of the subject. Most standardized admissions tests