Your teen’s entry into a private high school cannot be taken for granted. With public schools beset by a variety of problems (discipline, poor test scores, security), private high schools offer your child a quality education in a safe environment.
When you request a private high school information packet, you will discover that essays and short answer essays are required from both you and your teen. Your teen, who should be comfortable answering essay-style questions, will be asked about their academic strengths and weaknesses, their desire to attend private school, and about their hobbies and extracurricular activities. Questions directed at parents, however, often have a different focus and are designed with different purposes in mind.
Typically, essay questions addressed to parents are analytical in nature. Instead of asking for facts, these questions ask you to talk about your teen’s character, discuss family dynamics, and evaluate your role as a supporter of the private school. Private high school admissions directors recognize that teens who grow up in a stable, education-focused home are much more likely to succeed than their peers who have less support at home.
Similarly, private school administrators analyze your essay responses to determine if you can be counted on to support the high school financially or through volunteer work. As you can imagine, administrators cannot legally or ethically ask some of these questions, but they can draw inferences based on your answers to the application’s questions.
Analytical Questions
For example, an application question might ask what you think your child can contribute to XYZ School. This type of question really asks you to talk about your child’s academic, social, athletic, and extracurricular interests. If you have visited the school, reference her visit to show that she has made an effort to learn more about the school. Your response should address each of your child’s areas of interest and strengths. Here is a sample answer to this question:
During our recent visit to XYZ, Tommy pointed me out to the well-equipped science lab and asked me a series of questions about the science curriculum available to students at the school. Tommy has a longstanding interest in the study of science and has done well in elementary school and we believe he will bring that interest and aptitude to his high school studies. His current teachers note that Tommy regularly asks thoughtful and insightful questions in class. In addition to working hard to do well academically, Tommy will be willing to join the school baseball team and/or his marching band. Tommy maintains a busy schedule during the school year and, as a well-rounded and serious young man, he will represent the ideals and message of XYZ School now and in the future.
Family stability and religious issues
Other questions will ask you more directly about your future involvement in school fundraisers and other activities. These questions are designed to assess the stability of your home life and your potential for future financial support. For example, a religious school application might ask about the role your religion plays in your life. A non-religious school might ask why you are considering XYZ School. Here is a sample answer to this type of question:
Our family is an active member of XYZ Church. We are active members of the Social Action Committee and every Thanksgiving our entire family, including Tommy and his two sisters, volunteer at XYZ Church’s Gentle Used Clothing Center, where we help distribute used clothing in good condition to the homeless. Tommy and his sisters have been greatly affected by this activity, as well as other church-related functions. With a hands-on opportunity to minister to those less fortunate, Tommy has a personal understanding of the message of XYZ Religion. We try to reinforce that message at home by attending services regularly and making daily prayer a part of our routine. At XYZ Private Elementary School, both my husband and I serve on the board of trustees and are active participants in the school’s annual Feed the Hungry campaign.
Responses like the ones above are designed to send a message to school administrators that both you and your teen are serious, dedicated, and stable individuals who will fit well into the community that develops within a particular private school. If you make an effort to study the type of community that exists within a particular school and model your entrance quiz essay on that community, you will greatly improve your child’s chances of gaining admission.
