The admission process at independent schools can be very complicated. Schools have to take many factors into account to determine which applicants will be successful and contributing members of the community. With an applicant pool of over 400 for the 2024-2025 school year, but only 88-92 ninth-grade spots available, here is how Pingree Admissions decides to fill those spots.
“There are many factors that contribute to a decision about an applicant,” said Mrs. Dyer, the senior associate director of admissions. Factors such as co-curriculars, grades, and the interview are all aspects that are essential when applying to Pingree. “We want to make sure that a student’s interests can be supported at Pingree. Whether they are varsity or JV athletes, performers or visual artists, robotics team members, or literary magazine contributors, we want to make sure that they can keep up with their interests here and develop new ones.”
Additionally, Mr. Stacey, the director of admission and enrollment management, says that admissions have “seen many report cards with all A’s, which makes it challenging to differentiate. On top of that, we have, since the pandemic, made standardized test scores, optional.” Due to the shift from test scores to ways to get to know the individual candidate more intimately and personally, Mr. Stacey says that the “interview has really grown in its impact on [admissions] decisions.”
Mrs. Dyer describes the interview process as a “meet[ing] with a Pingree adult for a conversation. This can be a 20-minute talk with the applicant, and then a conversation with the applicant’s parents/guardians. Some applicants are very comfortable with this and others are not. The purpose of this conversation is to get to know some things about the applicant that are not included in the application. For example, we ask questions about how they showed resilience in a challenging situation; what their favorite class is and why…how their teachers would describe them. This is a chance to get to know them beyond grades and test scores.”
Along with the interview, teacher recommendations are taken seriously by the admissions team. Mrs. Dyer thinks of teacher recommendations as “an opportunity for us to learn about the following: skill level, participation in class, leadership qualities, group work, [and] homework completion. This is how we learn about an applicant beyond a transcript. Through these recommendations, we are trying to determine if the applicant has the personal characteristics and academic skills that would make them successful in the Pingree community.” Ultimately, a solid recommendation from a student’s current English and Math teachers is “perhaps the most important part of a student’s application.”
Another aspect that goes into Pingree admissions is financial aid. In terms of financial aid at Pingree, Mr. Posternack, associate director of admissions, says, “We are ‘need-aware,’ which means that while our initial review of applicants is done without the knowledge of the family’s financial need when we are making our final decisions we must consider financial aid.” When a student applies to Pingree and their family needs financial assistance, Pingree does its best to cover those costs, but it unfortunately does not always work out. “There are times when an applicant presents as a very strong candidate,” Posternack says, “and we know that they would bring much to our community, but we are unable to offer the family the financial assistance they need. These are the most challenging conversations and decisions in our process.”
Adding to the difficulty of enrolling certain students and keeping opportunities equal at Pingree, Mr. Stacey notes that “diversity takes many forms and our goal is to build the most diverse community we can.”
All in all, Mr. Stacey says that they are looking for “good kids who will push themselves academically….and. utilize all resources in being the best students they can be….[C]haracter, effort and stretching themselves is what I look for in a candidate.”
Similarly, Mrs. Dyer says that while “strong grades and teacher recommendations are one way to stand out, applicants can stand out with a talent in a co-curricular or a sincere interest in Pingree.” Other things that aspiring Pingree students can do, according to Mrs. Dyer, is to attend various admission events. These can be the joint events with other area private schools, receptions in current Pingree family homes, the October Open House, and/or an event hosted at Pingree in December. Showing demonstrated interest in Pingree helps applicants as it shows a dedication to Pingree and a genuine desire to join the community.
