Nik Shoen, Author at 91ÁÔĆć /blog/author/nikshoen/ Prep for Success Mon, 14 Oct 2024 20:29:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://assets.testinnovators.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/favicon-85x85.png Nik Shoen, Author at 91ÁÔĆć /blog/author/nikshoen/ 32 32 How to Get Into Lakeside School /blog/how-to-get-into-lakeside/ /blog/how-to-get-into-lakeside/#respond Mon, 12 Aug 2024 22:21:00 +0000 /?p=622 Lakeside School in Seattle is one of the most esteemed and prominent independent schools in the nation. In fact, it was one of the most sought-after schools of 2022. Because applying to such a selective school can be challenging, we have assembled this guide to help you navigate the entire application process for Lakeside.

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Key Dates and Information

  • Admissions Deadline:
    • International application: December 12, 2024
    • Preliminary application & PSIS form: January 16, 2025
    • Completed application & supporting materials: January 30, 2025
  • Admissions interview deadline: January 30, 2025
  • Admissions test scores deadline: January 30, 2025
  • Financial aid deadline: February 6, 2025
  • Decision release date:
    • Upper School: February 21, 2025
    • Middle School: March 21, 2025

Introduction

Lakeside School in Seattle is one of the most esteemed and prominent independent schools in the nation. In fact, it was one of the most sought-after schools of 2022.

Because applying to such a selective school can be challenging, we have assembled this guide to help you navigate the entire application process for Lakeside.

We highly recommend utilizing this guide alongside our , which will help you prepare for the interview, articulate why you are a compelling candidate for Lakeside, and gain a better understanding of how candidates are evaluated.

Parent Insight

“[Lakeside] is a great school for a student who LOVES school. And someone who can handle a LOT of content and rules, AND time management.”

— Current Lakeside Parent

Application

Lakeside uses , an online application management system. You will need to create an account on Ravenna in order to complete the application. The application for the 2025-2026 school year opened on September 1, 2024.

Applicants will need to submit the following materials before January 16, 2025:

  • Preliminary application and $25 fee
  • PSIS student essay and short answers
  • PSIS interests and activities
  • PSIS parent/guardian statement

These remaining materials must be submitted by January 30, 2025:

  • Interview (Upper School) / Admissions Activity (Middle School)
  • Admissions test scores (required)
    • Students applying to grades 5-9 must submit SSAT scores
    • Students applying to grades 10 and 11 may submit SSAT, PSAT, ACT, or SAT scores
    • Lakeside will only accept and consider one set of test scores per applicant
  • Teacher evaluations
    • Two teacher evaluations are required:
      • One from a humanities teacher (English, history, or social studies)
      • One from a math or science teacher
      • At least one of the two evaluations must be from a current teacher
  • Personal reference form
    • One reference from a coach, teacher, school administrator, or any adult (not a relative) who has observed the applicant in a classroom, team, or group-oriented setting within the past two years
  • PSIS school administrator form
    • Must be sent via Ravenna to a school administrator at the applicant’s current school
  • Transcripts / school records
    • First complete report card from the current 2024-2025 academic year
    • All transcripts from previous 2023-2024 academic year

Please visit  for more information about application requirements and deadlines.

Student Insight

“[On the application], I highlighted things like being able to work with others, organizational skills, skills in my subjects, empathy, and a sense of social justice. I highlighted accomplishments like presenting spoken word poems at my school.”

— Current Lakeside Student

International Application

International applicants will need to create an account on  in order to complete their application.

International applicants will need to submit the following materials before December 12, 2024:

  • Preliminary application and $75 fee
  • PSIS student essay and short answers
  • PSIS interests and activities
  • PSIS parent/guardian statement
  • Teacher evaluations
    • Two teacher evaluations are required:
      • One from a humanities teacher (English, history, or social studies)
      • One from a math or science teacher
      • At least one of the two evaluations must be from a current teacher
  • Personal reference form
    • One reference from a coach, teacher, school administrator, or any adult (not a relative) who has observed the applicant in a classroom, team, or group-oriented setting within the past two years
  • PSIS school administrator form
    • Must be sent via Ravenna to a school administrator at the applicant’s current school

These remaining materials must be submitted by January 30, 2025:

  • TOEFL
    • International applicants must take the TOEFL if the primary language of instruction at their current school is not English
    • While Lakeside School does not require a minimum total score, students must earn at least the following in each section:
      • Reading: 24
      • Listening: 22
      • Speaking: 25
      • Writing: 24
  • Admissions test scores
    • Students applying to grades 5-10 must submit SSAT scores
    • Students applying to grade 10 or 11 may submit SSAT, PSAT, ACT, or SAT scores
    • Lakeside will only accept and consider one set of test scores per applicant
  • Transcripts/school records
    • First complete report card from the current 2023-2024 academic year
    • All transcripts from previous 2022-2023 academic year
  • Interview (Upper School ) / Admissions Activity (Middle School)
    • After your application is complete, Lakeside will determine if an interview is necessary. The admissions office will reach out to you to schedule the interview.

Please visit  for more information about application requirements and deadlines.

Optional Admissions Events

  • Admissions at Lakeside Webinars
    • Learn about Lakeside’s admissions process from the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
    • Check Ravenna for dates and registration information
  • Campus tours
    • October 2024 – January 2025
    • See classrooms, athletic facilities, arts spaces, and more
    • Register in Ravenna
  • All School Open House
    • December 15, 2024
    • Tour the school, meet the Head of School and the Middle or Upper School Director, as well as other faculty, coaches, and administrators
    • Register in Ravenna
  • Financial Aid Webinar (optional)
    • Learn about applying for financial aid from the Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
    • Register in Ravenna.

For more information on these events, such as dates, times, and how to register, please visit .

Student Insight

“I chose to attend Lakeside because I thought it seemed like an amazing community to be a part of, and that it had a great sense of community and social justice, and that I would make lots of friends there, and all those things are definitely true!!”

—Current Lakeside Student

Admissions Interview (Upper School Applicants)

An interview is required for all students applying to the Upper School (grades 9-12). Lakeside’s interview is a one-on-one conversation with either a faculty member or a member of the admissions team. This is a chance for applicants to show Lakeside who they are beyond their application. Examples of topics that have been discussed in previous interviews include outer space, favorite books, video games, sports, and cooking and baking. Applicants will also have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have about Lakeside.

It is recommended that applicants schedule their interviews as soon as they know that they will be applying to Lakeside. Applicants can schedule their interview on Ravenna after they submit a preliminary application and the $25 application fee. You do not need to participate in other admissions events before scheduling or attending the interview.

It is important to prepare for your interview so that you can stand out from the crowd of other exceptional applicants while remaining your authentic self.  will help you develop your interviewing skills, prepare common interview questions, and learn how to present yourself as a strong candidate.

Admissions Activity (Middle School Applicants)

Students applying to the Middle School (grades 5-8) participate in an admissions activity, which helps the admissions team understand how they work in a group setting. A virtual option is available to families who reside outside of Island, King, Kitsap, Pierce, or Snohomish Counties.

Admissions Tests

The is required for all students applying to Lakeside. The admissions office will only review one set of scores. If you submit multiple score reports, they will only consider scores from the earliest test date. The test must be taken between September 2024 and January 2025. However, Lakeside urges applicants to take the SSAT by December to ensure that score reports arrive before the January 30, 2025 deadline.

Check out our to learn more about the SSAT

Students applying to grades 10 and 11 also have the option of submitting PSAT, ACT, or SAT scores.

Additionally, international applicants must take the TOEFL if English is not the primary language of instruction at their current school.

Financial Aid Application

Lakeside has a substantial need-based financial aid program that supports qualifying families. Overall, 32% of the student body receives some level of financial support, and the average tuition for a family receiving financial aid is $10,265.

Financial aid applications are due February 6, 2025. Lakeside uses the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) application through School & Student Services (SSS). The following are required documents:

      • 2024 income statements including W2s, unemployment statements, and Social Security income statements
      • 2024 IRS Form 1040 and relevant schedules
      • Lakeside also requests that business owners and those in partnerships include a Schedule C, Schedule E, Form 1120, and or K-1

For the most up-to-date information about financial aid requirements and deadlines, please visit .

Athletics

Lakeside has 23 varsity teams, most of which have sub-varsity and middle school counterparts. Eighty percent of Lakeside students play at least one sport each year, and many play two or three. Lakeside offers the following athletic programs:

  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Crew
  • Cross country
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Lacrosse
  • Soccer
  • Swimming and diving
  • Tennis
  • Track and field
  • Volleyball
  • Wrestling

For more information about the athletic programs, teams, and facilities, please visit the .

Arts

Lakeside offers a wide variety of drama, music, and visual arts programs. Students of all levels of artistic ability are encouraged to participate in many different artistic disciplines, which are designed to be meaningful and accessible.

For more information about the artistic coursework at Lakeside, visit the .

Parent Insight

“[Lakeside] offers after-school programming for students that really spoke to my daughter – a newspaper club and BLM club – and these clubs are well-run. It is deeply committed to equity, inclusion, and diversity and my daughter enjoys being in a diverse classroom setting.”

— Current Lakeside Parent

Conclusion

Applying to prestigious schools like Lakeside can be complex and challenging. However, proper preparation will give you the best chance of success. Preparation can help you achieve higher test scores, write excellent application essays, and ace the interview. 91ÁÔĆć is here to help you prepare for every step of the process.

Preparation Resources:

Start preparing today!

HSPT
PSAT
ACT
SAT

Originally published on January 10, 2022. Updated on August 12, 2024.

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]]> /blog/how-to-get-into-lakeside/feed/ 0 What to Do if You’re Waitlisted: Advice From Experts /blog/what-to-do-if-waitlisted/ Fri, 10 Mar 2023 19:43:00 +0000 /?p=918 You’ve spent months visiting schools, interviewing, and submitting applications. After all that time and work, you’re left waiting for a response, hoping for an offer of admissions. Instead, you’ve been waitlisted. Now what?

We interviewed placement experts at top schools across the country to get their advice on what to do if you’re waitlisted.

The post What to Do if You’re Waitlisted: Advice From Experts appeared first on 91ÁÔĆć.

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You’ve spent months visiting schools, interviewing, and submitting applications. After all that time and work, you’re left waiting for a response, hoping for an offer of admissions. Instead, you’ve been waitlisted. Now what?

We interviewed placement experts at top schools across the country to get their advice on what to do if you’re waitlisted.

1. Stay positive and focus on your original goal.

Although being waitlisted is not the decision you were hoping for, it is important to remember that it is a positive response. While you may not have been admitted initially, being waitlisted means that you have met all of the criteria necessary to become an admitted student. There are many reasons why you may have been waitlisted, such as diversity and gender requirements or financial aid limitations. No matter the reason, stay positive and remain patient—you are still being considered!

At the beginning of the admissions process, most families consider a variety of schools, hoping to find a school where their child can be happy and successful. Although a favorite school may have emerged over the past few months and a waitlist decision is disappointing, try keep the original goal in mind as you move forward.

Pro Tip: “A waitlist decision is still a really positive sign from the school. It means that your child fits all of the enrollment criteria—don’t take the waitlist decision too harshly.”

— Greg Jones, Director of Enrollment Management and Admissions at Epiphany School

2. Let the school know if you want to remain on the waitlist or not.

One of the most common pieces of advice we got from interviewing admissions experts was to communicate with the schools about your desire to remain on the waitlist.

If you are waitlisted at one of your top-choice schools, let them know that you would like to remain on the waitlist by writing an email or letter, or by making a phone call to the admission officer who interviewed you. Keep the tone of your communication optimistic and confident, and let them know that you intend to enroll if you were to get off the waitlist. This lets the school know that you are serious about attending and it helps move the admissions process forward.

If you are waitlisted at a school that you do not have intentions of attending, let the admissions office know as soon as possible to help prevent a logjam of students who are waiting on decisions.

Pro Tip: “If you get into another school and they need your enrollment decision while you are on the waitlist for another school, reach out to the admissions office—you can usually get a sense of any movement.”

— Doug Surgenor, Assistant Director of Enrollment Management at The Advent School

3. Offer to share new information if you think it will benefit your application.

Sometimes new information is made available after your application has been submitted. Perhaps you received a new report card or experienced a significant life event. If you think this new information could be beneficial to your application, you may consider reaching out to the school to see if they are interested in seeing the new information. A strong set of mid-year grades may be what’s needed to move you off of the waitlist. Before you send anything in, however, be sure to reach out to the school and confirm that they are willing to review any new information.

Pro Tip: Karen Miller, Director of Counseling and Family Services at The Shlenker School, explained that by the time applications are due, her students will have only had one report card, but by the time decisions are sent out, they will have another. She says that this is a great opportunity to reach out to the school to see if they are interested in reviewing your newest grades.

4. Consider your options.

Gaining admission off a waitlist is unpredictable. Once you have communicated your desire to remain on the waitlist, you should shift your focus to evaluating your other options. 

Take advantage of admitted student revisit days at other schools that have admitted you. These events are often a far richer experience than the initial tour, with opportunities to attend classes, meet coaches, and mingle with current students. You may fall in love with a school that they weren’t that excited about the first time around. If you cannot attend a formal revisit day, you can always call the admission office and ask if you can join classes for a morning.

You can check out our full interviews with top placement experts here.

Will you or someone you know be applying next year?

91ÁÔĆć is here to help you through every step of the process! Check out our our course and Admissions Coaching options.

Originally published on January 29, 2022. Updated on March 10, 2023. 

Start preparing today!

HSPT
PSAT
ACT
SAT

The post What to Do if You’re Waitlisted: Advice From Experts appeared first on 91ÁÔĆć.

]]> Choosing a School: Advice From Experts /blog/choosing-a-school/ /blog/choosing-a-school/#respond Fri, 10 Mar 2023 17:45:00 +0000 /?p=733 You’ve spent countless hours applying to schools, and now all your hard work has finally paid off. If you’re fortunate enough to have been accepted to more than one school, the last step of the process is to choose a school.

The post Choosing a School: Advice From Experts appeared first on 91ÁÔĆć.

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You’ve spent countless hours applying to schools, and now all your hard work has finally paid off. If you’re fortunate enough to have been accepted to more than one school, the last step of the process is to choose a school.

There are many important factors to consider when choosing a school. You want a school that helps you achieve both your personal and academic goals, but how do you make sure you’re making the right decision?

We interviewed admissions experts from top independent schools across the country to come up with 3 key considerations when choosing a school.

1. Put together a ranked list of schools before decisions are sent out.

Creating a ranking system of the schools you applied to before admissions decisions come out will make it much easier to decide on a school once the decisions are released. When you are making your list, you will want to note all of the pros and cons that you experienced throughout the admissions process, keeping in mind which qualities and characteristics are most important to you.

Once you have completed your list, it can be helpful to play out all of the possible scenarios that may arise once decisions are released. For example, what if you are waitlisted by your top school but accepted to your second-choice school? Ranking the schools beforehand will give you the chance to ask these questions well in advance and will prepare you to make your choice when schools release their decisions.

Pro Tip: Create your own school ranking system, or use . Please feel free to download a copy and make it your own!

2. Consider the 4 C’s.

While academics will certainly be an important factor when deciding which school to attend, there are many other things that will shape your experience. Because of this, it is important to consider the “Four C’s” when choosing a school: culture, community, commute, and cost.

First, does the school’s culture align with your beliefs, values, and goals? If the school practices experiential learning, but you learn best from watching and listening to others, then that school may not be the best fit for you.

Second, can you see yourself thriving in the school’s community? It is important to consider the school community both in and outside of the classroom. Don’t underestimate the value of extracurricular activities.

Third, you will want to consider the logistics, especially the commute. While it may seem trivial at first glance, the commute can pose a big problem. Keep in mind that you will be attending the school for the next several years—you don’t want to commit yourself to an unsustainable commute.

Finally, you’ll need to consider the financial commitment. For some students, the amount of financial aid they receive plays an integral role in their decision.

When considering the 4 C’s, particularly the culture and community, it’s a good idea to solicit advice from teachers, administrators, and students currently attending the school.

Pro Tip: “Don’t talk too much to the admissions office during this time. Seek out the professionals on campus who will be working directly with your kids.”   

— Laurie Geromini, Director of Placement and Lead Admissions Coach at 91ÁÔĆć

3. Revisit the schools.

Although it may be difficult in our current climate, all of our experts agree that you should revisit the schools if possible. This not only gives the school one last chance to impress you, it also gives you another chance to take everything in. Revisits are a great opportunity to talk with current students, teachers, and administrators, and more importantly, to interact with potential classmates. Do you get along with the rest of the applicants who are visiting? Could you see yourself learning, playing, and interacting with them on a daily basis? Answering these questions will be crucial in determining the best fit for you.

Pro Tip: “In the past, I haven’t been as strong of an advocate for the revisit. This year, even if you have just one acceptance, I would say go on the revisit.”

—Neal Kamsler, Director of Secondary School Counseling at The Allen-Stevenson School

You can check out our full interviews with top placement experts here.

Will you or someone you know be applying next year?

91ÁÔĆć is here to help you through every step of the process! Check out our course and Admissions Coaching options.

Originally published on January 31, 2022. Updated on March 10, 2023. 

Start preparing today!

HSPT
PSAT
ACT
SAT

The post Choosing a School: Advice From Experts appeared first on 91ÁÔĆć.

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