Frequently Asked Questions:
APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
When is the application due?
Does this cost anything?
How do I know if the application is complete?
Do I have to complete other schools' applications?
Who can complete the "School/Teacher Recommendations"?
Is the Interview required? How do I sign up?
TESTING QUESTIONS:
Which test should I take?
Does A Better Chance provide test-prep?
When do I get my scores?
How do I read the scores?
Does A Better Chance have a cut-off for scores?
DECISION & SCHOOL REFERRAL QUESTIONS:
When does A Better Chance notify families of decisions?
What happens after my application has been referred?
Why was my child denied?
Why was my child waitlisted?
If my child was denied/waitlisted, should I still apply to schools on my own?
APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
When is the application due?
The application is due by May 1st. This is a deadline for receipt, not postmark.
Does this cost anything?
The A Better Chance application and program are free. A Better Chance is able to provide fee waivers for SSAT/ISEE testing, and for the PFS (financial aid form) to families who qualify. Independent schools charge tuition, but our Member Schools offer need-based financial aid. (See Financial Aid FAQ)
How do I know if the application is complete?
You should receive notification about missing pieces from the National Office. You may also call the National Office to inquire. Please do not contact the regional offices with questions about missing pieces. Also, please allow 7-10 business days for application materials to be received and processed.
Do I have to complete other schools' applications?
If you are accepted to be a part of the A Better Chance cohort, a strategy for your application will be designed by our team and your application will be referred to our Member Schools. Consequently, you do not have to complete separate applications for other schools. If there is a school you have a strong interest in, you should check and see if that school is an A Better Chance Member School. (Here is a list.) We will let you know if and where your child's application has been referred. If there are schools that you have a strong interest in, please notify your Program Manager early in the application process. While we do not advise this, if you choose to apply directly to any of our Member Schools, please notify the Program Manager for your area.
Who can complete the "School/Teacher Recommendations"?
Only your current-year principal, guidance counselor and core subject teachers can complete the required recommendations for the application process. Since your child has had more than half a year in these classrooms, we hope that the teachers can give us a broad perspective on your child's candidacy.
During the following year, our schools will require updated recommendations from the new teachers. We will require these recommendations in December, but they must be submitted in a timely fashion or the schools will not consider the referred applications complete.
Is the Interview required? How do I sign up?
Members of the A Better Chance cohort will be required to have a personal interview. You will receive an invitation to attend an Interview Day if you live in or near the following areas: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Atlanta, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. If you do not live near those areas, please contact your regional Program Manager to inquire about other arrangements. Interview Days take place between mid-September and early November. Please see the online calendar for more details.
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TESTING QUESTIONS:
Which test should I take?
Northeast Region:
- Candidates for NYC day schools (all grades): ISEE
- Candidates for NE boarding schools: SSAT, but ISEE can be accepted as well
- Candidates for CT day schools: ISEE
- Candidates for Boston day schools: SSAT (or ISEE if applying for middle school)
Mid-Atlantic Region:
- Candidates for middle schools: ISEE
- Candidates for high school: SSAT
Southeast Region:
- Candidates for Charlotte NC day schools: ISEE
- All other students (day or boarding) should take the test available in their area
Northwest Region:
- All candidates in this region are encouraged to take both SSAT and ISEE
Southwest Region:
- Candidates for day school: ISEE
- Candidates for boarding school: SSAT
Midwest Region:
- Candidates for middle school: ISEE
- Candidates for high school: SSAT
Does A Better Chance provide test-prep?
No, unfortunately we are not able to provide test preparation. However, we do recommend that students prepare for the ISEE and SSAT. You can find test-prep books in your major bookstore or library, or you can take a look at the testing companies' websites to find practice questions.
When do I get my scores?
Scores will be sent to you directly from the testing company. You should receive your scores about 2-3 weeks after the test.
How do I read the scores?
These are hard tests! Keep in mind that both SSAT and ISEE scores show how well students do when they are competing with other students applying to private school, not the general public.
SSAT: Scores are reported as percentiles. There are several columns of numbers, but the column we are concerned with is the "SSAT Percentiles" column. You will see a number (between 1 and 99) for "Verbal," "Quantitative Reasoning" (math), "Reading Comprehension" and "Overall." The percentile shows how well your child did in comparison with the other children of his/her grade and gender taking this test. For example, if 8th-grader Briana received a 46 in Verbal, then she did better than 46% of the 8th grade girls taking the SSAT.
ISEE: Scores are reported as stanines. A stanine is a number from 1-9, and there are 4 categories for which you will see such a number: Verbal, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Reasoning, and Math. Generally, numbers 4, 5, or 6 indicate "average" scores; numbers 1, 2, or 3 indicate "below average" scores; numbers 7, 8, or 9 indicate "above average" scores. These scores show how well a student does in comparison with the other male or female students of his/her grade who are applying to private schools.
Does A Better Chance have a cut-off for scores?
No, there is no cut-off for scores to determine who is eligible for A Better Chance. A student is evaluated based on all of the parts of the application. However, test scores may help the selection committee to determine which schools are a possible match.
DECISION & SCHOOL REFERRAL QUESTIONS:
When does A Better Chance notify families of decisions?
The Selection Committee will begin reviewing completed applications after May 15th and will determine whether or not candidates will make it to the next phase of the A Better Chance application process. Those candidates who do make it to the next round will receive acceptance letters to the A Better Chance cohort for that year. These letters will offer next steps to prepare a referral strategy for each candidate's applications to schools the following fall.
Once referrals are made for cohort members, candidates being referred to both day school and boarding options will receive two separate referral letters. In most regions, day school referrals occur earlier so those letters will come first. Day school decisions will be mailed in October and all boarding school referral decisions will be mailed in November.
Please note that the Selection Committee is only able to make decisions on applications that are complete. Referral decisions will not be given over the phone.
What happens after my application has been referred?
Cohort members will receive a referral letter. This letter will include a list of the schools that have received your A Better Chance application, as well as directions for next steps. Please follow those directions carefully. Some regions require families to follow up with the schools directly to make sure their applications get considered.
Why was my child denied?
The A Better Chance selection process is competitive. We are looking for academically talented students who do well in school, whose teacher recommendations are strong, and who will be competitive applicants for admission at the schools with which we work. If your child was denied, there may be many factors including, but not limited to: academic performance, school performance/citizenship, standardized test scores, or the strength of their application in comparison with the other students applying.
Why was my child waitlisted?
An applicant is waitlisted if at the time the application was reviewed, there were no/few options for this student. In this situation, often an improvement in report card or SSAT/ISEE will improve the chances that the applicant could be referred. Please contact your regional Program Manager to find out what your child can do to improve his/her candidacy.
If my child was denied/waitlisted, should I still apply to schools on my own?
A Better Chance does not guarantee referral to any particular school. However, if you have communicated strong interest in a particular school on your application, and if the application was not referred there, there is often a good reason why. We want to refer students to schools where we have good reason to believe they will be strong candidates for admission and would be a good fit.
Please note that you are always free to apply to a school on your own. If you have a strong interest in a particular school and are worried that you will not receive notification about referrals by the time the school's own application deadline comes, you may want to put your mind at ease and complete their process independently. However, this is not required. If you do so, please remember to notify your Program Manager.
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