Boston Tutoring Center

The Struggle is Real!

This is the time of year when the seniors we are working with on their college applications are finalizing their lists and deciding if they will have an ED school.

I have had conversations with two students this week who keep adding "Far Reach" schools to their list. When I try to get at their reasoning for adding these schools it seems to stem from the chatter at school about where students are applying. I try to steer students back to their list of requirements for what they want in a school, and encourage them to filter these additions against this list (most times the new schools do not match with what they say they want).

It is hard to stand firm in your beliefs when everyone around you is doing something different, but everyone else is not going to college for you. This is your choice and your experience - not theirs!

Jeff Selingo has written an excellent book in "Dream School" and I would encourage everyone involved in the college admissions process (parents, students, teachers, and counselors) to read the book and help bring the focus back to what really matters in the college search process.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/opinion/college-admissions-seniors-stats.html?unlocked_article_code=1.n08.gp8F.eq0_Z4w1aG9C&smid=url-share&utm_campaign=Next%20newsletter%20sample%20campaign&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-821EMWccUSeKriLSsO-iRrAEbDUjDZ865QtgvjPrTPM2C1UeFx42OaCpCkqDvCtQ5mDUmiTL-DJwHQBmrzPUdbdyQOB8XAslRuD8pyieWa3Klys5s&_hsmi=381888560&utm_content=381888560&utm_source=hs_email

Opinion | Don’t Fall for the Rigged College Game (Gift Article) The frantic competition that we’ve normalized is based on a lie about what makes a college education truly valuable.

Parents have to be VERY careful when committing to a private school!

When students are wait listed at their top choice private school it can be an agonizing experience. As the deadline to commit to a school and pay a non-refundable deposit approaches parents are often tempted to pay the deposit to hold the spot at their second choice school, while waiting to see if their child will move off the wait list at their first choice school (after the deposit deadline).

It is rare that a student will move off the wait list after the deposit deadline at an elite private school (one with and under 10% acceptance rate).

This recent article highlights the dangers in committing to one school while holding out hope that another school will call. While this woman's situation is slightly different, it is a reminder that when parents sign a contract and commit to a school they are committing to pay the full first year tuition. The contract is a legally binding document that will hold up in a court of law, should the school decide to go that route.

Many parents do not realize that when they sign the enrollment contract they are making a large financial commitment, and they should not rely on the school's generosity to let them out of the contract.

This kind of strategy is sneaky, and it is not only harmful to the school, it is harmful to the student, who keeps pining for something that likely will not happen. It also sets the student up to have a less than stellar first year at the school they have committed to. No one wants to feel like they are settling for second best.

I will say that I do not agree with the tactics of this school in Maryland, but it is a cautionary tale.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/08/03/private-schools-lawsuits-families/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F43f68cf%2F688f83bdcdc0f632ccb2209a%2F5973ea45ade4e21a8492e9e8%2F28%2F63%2F688f83bdcdc0f632ccb2209a

Boston ISEE Prep - www.bostoniseeprep.com
Boston Tutoring Center - www.bostontutoringcenter.com
Boston Private School Search -www.bostonprivateschoolsearch.com

She was ordered to pay a private school $27,000. Her child never attended. In a region with one of nation’s highest private school enrollment rates, there’s a side not often talked about: the lawsuits.