Value of admission open houses

As a parent looking at the vast array of private school options, admission open houses can be a wonderful tool to helping you choose the best fit for your child.

In most large cities, there are many great private schools to choose from.  As a parent, most of us will not have the time to thoroughly explore and visit every schooling option available.  However, after considering your values and/or working with an educational consultant, hopefully you are able to narrow down your options to three to five schools.  From that narrowed down list, is where school visits and admission open houses can help you find the perfect fit.  From the minute you step foot on campus you have a feeling about the type of environment that school has built.  Through the presentation and tours, hopefully you begin to see the schools values and areas they emphasize (academics, community, athletics, social development, etc.).  Of course, during your visit, any specific points of interest to you, certainly ask questions to the admissions staff if those topics have not already been discussed or you would like more information.

After visiting all the finalist schools, consider your personal & family values – then match those to each school’s values.  The closer the match, the better the fit for your child and family.

Group admission open houses can be less intimidating.  However, individual tours can also address your specific questions.  Either way, walking around and visiting the school first hand will give you the best “feeling” for the school and fit for your child.