Fieldston High School’s admissions process is incredibly competitive, with only thirty-five spots for over four-hundred applicants. With a calculated 9% acceptance rate and the lowest number of spots out of any Hill School, Fieldston’s competitive nature is comparable to that of many Ivy League colleges. But how does a school that boasts an “everybody wins” mentality, choose the eighth grade students for the rising freshman class?
To begin the process, students submit their standardized test scores, recommendations from both their English and Math teachers, their school transcript, and the principal’s student evaluation form. “I like to think of all of the required credentials are equal pieces to the same pie that are weighed equally. They also don’t exist in a vacuum and they’re all considered together. A student who maybe didn’t do well on an exam might simply not be a good test taker, so there’s a lot of consideration that goes into each piece.” said Admissions Director, Tyler Fereira. The Admissions Committee works their hardest this mantra throughout the process, trying to find students who fit the mission of the school best, not just the top of their class.
One of the most important pieces of this search is the interview conducted with the student and their family. Interviewers, consisting of the high school deans, the admissions team, and other volunteers, try to ask a wide range of questions to get a sense of who this kid is. “You can usually tell through an interview if students are uncomfortable with the fact that we tend to be very conversational at Fieldston to be an activist in our community. If that’s not something they love, it probably won’t be a good fit for them and for us,” said Form VI Dean Anthony Marro.
When every interview is completed, every student’s resume is given to two different members of the admissions committee to review. In the early winter, the committee consisting of the four high school deans, the eighth grade dean, administrators, and the admissions staff, meet to discuss each candidate. As they go down the list of students, the two faculty members who reviewed their application advocate whether or not the student should be admitted.
The committee tries to balance the voice of the student, teachers, and parents, while also trying to figure out who the applicant is. “I always joke, remember to look under the staple because there’s a lot of information there and it’s really important to put all the different pieces together,” said Admissions Director Tyler Fereira.
One of the criticisms that the Admissions team faces, however, is how often students with connections to the school gain a major advantage in the process. For the class of 2021, 52% of the students admitted were connected to the community, while only 8% of students were admitted without a connection. Although this may seem unfair to some, the policy is made clear on the admissions page of Fieldston website: “sibling, alumni, and faculty/staff applications are given special consideration during the admissions process. ECFS prefers to keep families together; however, admission is not automatic.” Fieldston is a community oriented school and Fereira believes that admitting students from these families only helps to fulfill the school’s mission.
Regardless of what captured the attention of the Admissions committee, these thirty-five new students will have something important to contribute to the high school. These students challenge Fieldston in the best way possible and push our school with their curiosity and individual motivation rather than their scores. For Fereira, this is the moment when his work is most fulfilling. “When you see all of the students come together for the first time as a group, it’s really special to see the work come together. It’s great to see how much potential they have and how ready they are to challenge our school and our community in the best way,” said Fereira.
