What exactly do top private high schools and middle schools want from applicants?

In short, private high schools and middle schools want students who have it all:

• Top ERB (ISEE) or SSAT scores
• Excellent grades
• Strong extracurriculars
• Impressive student interviews
• Well written and interesting essays

As you might expect, private schools look for the same qualities and experiences from students that colleges seek, but on a more junior level.

Private schools also don’t mind parents who add a certain something to their application pool:

• Interesting professions
• Unusual backgrounds
• Connections, wealth, and volunteering time