Riding the high school application roller-coaster

Our daughter, Ariella, is in 8th grade this year.

For those of you living abroad this simple statement probably doesn't mean much.  But most of the Israelis reading along are probably already nodding their heads in kinship and empathy... because they know that 8th grade is the year of the high school application nightmare.

High school in Israel begins in 9th grade, and the application process and accompanying pressures are roughly triple what I remember from my days of applying to university.  Not only are kids not automatically guaranteed a spot in the local high school... but the nearest school may not have anything appropriate to offer a particular child.

There are specialty high schools that focus on just about any subject you can think of, ranging from engineering to theater arts.  There are high schools with higher academic standards... and those which are what one might euphemistically call 'safety schools'.

Unlike, say, in the U.S. where a university student with four more semesters before graduation might still not have decided on a major, most Israeli high school kids will not only have narrowed down their choice of potential high schools based on knowing 'what they want to do when they grow up', but they will likely carry a double, or even triple, major to increase the chances of getting a good 'package' (a firm written offer of a desirable and/or prestigious job/unit) in the army and of being a better candidate for university.

The pressure begins towards the beginning of the school year with the discussion of what schools are out there.  The students, teachers and parents begin building lists of schools to which applications will be submitted.  Some will be local... others might be in a nearby city or even at the other end of the country (requiring a dormitory stay).    Each student is encouraged to narrow their focus to four or five schools, with one or two being their 'top choices' and at least one being a 'safety school' in case nothing else works out.

Countless hours are spent on student-teacher and parent-teacher meetings where the student's strong and weak points are picked over with little tact or sentimentality.  There are endless 'parent's evenings' where each school gets an opportunity to explain their education philosophy, goals, curriculum and the kind of graduates they strive to produce... as well as why they only accept the best of the best.

Once the applications are filled out (with fees, of course), admission exams are administered, transcripts and recommendations are submitted, and the waiting and speculation begins in earnest. During this period of relative inactivity, parents and students spend countless hours discussing how many spots each school has open for incoming students in the coming year and how many kids applied to compete for those spots.

Those who pass the first stage of the selection process at a given school are invited in for face-to-face interviews.  Sometimes the interviews are conducted in a group format (meaning several perspective students being interviewed at once by a panel of school staff) and sometimes it is just the lone student facing the panel.

Ariella applied to four schools; three 'elite'  (meaning very competitive) schools and one safety school (a good, but relatively new school with somewhat more flexible admission standards).

So far she has gotten a rejection letter from one of the elite schools (which kicked off an evening of inconsolable tears and self-flagellation), and one acceptance letter from another elite school (resulting in euphoria, dancing and more tears... this time from happiness and sheer relief).

We haven't heard from the other elite school or the safety school yet.  This complicates things since the acceptance to the one school is contingent upon returning a letter of intent and a hefty deposit (by registered mail) by the beginning of next week.

What if we don't hear from the other elite school by then?  Will we regret making a hasty decision?  Do we hold out for the other elite school and risk having Ariella end up attending her safety school if the other elite school doesn't accept her???

I may not live through this process.