Getting In An Insider's Guide to the Bay Area's Private High Schools

Outside of New York City, there is nowhere else in America more competitive than the Bay Area. This place we proudly call home is awash with an extremely impressive population of brilliant students, all dying to secure a coveted spot at a top-notch school of their choice. As a result, applying to private high schools in the Bay Area is intense, complex and emotionally draining. You need all the help you can get with creating a customized list of schools, booking admissions events in a timely manner, touring a variety of "good fit" schools, writing crisp, authentic and meaningful essays, properly completing all applications, filling out complicated financial aid forms and most importantly effectively collaborating with your child.

Luckily, this book that you are currently holding in your hands contains expert advice and nuggets of wisdom, combined with practical tips and tricks. As a private school graduate, a private school teacher and a private school parent (with a Master's in Education, no less), consider me the ultimate insider, ready and eager to pass my decades of knowledge on to you. I will not only be advising you based on my years of expertise as an educational consultant, but I will be providing the most up-to-date information as a tried-and-true confidant, sharing personal pitfalls, triumphant moments and insightful, boots-on-the-ground stories along the way.

I grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, where exceptional high schools are the norm and elite universities are a dime a dozen. As a young girl, I embraced the New England core values of hard work and the pursuit of intellectual excellence, immersed in the world of private schools: The Park School, Milton Academy and Middlebury College. Eventually, I earned my Master's degree in Education in 1996, then moved to San Francisco, ready to work hard and put my teaching skills to the test. As luck would have it, I was quickly hired as a substitute teacher by several independent schools (San Francisco Day School, Chinese American International School and International) but ultimately chose to teach at ABC, a Japanese bi-lingual preschool as the English teacher.

During my first few months on the job, I consistently witnessed preschool parents freaking out about applying to kindergarten; they frantically whispered about touring, they endlessly fretted about essay writing and they openly panicked about interviewing with admissions directors. Because I had first-hand knowledge of their children and because I had inside information about these school communities, I got to work. I met parents at the local coffee shop after school and started unofficially teaching them about the application process.

After several years of successfully coaching on the side, I finally decided to quit my teaching job and make private school placement counseling my full-time profession. When my eldest daughter was ready to apply to local private high schools, I discovered that my reliable tips, tricks and strategies for applying to K-8 schools were also applicable in this new higher education landscape. Throughout that year, I also picked up new pointers and learned invaluable lessons, while simultaneously creating improved coaching techniques for future eighth grade students and their families. Now, as a seasoned veteran, I'm excited to share my knowledge with you and your family.