To answer this prompt, you need to ask yourself: what EXACTLY is Choate asking of me here?

If you really pay attention to this, you’ll notice that this prompt isn’t just asking for your favorite learning experience or part of your day. In fact, they’re also asking about what you value most in school.

Thus, it’s best to respond with a serious answer related to learning. So, “when the school day ends” or “when I take a bathroom break” probably isn’t going to cut it.

Instead, focus on a learning-related topic that demonstrates something positive about your character.

For instance, talking about the group project sessions will show Choate’s admissions officers your extroverted nature and willingness to work with others.

An answer like, “devouring the library during silent reading” could show your admissions officers your inquisitive nature alongside your willingness to dive deep into a topic you’re not familiar with —hence the library.

Remember: at the end of the day, the main goal of this prompt —along with most of Choate’s prompts— is to assess your character. So, write your essays to demonstrate the best parts of your character.

This prompt is a little tricky.

If we’re going to be very transparent here, it’s difficult to imagine anyone at the grades of 9-12 having any kind of earth-shattering contribution to the Choate community. Students attending a school are not expected to restructure its operations from the ground up. Not even college students are expected to do this for their university.

So, go with honesty. Show them both the big and small ways you’d like to engage and contribute to Choate. This can include things like engaging in clubs; or, it can involve soft traits like being an attentive listener to your peers.

Just need to make sure that whatever you choose to write about is predicated on truth. Don’t stretch the truth just to impress your admissions officers. They weren’t born yesterday!

Again, like in the previous section, be honest. Don’t just say what you think could “make” admissions officers like you. Rather, you want to demonstrate that while you really want to attend that you’re not going to bend your interests and desires just to get accepted.

Choate wants independent thinkers. And, if you can show that you’re someone who can fit in the community and that you’re even someone who would be a net positive to the school culture, you’re on the right path!

In this one, it’s okay if you don’t have some crazy activity you’ve done such as launching a rocket to Mars. You do, however, need to show admissions officers that you’re not someone who is just lazy and uncaring. Show them that you’ve used your time since the completion of the candidate profile.

These can be big achievements, sure. But, they can also be small ones such as learning on your own, starting a social media channel, or spending your time writing fiction. They don’t need to be forcefully “optimized” for maximizing your chances of admissions. Instead, they just need to be transparent and show the best, most interesting parts of your character.

Think about what your activity says about you as well. And, use that to your advantage to demonstrate your fit as a candidate. For instance, if you’re a writer in your off hours, you may say this demonstrates your creativity in forging your own stories. Additionally, it shows that you’re willing to utilize your creativity in a productive manner that can be shared with the world for others to enjoy –given that you’ll share it with others.

When answering this prompt, it’s helpful to consider your value system. A value system is a ranked list of things in life you value or consider important. Think about what you value in life; then, consider how Choate can help you achieve those goals.

Remember: you’re still young and have your whole life ahead of you. So, you aren’t going to be obligated to know EVERYTHING about what you want to do in the future. That would be presumptuous.

Instead you just want to write to the best of your degree how you think you will be able to manifest your dreams and aspirations better using an extra year at Choate.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re inspired to help others in need. Perhaps you also are creative and have a knack for business. Choate may help you connect with other like-minded individuals who can utilize the school’s vast resources as aspiring future entrepreneurs. This answer works well because it connects your dreams and goals with the school’s provided resources.

This is a fantastic prompt to answer.

Choate’s “standing up for something you believed in” prompt works well for students who want to show their character and personal values. And, depending on how creative you get with your chosen topic, you can really show a lot about your personal philosophy.

Here’s an example: you defend your passion for video games because you believe that video games actually have a major impact on the way we see storytelling and entertainment now and through the future. However, it’s only held back by the constant stigma it has for being considered “nerdy” and “antisocial.” This take can show your admissions officers that you truly value the seemingly rudimentary activities that most people don’t think too much about and even find value where most people don’t. It also shows them that you’re willing to extend good faith instead of just brushing it off nonchalantly.

Now, make no mistake. This essay can be quite tricky to answer. There are plenty of students who, in their standing up for something, may inexorably be placed in an ethical dilemma: especially when their defiance means disrespecting teachers or authority.

For instance: let’s say you support gay rights and trans rights. You have a teacher who continually makes sarcastic passive-aggressive jokes against the gay and trans students in the classroom. Your speaking up about this and defiance of your teacher may mean you really value equal respect for all. However, it also indicates you’re willing to start trouble rather than let the waters stay still. Thus, this subject must be treaded lightly in order to give admissions officers the right impression.

The key here is to demonstrate maturity despite the complicated nature of their predicament. Students may be put in a position where they must defy others, even if those figures happen to be adults or superiors. Nonetheless, this demonstration of solid and unwavering character in the face of adversity is exactly what Choate needs in its student body to truly constitute the best of the best students.

Alright, this question may sound a little tough; but, realistically it’s not all that bad.

The problem with this prompt is that students will often compare themselves to others. That is, they’ll think, “what kind of experiences or influences do I have that sound very powerful and dramatic —especially when I want something better than what others have?” Most students want a topic that will sound more dramatic than others.

This is not necessary. You don’t need to have a very profoundly unusual or extreme topic when answering the Choate prompt on influence. In fact, you can just write about simple topics that have shaped your experience.

It’s about how deep you go into your topic, not always about how interesting it sounds on the surface. After all, most people live decently normal lives. It’s great if you have an incredibly profound experience to talk about such as moving states or having a revelation during a near-death experience. But, it’s not demanded of you.

Here’s an example: let’s say you went to a tutoring and prep center. You attended this facility for extra tutelage to increase your academic performance; but, you realized that your performance actually dipped every since attending. Strangely, your tutor actually recommended you not do any of the homework or exercises in their center because they wanted you to take a break indefinitely until you recover. And, paradoxically, the lack of extra practice actually increased your academic performance. It taught you that learning how to portion out your efforts over time instead of just mindlessly working without a plan is a great way to improve your performance over time. This is actually a common problem a lot of students endure in their academic career; and, they don’t know how to truly portion their time wisely until they’ve learned to think for themselves beyond just the busywork of their tutoring centers.

Topics like these can show admissions officers a lot about your personality. In the example above, while it’s a common experience for most, you can describe how it taught you to be smart with your time. On a deeper level, it also teaches you the predatory nature of some learning institutions and how careful you must be with what you dedicate your learning to. It can even show you demonstrating more independence in your life, as you start to stray from outside educational institutions and tutoring centers while finding your own bearings in learning.

This is essentially a “Why Choate” prompt for the parents. However, there are a few important things to keep in mind about this prompt.

For starters: most students don’t decide where they want to attend. Most students simply follow what their family says. Sure. A lot of students can enter a rebellious streak during their teenage years. But, in the grand scheme of things, your kids are likely looking to you for where to apply to private school.

What does this mean for you? Well, it means you’ll have to describe in particular why YOU thought Choate was perfect for your child.

When answering the Choate “Why Us” parent statement prompt, try to go deeper than just the surface. If the teachers are great and the class sizes are smaller, think of WHY great teachers and small class sizes matter to your child.

However, one thing to keep in mind is that students also matter in the equation too. While most students simply follow what their parents say, it’s impressive to admissions officers if you include your child’s input on what they thought of Choate. This can show a sense of connection and healthy communication between you and your child, where their needs and desires are taken into account before you make any decision.

This question sounds rather straightforward, no?

Well, think again!

Choate’s family values parent statement prompt is —by virtue of the question’s structure— a bit of a trick question. The first half of the prompt implies that you ought to have instilled in your child some level of family values. However, the second half asks what Choate can provide to your child. So, the implication here is that whatever Choate can provide is likely something your household cannot fulfill.

That’s fine and all; after all, no family can instill every value —that’s what school is for. However, it also means you need to be very careful with what you answer this prompt with.

If you say something like “integrity” or “compassion,” the implication is that your existing family values could not teach integrity and compassion to your child.

So, what do we do?

The best way to answer the Choate “family values and qualities” parent statement is to make your family values broad while making the qualities your child can learn narrow. More specifically, show admissions officers how you teach your child broad life lessons and morals; and, Choate can further zero-in on them.

Here’s an example: You teach your child to pursue their dreams and make a big difference in the world because you know they’re special. And, Choate can teach your child how to more effectively support others and make a difference in the world by instilling entrepreneurial temperaments.

This works wonderfully since it still shows you have the integrity to teach your child meaningful lessons and values; but, it’s humble enough to admit that they can learn more in a higher institution like Choate.

This is… well, also kind of a trick question. Gosh, Choate really likes tripping us up, huh?

The tricky part about this question is the “you” statement. That is, Choate asks what YOU think is the most significant moment of your child’s life. However, this is inexorably tied up with what your child also thinks. You can’t really answer the prompt without fully having both you and your child’s opinion bound together. If it’s just what you think, it’s devoid of your child’s individual wants and desires.

This requires you to demonstrate empathy for what your child is interested in and what they consider.

So, don’t have presumptuous responses like, “The most important moment in my child’s life is…”

Rather, phrase your response like, “I discovered that my child truly values ‘x’ a lot in their life. And, it’s because of their value in ‘x’ that I believe their most valuable experience is ‘y’.”

By doing this, you’re essentially taking on a more empathic and understanding approach to your opinions of your child’s life. It’s gentler and less presumptuous of their own life; and, this helps you show Choate that you’re someone who has the maturity to think alongside your child rather than impose your will on them.

Again, the same rule applies here as it does in the previous Choate parent statement prompt: don’t be presumptuous.

You must consider what your child also believes makes for a successful high school experience. For, if you two are aligned ideologically, it demonstrates you’re both on the same page and won’t have a conflict of interest.

If you just say that you believe success in high school means good grades and being well-liked in school, who is to say your child agrees? What if they care more about the creative liberty they can take in an educational institution, and they value things differently from you? This can be an incongruency in educational belief; and, it may further impact students negatively.

If you show admissions officers that both you and your child are aligned, Choate will be more likely to trust that your child is someone who is not conflicted in interest with their parents.

For some reason, a lot of people seem to answer this question talking about what makes the school great. But, the problem with that is Choate already knows how great they are! After all, most schools like Choate, Deerfield, Andover, and Exeter are some of the best schools in the nation.

If anything, Choate is asking here for what YOU think is exciting about Choate and would greatly benefit YOU and YOUR child.

So, in other words, this is a very subjective question that demands nuance and carefully constructed opinion. Try to explain some of the resources available at Choate and how (in your opinion) those can really help your child manifest as the best version of themselves.

Don’t be afraid to tread abstraction, either. Most people see Choate and other top private schools as a springboard into prestigious institutions. But, there are less tangible ways that Choate can benefit your child. To start, your child may be very bright but simply have no one else to share the same love of academic rigor, curiosity, and challenge. By integrating into a challenging yet exciting ecosystem like Choate, you’d be letting your child nurture their existing natural curiosity and learning temperament —rather than letting it die by unuse.

There are plenty of qualitative elements outside of tangible benefits that make Choate a great choice. So, don’t forget the importance of these.

Here’s the thing. This prompt is a major, major asset. Choate’s background information prompt is not limited to academic, cultural, medical, personal, religious, social, or COVID-related topics. These are simply examples.

So, practically everything is on the table.

Now, the topic you choose for this prompt will determine how strong your response is. But, the great thing about this prompt is that it gives you a lot of flexibility. You can choose to write about practically anything.

Had lower performance in school and need to explain it? Sure.

Had emergencies regarding the passing of a family member? Go right ahead.

Have particular cultural nuances that you believe actually make you a stronger candidate because the cultural expectations have placed extra responsibilities on you? Hey, great! Go for it!

Your response does not have to explain the negative aspects of your child’s profile. You can also describe positive things. Or, if you’re creative, you can spin the seemingly negative aspects into something positive. For instance, if your child was diagnosed with ADHD but can still perform well in school, you may actually explain how the initial weakness could be turned into a strength because ADHD taught your child how to exercise true discipline over impulse.

There’s just one rule to this: no excuses.

That’s right. Don’t make this part of the parent statement a sob-fest. This is not the time and place for that. After all, your admissions officers weren’t born yesterday. They can smell emotional manipulation via sob stories from a mile away. This is your time to be trustworthy, honest, and forthright. Trust us: trying to bend and pretzel words in a way that would “make” admissions officers accept students or overlook weaknesses is not a good look!