1 out of 5
| Trustworthy | |
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| Customer Service | |
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| Recommend | |
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Dunbar Don’t.
Dunbar worked with my daughter. Dunbar directed to which schools she should apply.
Dunbar worked with her on the application. Dunbar reviewed what to emphasize and
how to present herself during the interview.
My daughter, ranked in the top 10 to 15% of her class, with 93% SSATs, native
speaking and writing skills for both Mandarin and English, piano, soccer and excellent to
superb recommendations (in parent teacher conferences, teachers routinely said they
wished everyone was like my daughter and they had only great things to say).
Dunbar said my daughter was a “pleasure to work with,” and told her they “[felt]
confident you will have some exciting choices in March!”
Dunbar recommended 8 schools. On the March 10 th day schools offered places, my
daughter was rejected out of hand by 4. Waitlisted by 4. Accepted nowhere.
We think 20 people from her school and grade applied to boarding schools in the US and
Europe. With Dunbar’s assistance, my 93% SSAT, piano and soccer playing, dual
language, top 15% of class daughter gets zero acceptances by the April 10 th day students
are supposed to commit.
Classmates with equivalent records or worse, all graduating from the same very small
school in Hong Kong, are matriculating at all of Andover, Exeter, Choate, Groton, St.
Marks, Loomis Chaffee, Northfield Mt. Herman, Milton, Westminster, Taft, Millbrook
and Lawrenceville. That’s just schools in the northeast.
So out of 20 students with equivalent, maybe a few better and a fair number worse
SSATs and academic records, 12 will be attending prestigious schools in the northeast,
60%. Who knows what the ratio of acceptances would be when California, other parts of
the US, UK and Europe are included. Not Dunbar. Dunbar couldn’t get my daughter
accepted anywhere by the 10 April day to commit. Not. Accepted. Anywhere.
A contrast: Where Dunbar couldn’t get my daughter accepted anywhere by the 10 April
day to commit, my son’s educational consultant got my daughter beautifully happily
placed in one week – by 6 April or so, ahead of the 10 April day to commit.
Dunbar did get a place for my daughter April 11, the day after the April 10 deadline for
students to commit or lose their place. When Dunbar couldn’t succeed when every space
was open I had little to no confidence in what would happen when schools were full.
With the wonderful place for my daughter in hand that my son’s educational consultant –
not Dunbar - secured, we didn’t wait. We took that space April 10 and are overjoyed.
Thanks again to my son’s educational consultant. Not Dunbar.
Dunbar claims it was just a “competitive year.” This is a cop-out answer— every year is
a competitive year. They would never tell a student accepted to Phillips-Exeter that they
got in because it was an easy year.
What does it say about Dunbar when 60% will attend prestigious Northeastern US
boarding schools while someone ranked in the top 3 in all her classes, dual language,
great (again based on teacher feedback) references, sports and getting 93% on the SSAT
who used Dunbar gets no choices at all?
What’s the difference between success and failure? All those other students didn’t use
Dunbar. And got in, often with multiple acceptances where they had their choice of
which prestigious boarding school to attend. My daughter used Dunbar and got 4
rejections (50%) the Mar 10 day schools announced their decision, zero acceptances by
the Apr 10 day to commit and when it was too little too late, 1 acceptance April 11, the
not terribly helpful day after one had to commit.
Remove Dunbar and look again where just a partial list of the prestige Northeast US
boarding schools my daughter’s classmates’ will be attending this fall: Andover, Exeter,
Choate, Groton, St. Marks, Loomis Chaffee, Northfield Mt. Herman, Milton,
Westminster, Taft, Millbrook and Lawrenceville.
All her friends’ acceptances and zero for her? Humiliating. It broke her heart.
To her credit after a night sobbing, while her friends got school merch, congratulatory
emails and phone calls and chatted about their bright futures savoring which of the many
wonderful courses they’d select, my daughter listened cared, shared enthusiasm and
celebrated for her friends.
Nothing for her.
It broke my heart.
Parents of the class of 2027 – don’t let your child suffer like mine. Don’t pay for advice
that leads nowhere – perhaps to even worse results than you’d get on your own (and
certainly worse than all those 12 students matriculating at the schools listed above;
certainly worse than my son’s educational consultant who found an excellent place for
my daughter in one week and before the deadline). Don’t let your child work for advice
that provides zero places at the 10 April date to commit. Don’t let your child cry all night
long when all his or her friends get acceptances.
Your child deserves better. Mine sure did.