Cardinal Education is an independent educational consulting company. We are not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with any public or private school.
Our experienced admissions consultants know how to navigate the boarding school admission process for Asian American students.
St. Mark’s School is an independent, coeducational day and boarding school that prepares students in grades 9 through 12 for college. It was founded in 1865 and is located in Southborough, Massachusetts. It provides pupils with an outstanding academic program that fosters intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, and independent learning. Students take various advanced classes to build upon their academic foundations. St. Mark’s School is renowned for its outstanding athletic programs, which include hockey, soccer, football, fencing, lacrosse, and many others. There is also a robust arts program, and many students have chosen to pursue professions in the arts because of the training they received at St. Mark’s. There are numerous opportunities for community engagement where students develop leadership skills and social awareness.
Admission to St. Mark’s School, one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the nation, can be challenging for Asian Americans, especially if you are unfamiliar with the boarding school admissions process. Admissions officers are seeking candidates who can successfully complete the demanding academic program. Early planning is essential if you intend to apply. All of the essential components of the application process are covered by our boarding school admissions consulting to make you a competitive applicant. Our tutors help students improve their grades and GPAs through tutoring. We have subject tutors available in person or online. To help students develop their executive function skills for a successful academic life, our academic coaches provide one-of-a-kind academic coaching. We have writing tutors in our signature Program who can assist with essays and personal statements. Let us help you strategize and prepare for the St. Mark’s admissions process:
1. Application Form
2. Parent/Guardian Statement
3. Personal Statement
4. Transcript
5. Recommendation Forms
6. Interview
7. SSAT/ISEE
8. Graded Writing Sample
We help our students from beginning to end and celebrate our wins together.
Practice Test
Consultation
Test Prep Tutor
Assessments and Feedback
Connect with us to learn more about the admissions process.
(888) 521-5243
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Independent Admissions Consultants for St. Mark’s School
Cardinal Education is a world-class educational consulting firm specializing in boarding school admissions, private school admissions, and college counseling. It was formally founded in 2006 by Stanford alumnus Allen Koh as a Bay Area tutoring firm. After several years, he felt the need to expand his business to provide families with a more holistic education through educational consulting services. Now, it is one of the world’s leading admissions consulting firms, trusted by the world’s most sophisticated and affluent families. We have earned our place through our honesty, integrity, decision-making strategies, and high acceptance rate. No one knows boarding schools better than us. We understand what admissions officers look for in Asian American candidates and what it takes to stand out. Differentiation is the key to success. With our one-on-one admissions consulting, we get to know your family, understand your goals, and create an individualized program that meets your needs. Together, we will help you navigate the St. Mark’s School application process successfully and with less stress.
BOARDING SCHOOL ADMISSIONS CONSULTANTS
As trusted admissions consultants, we offer the best boarding school admissions consulting and college counseling services that inspire students to reach their full potential.
(888) 521-5243
Address: 25 Marlboro Road Southborough, MA, 01772
St. Mark’s School Admissions Website: https://www.stmarksschool.org/admission
Student Population: 377 (74% boarding | 26% day)
Average Class Size: 11
Student-Teacher Ratio: 6:1
Open House and Event Dates: Fall Admission Open House
September 28, 2024
Admission Info Session and Fall Game Day
October 19, 2024
Explore St. Mark’s Day
November 5, 2024
Athletics Info Session and Winter Game Day
December 11, 2024
Spring Admission Open House
May 10, 2025
Fall Info Session and Game Day
October 25, 2025
Interview and Tour Times
Our tour and interview times are below. Please let us know which date and time you would like to visit for your tour** and interview. All times are Eastern.
September 23, 2024 – January 31*, 2025
Sunday: Closed
Monday: 8:30, 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 8:30, 11:00 a.m., 12:55, 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 9:30, 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
Thursday: 8:30, 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:30, 10:00, 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m.
Saturday***: 9:00, 10:15, a.m.
*Please contact our office no later than January 5 to book an appointment:
For appointment dates between January 1 – 15, applicants must submit their candidate profile section of the application and application fee before scheduling. It is expected that they make their best effort to complete and submit their entire application by the January 15 application deadline.
For appointment dates between January 15 – 31, applicants must submit their entire application before scheduling their appointment. Interviews conducted between January 15-31 will be by Zoom only and tours will not be available.
**If you are unable to visit our campus to tour in person, video tours are available here and you can schedule a Zoom interview. Contact the admission office at 508.786.6118 or admission@stmarksschool.org to book your Zoom interview appointment after submitting your inquiry and completing the English Proficiency Requirement if applicable. Not all appointment times are available for Zoom interviews.
***Not all Saturdays are available for appointments. Families outside of Massachusetts will be accommodated first for our limited Saturday appointments. The 2024 Saturday options are September 14, September 21, October 5, November 2, November 9, and November 16.
St. Mark’s will be closed October 21-22 for Family Weekend, for Thanksgiving Break from November 23 to December 2 and for Winter Break from December 20 to January 7.
Application Deadline: January 15, 2025
Testing Policy: The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) is required. For more information on registration and test dates, call SSATB in Princeton, NJ at 609.683.4440 or via the web at http://www.ssat.org/.
To ensure St. Mark’s receives your official score report, our SSAT school code is: 6730.
Domestic applicants may submit the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) in lieu of the SSAT. For more information on registration and test dates, call ERB at 800.989.3721 or via the web at http://www.erblearn.org/.
To ensure St. Mark’s receives your official score report, our ISEE school code is: 570103.
Please review our English Language Proficiency Requirement information to determine if the TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic, and Vericant are required for you.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)* is required of all applicants whose primary language is not English. For more information, call TOEFL at 609.771.7100 or via the web at http://www.toefl.com/.
To ensure St. Mark’s receives your official score report, our TOEFL school code is: 9222.
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS)* may be submitted in lieu of the TOEFL if you have an overall band score of 7.5 or higher. For more information, call IELTS at 323.255.2771 or via the web at http://www.ielts.org/.
To ensure St. Mark’s receives your score report, please remember to ask your test center to submit your scores electronically to our institution. An institutional code is not required. No paper test forms will be accepted.
*St. Mark’s does not accept DuoLingo, iTEP SLATE, SLEP, TOEFL Essentials or TOEFL Jr. tests.
Essay Questions: Parent Questions, Student Short Answer Questions and Student Essays are available on Gateway to Prep and Standard Application Online (SAO) admissions portal.
Interview Importance: High
St. Mark’s School College Counseling Department: https://www.stmarksschool.org/academics/college-counseling