<p>In whatever grade you are applying for, make sure that it is what YOU want. This stands out to interviewers. Don't just have your parents do all the applications, and be the one driving the process. I'm not anything exceptional, I just am very driven and that's why I got in to the schools I got in to I think.</p>
<p>Secondly, do NOT buy in to the HADES GLADCHEM stuff. When applying, I read over and over on here not to apply or go to a school based on 'prestige', but rather fit, but I was stubborn. I only applied to top schools, and figured I'd go to whichever one accepted me and offered the most financial aid. This was a HORRIBLE way to decide on boarding school. Looking back, I wish I'd have looked in to other schools not in the HADES GLADCHEM range.. You will be very unhappy if you choose your school based on the name rather than your fit. I figured kids at all the schools would be the same, activities on weekends would be the same, and that it really didn't matter which I went to but I couldn't have been more wrong. So, if you take anything from reading this, please take that into consideration.</p>
<p>Thirdly, be aware that often these schools are made to sound like paradise. Do not get your expectations up too high or you'll only be let down. Boarding school IS amazing, and wonderful, and has all sorts of great people and opportunities that you can't get anywhere else, but it still is high school. There are cliques, you rarely get any time to yourself, teachers overload you with homework, almost every second of your day is scheduled except for friday night, saturday night, and sunday, and despite the beautiful campus and how much you might love your school, you do sometimes just want to be at your actual house with your parents. That might sound crazy to you right now, because I know if last November when I was applying I couldn't wait to get away from my parents and familiar hometown. But, you do from time to time miss it. SO. I do not mean to discourage or anything, there is no match to a boarding school education. I just recommend that you do not expect boarding school to be a utopia; everybody has days where they just lock themselves in their room and cry. It's a high stress environment. This being said, it is one that once you attend, you realize how lucky you are, and how much the positives of boarding school outweigh the negatives.</p>
<p>Good luck with applications, I hope you find your best fit school (:</p>
<p>Are you involved in sports and other ECs that will help you make friends? What do you mean by high stress environment, academics or social life? If you were to advise the newbs, what would you do differently?</p>
<p>Yep, I am. That’s the main way that you make friends, through your sports and ECs, but also dorm and in classes. I think my favorite part is the sports because no matter what school you go to, they’ll have a ton of school spirit
What I mean by high stress environment, academics, and social life is that you no longer are at a school where you are the smartest, most athletic, most popular, etc. This can be hard to face at first, or for me it was anyways. You get over it though and it helps you to push yourself more, but at the same time it IS very stressful trying to find the right friend group, get the best grades, do the best in sports, etc. </p>
<p>What I’d do differently…hmmm. With applying, I would have applied to more schools, and schools that better fit me. For this school year, I would have not just stuck to the friends I’ve made now, and branched out more. It’s not too late for that of course, but it’s easier to meet a lot of people at the beginning of the year so I would have probably gotten closer aquainted with more people.</p>
<p>thank you for writing a little insight to BS. During my visit to one of the schools with my daughter I did ask how well the kids adjusted to being away from home. I was told, yes they do get homesick especially during the winter months. There will be trying times and times when everyone else is going out on the weekend some kids just want to relax and lay around for the day. </p>
<p>We learned while visiting how important it is to actually see the schools. My daughter definitely learned what you guys mean by the “right fit”. </p>
<p>Much luck to you. Take time to enjoy the moment of actually being there. Fours years will fly by and you’ll be walking across the stage soon.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for writing xolaxxo. We also learned, luckily through visits, that fit is more important than prestige. With admission becoming more competitive, especially for FA applicants, it’s helpful to hear that prestige is not the be all and end all from a successful student and not a parent. </p>
<p>And yes, it is “still high school” with all the drama and disappointment and firsts that are an inevitable part of adolescence. Your ability to put all of this in context is truly extraordinary. I’m glad you’re getting a stellar education because you clearly have much to offer.</p>