<p>I think interests such as playwriting are better followed in the summer. The academic load at boarding schools is intense, and many schools require students to do many other things at the same time. I don’t think you’ll find that you have more free time at a boarding school. Day students are not excused from sports, for example, and the students who are day students at boarding schools may leave school at 10 pm, and return by 8 am the next day. </p>
<p>In a summer program, you can concentrate on playwriting, and only playwriting. You also get to work with teachers who are specialists in your field of interest. [New</a> York City: Tisch School of the Arts at NYU](<a href=“Special Programs”>Special Programs) </p>
<p>Hawken is a great school. My sister graduated from Hawken and then went on to graduate from MIT. So I know the educational quality is top notch (or at least it was back then). Moving to Cleveland is a better option than moving to NE for many reasons.</p>
<p>Housing prices in NE are off the charts. We’re talking triple or quadruple what housing in Ohio goes for. We’re talking 2,000 sq ft houses start at half a million and rise rapidly. So unless your parents have deep pockets and can handle the mortgage AND the increased NE tax rates, moving close to a school so you can be a day student is not realistic.</p>
<p>I suspect reality and “sticker shock” is fueling their fears on top of concerns about your long-term health. </p>
<p>Even so - if you’re suffering from clinical depression and anxiety, pressure cooker schools are not going to be the best place for you. And they say that up front in a lot of literature. They’re not set up to handle it. </p>
<p>My suggestion - a pick a nurturing boarding school with a “learning center.” or stay closer to home. I do know of some families who found boarding schools that fit that bill with good success.</p>
<p>But trust me - even students who aren’t depressed are now dealing with anxiety and panic attacks (normal amount of it) because of the high work load and relentless schedule. </p>
<p>Give yourself a fighting chance. You can try it - I suppose - but Andover is massive (have you been on campus yet?). They take care of their own, but they start with students already able to handle the pressure with minimal need for intervention.</p>
<p>Have your doctor weigh in on the decision. If they don’t think it’s a wise move - I would listen to them.</p>
<p>Would being in a place where kids are just as advanced, and in some cases more so than you be stimulating and exciting or would it fuel your anxieties? At a school like Andover, and to a lesser extent Brooks, you are likely to no longer be at the top of the heap. Around here Geometry is the standard course for 9th grade honors students and some of the kids coming into your class will be repeating a year, so you may find that some of your classmates are ahead of you in math. The same will be true in Spanish. You’ll have classmates who have been studying Spanish as a foreign language since 1st or 2nd grade.</p>
<p>All this can be wonderful. It can help you elevate your game, so to speak. It can also be hard for kids who have been straight A students who all of a sudden find themselves struggling for Bs. Taking your personal history into account, would this be a problem for you?</p>