<p>So how does one go about determining the "general reputation" of any given school? The brochures are all lovely, everyone is happy, smiling, and drug-free. I know I can search on this site for the school name and read the individual posts, but sometimes I find that a bit tedious as there are about 20 pages in each search listing every post about accepted/waitlisted/denied. </p>
<p>Are there other web sites which discuss life at boarding school?</p>
<p>I am comfortable with one of the schools my daughter is applying to - because we have had several meetings with them and a lengthy campus tour. The other school we will not be able to visit at this point (scheduling issues). On paper it looks fine, but we all know there are other intangible things about each school that could have bearing on life at school.</p>
<p>I am not asking about the so-called "tier I" schools. There is plenty out there on that..... just wondering if my fellow CC'ers had any other sources they care to share!</p>
<p>Suggest you identify school and see if current or former students/parents will PM you. </p>
<p>Or, there is a thread in which parents willing to share about a school offer to do so; advanced search could bring that up, or scroll subject lines. </p>
<p>Or, as has been suggested often, do the research yourself that uncovers real life at the BS through its student newspaper, videos, Flickr, etc.; usually you can find links off of the official website.</p>
<p>Hi,
We learned a lot by looking at videos on youtube. Sometimes these videos have been put up by the students (vs. made by the school) and so it’s possible to get a better feel of student life.</p>
<p>Boarding school review.com gives a snapshot of each school and a number of schools have reviews by former students, usually fairly lengthy reviews.</p>
<p>We also found YouTube videos helpful, along with trying to access parent/student newsletters, student handbook, and class schedules.</p>
<p>We did not go by official pronouncements, videos, etc., except for the first glance.</p>
<p>The more you look, the more you will find and you will begin to be able to read between the lines. It’s definitely an involved process. Think about what process you might use if you were planning a trip to a faraway place without any personal experience with the place or a friend who had been there. Wouldn’t you put in hours of research? It’s worth it. Search engines are your friends.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone! Good ideas. I have done some of this already, but I confess I somehow missed the student reviews on Boardingschoolreview.com! Thanks for the tip.</p>
<p>Student reviews generally don’t give the fairest perspective into the average student life at a BS because they are usually written by graduates who absolutely LOVE the school or HATE it. Your average student wouldn’t be bothered to write one.</p>
<p>I agree with MBVLoveless that the student reviews on Boarding School Review should not be decisive. Students who post their reviews are usually either the most successful students, or those who work closely with the admissions office.</p>
<p>I would regard anything posted on social media sites as unsubstantiated gossip, unless it links to a news report. (Yes, I’m aware of the irony.) Some schools totally ignore social media, other than enthusiastic students or parents. Some schools keep close tabs on their social media profile. I think the only online site the schools update at times is boarding school review, although I think schools have to pay (?) so it may not be a priority. In either case, a school’s social media profile is not necessarily a good reflection of the schools.</p>
<p>It’s also important to keep everything in perspective. People will refer to old scandals. The old scandals may have no relation to how a school functions now. People can also hold grudges against schools which don’t accept them or their relatives. </p>
<p>If your child is a good candidate for her favorite schools, she may be accepted to several. Attend all revisit days. Talk with the parents. You may notice the same families attending the same revisit days you attend. At a revisit day, you may hear things about the atmosphere at other schools on your list. It is fairly common for families to have children at different private schools. The children also keep in contact with their friends who attend different schools through social media. (Take anything a teenager tells you about their archrival school with a grain of salt. )</p>
<p>Also, contact the parents and students the schools pair with you after acceptance, even those associated with schools you think are low on your list. It takes time, but the parents and students can be quite forthright in phone calls.</p>
<p>“the student reviews on Boarding School Review should not be decisive” Did anybody suggest that? That would indeed be foolish. NO source of information should be decisive!</p>
<p>How is getting random information from unknown families at revisit day more reliable than from a student review on boardingschoolreview.com? Periwinkle suggests getting information from school parents the admissions office fixes you up with. Do you think a school will hook you up with anything but a very enthusiastic satisfied family??</p>
<p>I never said read the student reviews, they’re the gospel truth. They are one source among many. And frankly, having had 2 children at 2 different boarding schools 20 years apart, I think well-written student reviews actually are one of the better sources.</p>
<p>A person should never just use a source to rate a school from 1 to 10. Rather, read between the lines, pick up on little things mentioned in passing, and use that information to trigger further inquiry.</p>
<p>My advice was to seek out ALL sources of information, not to decide beforehand which sources are best. When you search far and wide and sift through enough information you begin to see the truth.</p>
<p>I don’t know if schools have to pay to be on boardingschoolreview.com, but I know from personal experience that the information can be out of date (thinking statistics here–a school we thought was a “safety” based on posted stats turned out to be much more exclusive).</p>
<p>I have to admit that I’ve never been to a revisit day, but I would personally put that low in ranking of sources for information. Everything about revisit day is geared to win you over. It’s like getting your free night at a timeshare and listening to their spiel. Now mind you, I’m not saying don’t bother going, but take it with as much of a grain of salt as going on facebook, reading reviews on cc or elsewhere, etc.</p>
<p>Having attended more than 5 revisit days, I emphatically disagree with your opinion. The schools can’t control the families, and parents can be quite frank about their opinions of schools. They will share opinions with other parents which they won’t publish on an open internet forum.</p>
<p>I’m not the only poster on this forum to have noticed this. Here’s a post from “Garrity,” who posted in 2007:
<p>Also note that several newspaper articles have a habit of appearing and, ah, disappearing from this forum lately. Schools can and do monitor their online reputation.</p>
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