Hello,
I plan on applying to a boarding school this year. I live about an hour away from this said boarding school, and so my town is just out of range where I could be a day student. However, my parents really don’t want me to board, and so in my application, I plan on petitioning my application as a day student (something the website says to do). My question is, even though I am supposed to be a boarding student, would applying as a day student be a negative for me as far as admissions is concerned? Any response is appreciated.Thanks.
A day student doesn’t require a bed, so there’s one major constraint that is removed for admitting a day student.
But admit probability issue aside, you need to look at the % of day students. Are there a large number of them? If not, you will likely be missing out socially.
How long is the typical day for the students there? Boarding schools often require some afternoon extracurricular activity, and many schools have Saturday classes. That means long days and Saturday commuting. Personally, I would not want my kids to be a day student at a boarding school.
When I was a freshies, I roomed with a guy who lived 20 miles away. I guess it was a strain on his family, because the next year he lived at home as a day student. He hated it. The year after, he came back to campus. This was my best friend.
The kids I remember as “normal” day students all lived in or near town. I think a long commute would be hard, socially and otherwise.
YMMV
I’d be surprised if the school would ok your petition. Commuting an hour each way on top of the rigorous academic workload, school meetings, sports, ECs, etc really isn’t doable at most schools.
There are quite a few students at my DD’s school who commute about 45 minutes away. We are lucky, living less than 15 minutes away. I agree that anything longer than 45 minutes would make it hard to fully participate in all that the school has to offer. However, if that is what your parents are willing to accept at this point, apply as a day student. Hopefully, your parents are supporting your application and will help you get to and from school. Be prepared to stay on campus until the early evening hours to take advantage of social activities, sports, club meetings and study groups with teachers. If this is your dream, make it work!