<p>I thought that we probably just had 'crossed wires' or whatever. That makes sense, and is definitely true. However, going to an American public school, and I tell people that I like to think that I learned to think despite of my schooling.
But, doesn't boardinggoaler live in the United States?</p>
<p>No.. in Korea.</p>
<p>But boardingoaler goes to an international school.</p>
<p>Doesn't matter.. if you read the research paper, it explains how some teachers (from America, etc.) who teach in these international schools become frusturated with the education system/lack of critical thinking and many quit.. obviously not all, but it says a lot about the schools.</p>
<p>blairt- i assure you that my school is very different from those that you read in your research papers- please note that there are always exceptions. our school is definately not based on short term memorizing but more on the understanding, and i think it has a wonderful system, yet behind in quite a few subjects. i believe that many asians, including myself, are perfectly capable of critical thinking, and you would be surprised at how much koreans get from critical thinking rather than from memorizing....</p>
<p>and yes, prettyckitty: i do go to an international school in korea! buttt, hopefully, i'll be able to breeze past the interview: i'm quite loquacious, and i believe with a few pointers, i can do fine...</p>
<p>Blairt-but thank you for your kind interest and concern over the matter! you sure do know your philosophy!! =)</p>
<p>Of course. My point was that to survive at a top BS, you need to love to learn. It can't be a chore.. you won't survive that way. The kids who get in are the ones who read and study on their own time and who study ahead of the class at school, etc. just for the "fun" of it. I brought this up because when you mentioned studying it sounded to me like you do the minimum only to get a good grade. That's all.</p>
<p>boardinggoaler -- I just wanted to say thank you for not including the ..., and the hahaha stuff in this last post. It made the post easier for adults to read and understand -- and you sound much more intelligent!</p>
<p>In general, International Schools were created for US ex-pats in foreign countries. They follow US teaching styles and curriculum. Way back in the dark ages many of them were called "American Schools" but "International School" became the popular name choice because the student body is very international. Unless things have changed drastically, the unifying element is the US curriculum and teaching style. </p>
<p>The OP is attending an International School, and not a typical Korean school.</p>
<p>boardinggoaler,</p>
<p>I'm a consultant who works with american as well as korean students. I'd recommend applying to some less competitive schools in addition to those you like.</p>
<p>You see, each school only takes a few new students from Korea each year. This is because of limits on their visas and because they don't want any language or country to be more than a certain percentage of the school. So considering that, you aren't competing against the American students at all. Andover, for example, might have room for 2 9th grade boys and 2 9th grade girls from Korea. They will receive about 500-1000 applications for those 4 spots. So a lot of it really is LUCK. Many of the Korean candidates are excellent and it just becomes a numbers game.</p>
<p>Even Williston Northampton, a less competitive school, receive 520 applications from Korean for 5 9th grade spots. They stopped mailing applications to Korean at a certain point because they just didn't want to waste the applicants time. </p>
<p>Many Korean families are now sending their kids to US boarding schools in 6th, 7th and 8th grade, so that when they apply to the top tier prep schools they have a better chance of being one of those very few students chosen.<br>
I'm not telling you this to discourage you, but just so that you know how difficult it is, and so that you might make things easier on yourself by choosing a few schools that are less popular with Koreans.</p>
<p>If you broaden your search and include some other schools you will increase your chances of finding a spot for yourself in a US school.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you hsmomstef! I was just clarifying to blairt that i WAS NOT just studying just for the sake of the "BS pride." I very much enjoy studying, and consider it to be a great pleasure in my life (that is, after socialing with friends). =) Although I may not have any athletic background, I am quite confident in the interview sect, having many experiences with interviews before, the most recent being the one for my international school application. thank you edconsultant22 for your friendly advice, but i do realize how much competition I am up to- in my international school, even the most "unlikely" kids try just to "get in", although I disagree with most of them in saying that going to BS isn't just about "getting in." While most of the kids trying to go to BS in my environment consider it a game and are considering going to "play and get away from home," my reason is because my international school provides a very limited curricular and social environment. Not only do we lag behind in curriculum, but the diversity of our student and teacher body, as well as our school clubs and groups (not to mention the competition within) are very limited. Because the teachers are chosen from a very small selection, most of the teachers are underqualified as well. I believe that boarding school can help me the most by providing an education for me that I am sure I will be able to use and learn to the fullest extent to reach my goals. Although I may not be the "Miss Perfect" of everything out there, I believe I have my own advantages and believe I can contribute any school's program, being a very enthousiastic, eager learner. If anybody has any suggestions on a) getting OUT of a waiting list if I get stuck in one, b) any schools that are great but not as competitive as choate, andover, etc., or c) ANY other comments or advice you have for me, PLEASE POST!! Thank you!</p>
<p>That last post shows promise of your writing a good essay.</p>