I just finished grad school applications, and everything about the process reminded me of college confidential and how much help (and anxiety) I got from the forum when I applied to prep schools. So I thought I could volunteer to take questions here.
I was a boarder and applied to the likes of Andover, Hotchkiss, etc. I don’t know how much relevant application advice I could give, but hopefully I’ll have something interesting or helpful to share as a young alum. Best of luck with all your applications.
@lakeair Milton is one of the schools our DS is applying as a boarder, not sure if you were a day student or boarder but what can you tell us about your experience at Milton.
@ReluctantDad Yes, I was a boarder. First time living away from home.
I’d say the academic experience was superb. The teaching was far better than that at the Ivy League school that I went to for college. I didn’t have a good social experience though, but having spoken to friends who went to other boarding schools, I suspect it had more to do with our personalities than with the school (we were more cerebral/nerdy).
Academics: My English, History, and Biology teachers all changed my life. They really cared and took a ton of time to improve my writing. I hadn’t written many critical essays before boarding school, so coming to Milton was a huge change. They regularly met with me outside of class, and I improved a lot. I went to see them recently and almost burst into tears when they hugged me. 
Social: Milton’s location is great – 20 minutes away from Boston and from the airport. You might not think that’s a big deal, but there are schools like Hotchkiss that are hours away from a major airport. I went to the city every other weekend, and going to the museums and shows definitely enriched my experience. Now with Uber it’s probably even easier to go into the city. The downside, of course, is that I didn’t get to know half of the student body. If you make an effort you could probably get to know some of them really well. But from my personal experience it was much harder to befriend a day student than a boarder. I definitely wish Milton were 100% boarding, but at the same time I wouldn’t want to be in the middle of nowhere. That’s the tradeoff you have to make, I suppose. (I grew up in a big city, so location was a huge factor for me. It might not for a lot of families.)
Thank you
To which boarding schools did you apply & to which were you accepted ?
Why Milton ?
From which region of the country ?
Which Ivy ?
Thank you in advance.
To which boarding schools did you apply & to which were you accepted?
Applied to (if I recall correctly): Choate, Hotchkiss, Milton, Peddie, St. Paul’s, Andover, Exeter, Lawrenceville
Accepted to: Choate, Hotchkiss, Milton, Peddie
My old school was my “safety,” so I only applied to the most competitive ones.
Why Milton?
Coming from a big city, I wanted to be somewhere less rural. I was also looking for a good English/History program. Milton seemed a good fit. I do wish it’s 100% boarding though.
From which region of the country?
I might be overly protective of my identity, but I’m just going to say that I’m not from New England or California.
Which Ivy ?
One of {Harvard, Princeton, Yale}. (Again, I apologize for being vague.)
No problem. I sent you a PM if you preferred to respond privately.
As an adult poster/parent, I have often expressed concerns about boarding at a prep school with a significant day student population.
Are you applying to professional grad school (law /business/medicine) ?
how did a private school help you beyond high schoool