Boarding school, chances and DRUGS

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hey, so I am currently a sophomore, hoping to finish up my sophomore and junior years at my current school, and then transfer to a boarding school to repeat eleventh and move onto twelfth grade.</p>

<p>In ninth grade, I went to a public school, where I had a 3.95 gpa, and took Geometry, Biology, Adolescent Psychology, Global History, Honors English, Spanish, and Career and Financial management. In eighth grade I also took two high school courses, Honors Earth Science and Honors Integrated Algebra. </p>

<p>The next year I transfered to a difficult private school (the best in my area.) I enrolled in AP World History, Honors Math III, Chemistry, Spanish, English, and Psychology. Although my final grades in Psych, English, and History were steady A's, a few bad weeks brought down my grade in math and chemistry. </p>

<p>Next year, I plan to enroll in AP US history, Ap Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, English, Spanish, Physics, and Functions. I am also considering taking a Model United Nations class.</p>

<p>As for extra curricular, I participate in Ski Team, Soccer, and Tennis, for sports credits. I also have been involved in Community Wide Dialogue to end racism every one of my high school years, as well as participating in Spanish Club and Mock Trial. In Community Wide Dialogue, I will have a leadership position. For community service, I am an intern at a State Historic Site. I also will be traveling on a Habitat for Humanity trip this upcoming summer. As for work history, I have held two jobs, one as a full time babysitter the summer before sophomore year, and the other a part time job in the food service industry.</p>

<p>As for financial aid and such, I don't believe I will need or qualify for any.</p>

<p>However, this is the real bender. From age twelve to fifteen, I was addicted to opiates and other drugs. This involved a suspension in eighth and ninth grade from public school, and a stint in rehab that made me miss several months of my sophomore year, bringing down my grades and limiting my involvement in extracurriculars. </p>

<p>After the rehab stint, I pulled myself together and became actively involved in recovery programs, and now help other students to receive help if it is deemed necessary. I have stayed sober, and provided a positive example in my community, or at least I hope I have.</p>

<p>Basically, the two questions I was wondering were:</p>

<p>1.) What types of schools should I am for?</p>

<p>2.) Should I revel my past to schools when I apply? It gives an excuse for what some may consider a deficiency in my transcript, and also provides a way for my to appear unique, as I can enable others who have similar problems to get help, and many prep schools have drug abuse problems. However, I was also wondering if it would work against me to reveal this information, because of prejudice against drug and alcohol users.</p>

<p>Just let me know your thoughts.</p>

2

<p>First, congratulations on staying sober.</p>

<p>All applications ask the applicant and his school’s administrators for a full picture of his school career. Your stint in rehab will show up on your school’s records, so it isn’t something you can hide. If you try, the recommendations from your teachers and school will most likely contradict your story. In the worst case scenario, if you manage to hide your past from the admissions committee, but it comes out after your admission, you could be expelled for lying on your application.</p>

<p>If you plan to attend a prep school for two years at the end of your high school career, you should use an independent educational consultant. ([Educational</a> Consultants - IECAonline.com | Home](<a href=“http://www.educationalconsulting.org/]Educational”>http://www.educationalconsulting.org/)) He or she will be able to guide you to schools.</p>

3

<p>Yes, congratulations. And keep it up!</p>

<p>Periwinkle has deadly aim as usual. Heed his advice here and most anywhere else you encounter it.</p>

<p>I’ll add that your concern that this may cut in your favor or it could cut against you is one that many applicants share – particularly in their essays where they feel pulled in opposite directions when it comes to taking risks. As Periwinkle notes, you don’t even have to sweat out the decision. This is something that is imperative for you to address. So, in a way, you’re better off than many people here since you don’t have to torture yourself as to whether you should have taken the chance that it might scare off your dream school. It may very well have that effect, but you can always be certain that you were wise to tackle it up front and forthrightly in your application.</p>

4

<p>I already have a private consultant, who has started preparing me for the application process which will begin next fall. She actually said that, while my history might scare schools, it could help with some schools, as it makes me more unique, and the schools may view me as more mature. However, I am not so sure, as I don’t particularly feel so comfortable being quite so open about it, my family tends to be very private.</p>

<p>Also, I was wondering what caliber schools I have a chance of getting into? I have a legacy at a few schools, although none of them particularly interest me, although I have a good chance of getting into them. </p>

<p>I have family members (although distant) that attended Choate, Hotchkiss, and Exeter, as well as a boarding school in Florida called St. Andrews.</p>

5

<p>And would it even be advisable to transfer to a boarding school to repeat my junior year, or should I just stick it out at my current school? It’s a good school, but not comparable to many boarding schools.</p>

6

<p>You’ve got a private consultant for this, so use her. First, she’s presumably trained and has established relationships with various schools and has made a point to know schools – compared to nearly all of us here who, at best, have acquired our knowledge haphazardly and anecdotally. Second, she knows you – compared to every single one of us, who, at best, have read your brief write up.</p>

<p>You should defer to her wisdom and counsel in the face of any contrary advice you may receive here…so I don’t see the point in bringing us into the mix. We may echo some of the things she advises, but if we point you in a different direction, we’ll only be muddying the issue for you and then, for the two reasons above, plus the practical fact that it would be silly to go with anonymously-delivered message board advice over someone you paid to advise you, you need to go with her anyway…except you’ll have doubts.</p>

7

<p>Congratulations on staying sober! That’s really great!</p>

<p>Well, I don’t know… like your consultant said, it’s probably going to scare some schools and it might make you stand out in others. But the teachers and the staff of every school are aware of the fact that drugs are being passed around in their schools, and I think you’d need to prove to them that you wouldn’t give in to the peer pressure and show them that you’re responsible and everything.</p>