<p>Please help...I am looking for a boarding school for my d. She is a quiet girl with good grades. I am looking for a small school with a close community. She is an amazing young lady but takes awhile to open up so I am looking at a "less competitive" school with good academics. We have a d at school in Delaware so we would like her to be in the mid atlantic. Thanks for any and all help.</p>
<p>Would she consider an all-girls school? Chatham Hall (VA), Foxcroft (VA), Madeira (VA).</p>
<p>For coed - Asheville School (NC), St. Andrews School (DE)</p>
<p>Look at Asheville, St. Andrews (De) and Blair in NJ. </p>
<p>I know Blair well because I have a child there. It has a very strong community. Almost all of the faculty live on campus so there really is interaction. There are many opportunities to try new things, and good students are encouraged to challenge themselves.</p>
<p>She is a great girl with a huge heart, but is very quiet so interviews are tough. We are looking at a less competitive school. Does anyone know anything about Ashville? I know St. Andrew’s is very competitive. Thanks</p>
<p>Blair’s reputed to have a really close-knit community, and admissions are still competitive (39% on BSR, but I’m sure that’s quite outdated.) while not being cutthroat…</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure there’s a girl on this board that goes to Asheville (so you could ask her about the school) that was listed on the prep school resources list, but I can’t find that list at the moment. Does anybody have the link to that?</p>
<p>Blair’s acceptance rate for the school year 2008-2009 was 39%, which not unusual once you go beyond the top 20.</p>
<p>If you want to learn more about Asheville, I have 2 suggestions:
- Search for Asheville on this board. Do an advanced search going only to the Prep School Admissions board, or you will probably get many posts about UNC Asheville.</p>
<ol>
<li> Start a new thread on the Asheville School. Most of the posters on this board talk about New England school, and a few schools from the northeast. Unfortunately, there are few who post about schools in other geographies. However, there are many lurkers, and you may be able to draw a few out if you ask about Asheville.</li>
</ol>
<p>The all girls schools in Virginia may be a good choice, but I don’t know anything about them. If she is very shy and introverted, boarding school may not be a good choice. She will have to want to be around other students 24/7. You/she must be aware of this because you already have a child in boarding school.</p>
<p>She loves being around people she is just insecure with who she is. I think part of it is going to a school that has 1000 in her grade and 30-40 in each of her classes. I really think the environment of the right school will bring her out and she will take advantage of opportunities that she would never take advantage of at a large school. So…I really don’t think it is a shy thing but more of a safety thing.</p>
<p>Madeira (all girls) in VA is awesome. Several of my son’s friends are going there this year and we know a couple older girls who go there too. Foxcroft (all girls) might be a good choice too especially if horses and rural feel would make her happy. Maybe Episcopal for coed.</p>
<p>Do you know anything about episcopal? How hard is it to get in? As I said her grades are great as are her recommendations etc, but her ssats are low (poor test taking runs in the familt…seriously). She LOVES art and I would like to provide her with some opportunities in that area.</p>
<p>Check the school’s websites. If the admission rate is over 30% it should be easy, I think. :)</p>
<p>Episcopal might not be as hard to get into as some of the schools that are most talked about on this site but it is a well-respected school and anyone admitted should be proud. I believe SSAT scores average around 80%, but lower might be fine with good grades from a good school and good recs…especially if you are full pay.</p>
<p>SSAT scores can be pulled up substantially with a bit of studying and strategy. If there is an educational consultant in your area with a lot of SSAT experience (one who actually gives the test is good), it might be worthwhile to meet. They can help your daughter review not only which questions she missed, but why she missed them. This would probably help with eventual SAT or ACT confidence too so it might be worth the effort now.</p>
<p>We could not find anyone in our area to help with the SSAT in our area. She did go through the princeton review book and seemed to do well with that. Neither of her parents test well…I guess we second guess ourselves, but she does have all A’s in all honors classes which is good. Thanks</p>
<p>This thread queries re ASHEVILLE SCHOOL</p>
<p>My daughter entered Asheville School as a shy child, overly dependent on her parents. On graduation day four years later I saw a confident, independent and well educated young woman (with multiple friendships I dare say will last a lifetime) eager to soon travel over 1000 miles from home to attend a top LAC. </p>
<p>Asheville School is a very unusual place–in fact I would say that it is a boarding school like no other. Its sense of community (with seated meals and a student body limited to approximately 250 students) is unsurpassed–noting also that the majority of faculty and their families (together with a variety of pets) live on campus either in dorm apartments or separate faculty housing. Students seriously respect each other and their school. </p>
<p>Founded by two educators from the Midwest 110 years ago, it is probably more “New England” than “Southern” in character. Moreover, the school is located in the North Carolina mountains in the State’s most culturally interesting city. Its graduates go to top colleges–e.g. out of a class of only 50 or so seniors two 2008 graduates were admitted to Harvard. Finally, an Asheville School parent you can be confident that their child is safe, nurtured and individually attended to. In short, you can believe just about everything the marketing literature sets forth. </p>
<p>That said, Asheville School is DEFINITELY not for every high school student considering boarding school. Students for which the school is not a good fit just don’t stay. First of all, it is seriously academic with a workload that can be overwhelming at times even for the best student. In fact, I dare say Asheville School graduates probably find themselves a bit overprepared for college. The school is also relatively strict, and student time is highly structured. Moreover, students (as well as school faculty and administration) take the honor code exceedingly seriously; there is zero tolerence for any behavior involving drugs or alcohol. Class dress is “formal”–i.e. coat and tie for boys. Yet I would not characterized the school as “conservative” as some postings have theorized–at least not in terms of a free exchange of ideas.</p>
<p>garw: Great suggestions here. You might also find to your liking St. Timothy’s, Greer, and Oldfields. St. Tim’s & Oldfields are in the Baltimore suburbs, all girls, small student body, and of course small classes. St. Tim’s has the IB program, while, last I knew Oldfields still did the standard college prep/AP curriculum. Horses figure prominently at both schools, but from what I know, one can survive by having nothing to do with horses. Greer has been popular among some of my professional colleagues (one person sends a daughter there, a second has a positive experience…you get the idea). I believe they are also 100% boarding. Truth in advertising: my daughter is at one of the New England schools. Good hunting!</p>
<p>Kent is a small school, compared to some of the others and it has a close community. I haven’t experienced it yet so I wouldnt be able to tell you about some other aspects you are looking for though.</p>
<p>check george school in pennsylvania. it has 540 kids with an average of like 15 in a class, and its a super close community.</p>