<p>So let me start off by saying I am pretty much in this alone. My parents are divorced and I live with my dad because my mother is an alcoholic who lives in lala land. I am 16 as of this November and I really would like to get into boarding school. It has been my dream for awhile. I live in New jersey where the cost of living is pretty high and my dad's tax return should say something around $70,000 a year as his income. He told me he won't pay more than $15,000-$20,000 so I would need some kind of aid. I went to a public high school last year (freshman year) and graduated with about a B average (Did really poor first marking period and did better the next few). This year I convinced my dad to send me to a christian private highschool near me but I hate it. It is very small, there are no clubs, only 2 sports (which I don't like), they have block scheduling with teachers that don't have degrees in teaching, the grading system is that a 3.0 is an 85-91. we have no electives besides art and business, and shall I say more? This year my average so far is about a B (working to bring it up to an A as I said the school is extremely hard and I am doing all of this by myself because my dad is home maybe an hour a day and refuses to help). I just wanted to know if there are any decent boarding schools that would be right for me. I checked out a decent amount of the ones under $20,000 and they all are religious and have awful reviews as well as they don't have any clubs or electives. Can someone maybe help me with this?</p>
<p>Hi there,
Well, there are an absolutely, bat-crap crazy amount of schools. I mean it. Like, there are a lot. Any geographic area you’re interested in?
Only YOU can research and look up schools that would be good for you. Try BoardingSchoolReview.com. They list a lot of the schools frequently mentioned on this website.
Good luck, but you’re getting on the application starting a tad bit late. Get cracking, or look for a school with rolling admissions.
You can do it!</p>
<p>I have looked and looked and they are all 40,000 a year and if they offer good financial aid they are very selective. I don’t care where it is as long as it isn’t in the south. I would prefer the east coast, however I wouldn’t mind California, Washington, or like Colorado.</p>
<p>Someone please help I am really desperate and it is really hard to do all this by myself. If I got accepted I would do honestly anything. I am decent at wrestling and soccer if that would help my chances as well as very good with computers and like hacking. I want to go to boarding school to get a good education, get into a good college, to meet interesting new people, and get away from my evil parents.</p>
<p>You say you’re in NJ, check out Blair and Peddie. Depending on your mom’s situation, your dad’s $70,000 might qualify you for full aid at some schools. But as you said, they’re super selective. </p>
<p>I’m really sorry that you’re in this situation; I wish you the best. </p>
<p>My sister wen’t to blair when my parents were together and my dad made $350,000+ a year but she also had straight a’s and didn’t need financial aid. Peddie is even harder than blair. Pretty sure those are scratched off 
but thank you for the help.</p>
<p>Check out Solebury in PA. </p>
<p>If you state that one reason to go to boarding school is to get away from evil parents, you may get turned down from all the schools. Without SSAT or ISEE to look at, it will be hard to gauge where you stand.</p>
<p>1) go to the library and check out an SSAT practice book.</p>
<p>2) study the book for 5 days straight, 1 hour per day. Read the techniques and follow their advice.</p>
<p>3) Take a timed practice test and score it.</p>
<p>This will give you a ballpark for where you can have reasonable chance. Your grades are moderated by circumstances and emotions- the AdComs will know that. In your case the tests will be a better indicator. Look at average SSAT scores for some schools.</p>
<p>Definitely include Blair and any school your parents or other siblings attended. There is an advantage given to siblings and legacy.</p>
<p>Definitely play up your wrestling and your soccer.</p>
<p>4) Tomorrow (or by the end of the week) call or email admissions at Blair and ask for an SSAT fee waiver and an application fee waiver. As soon as the fee waiver arrives, sign up for the Jan 10 SSAT test.</p>
<p>5) Tomorrow ask a current math/science and humanities teacher if they will write you a recommendation. Download the form from <a href=“http://www.gatewaytoprepschools.com”>www.gatewaytoprepschools.com</a> and give it to them. Let them know you will be asking them for the recommendations by December 19, and they will be due by January 15. Tell them this is a heads-up, and you will give them a list by next Friday.</p>
<p>6) Start the application to Blair.</p>
<p>7) Identify target schools where your practice SSAT is within 2-3 points of their average, at their average, and 3-5 points above their average, and that you really like the school. Try to choose about 2 in each category. Finalize your list by December 18. Distribute school report and recommendation forms by December 19.</p>
<p>8) Study for the SSAT and fill out applications over winter break. Have an english teacher and/or someone (via PM, not public posting) on College Confidential give your essays a final edit read.</p>
<p>9) Call the schools and request application fee waivers and local interviews that you can drive to (I assume you drive) or that someone (friend, friend’s parent, dad, mom) can drive you to.</p>
<p>Pay attention to deadlines!!</p>
<p>Well, you have your work cut out for you, but nothing worthwhile comes easy. Good luck!</p>
<p>Also ask your parents to go to <a href=“http://sssbynais.org/parents/”>http://sssbynais.org/parents/</a> and fill out the application for financial aid by the first of the year.</p>
<p>You really need to move on this right away. You can decide whether you REALLY want to do it later, between February and April. Right now, act like your are absolutely sure.</p>
<p>Thanks guys! I will get started right away!</p>
<p>Knowing Human Nature and the impact of Inertia, I wanted to circle back and encourage you again to move out forcefully on this. There is no time to think about it. Take the necessary actions, and think about it later.</p>
<p>Good luck! Go get that SSAT study book at the library.</p>
<p>Will do man. I already gave my teachers my recommendation slips but I had a few problems. The school I am currently at has a block schedule and I have yet to take English, 2 there was no science teacher recommendation. and 3 The recommendation slips ask a lot of stuff and I am atm definitely not one of the best students in the class. Do I still have a chance at any boarding schools?</p>
<p>Study, then take the SSAT practice tests. Everybody is human. If you apply to a school that is within (for hopefully a couple percentage points below) your test score range and write excellent essays, and especially if you have a sibling or legacy connection, all of these will be considered in your application. Not everyone (by a long shot) is “the most incredible student I have met in the last ten years.” That’s only one student in a thousand, and it would leave the halls of the boarding schools empty if that were the criteria.</p>
<p>Alright thanks man. I am not a super impressive student on paper but I have very good people skills and business knowledge with some coding ability. I don’t think it will help to put this in my application or mention it but I have ran a few online operations that have made in the past over $2,000 in a month. I have also ran game severs making money with 20+ staff as well as owned a hosting company selling servers and domains and stuff.</p>
<p>I was with you until you stated that your goal is to get away from your “evil parents”. Not persuasive and screams “immature!” Stop saying that “you have no one to help you”. Many people have arisen from difficult backgrounds. Focus on the future. </p>
<p>Mention your skills and your goals for YOUR future; don’t talk negatively about your parents. Study hard for whatever tests you need to take. </p>
<p>One thing that struck me about your post is that you said that your B average is due to your dads inability to help. Do you honestly expect your dad to help you with your homework and bail you out? what do you think boarding school will be like?</p>
<p>If you are not able to do well in your current school boarding school may not be the savior you think it is. </p>
<p>Thanks. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that but my parents both are definitely not fit to raise a child and none of them want to. I just don’t want to be apart of their whole mess. There is a lot more personal reasons as well I won’t say on here regarding them.</p>
<p>Well that isn’t what I meant. I am not an idiot and I do not expect to be spoon fed. It is the current work environment that I am in is what the problem is. Now this post isn’t about whether or not boarding school is for me. as this is my decision and I have made up my mind I am going to have to respectfully ask that no one further comments on this post unless they are here to help with my original questions. Thank you.</p>
<p>Two more items- financial aid- at some schools you would get a full ride with your Dad’s income, so I would not let cost be a decision factor in selecting a school until you have seen the offered financial aid. Year- I have seen people repeat Sophomore year since it seems the chances of acceptance are higher for a Sophomore. I say “I have seen people.” I really mean that it is quite common to apply as a “repeat Sophomore.” Consider these two things as you go forward.</p>