<p>So I'm considering attending a boarding school for my sophomore year and up. I have so many questions though! Like, what's the most affordable? My parents aren't too keen on me going and their main reason is that they don't want to dish out 30 grand for my high school years. So any affordable schools that aren't extremely religious with preferably casual attire. Also, whats's the party situation at most boarding schools? At my current public school, there is literally no partying whatsoever. So just curious. Lastly, what have been your experiences? Are the classes hard, is it easy to make friends? Just stuff like that :) Thanks!!</p>
<p>Hahah hi! Welcome to the world of BS. It’s too late to apply for most schools this year. By “most” I mean ones that will give out FA (financial aid). Most selective schools offer great FA. The “rule of thumb” is if you make under 80,000 a year for a family of 4, it’s free. There are all sorts of factors though so that doesn’t guarantee anything. The types of schools that will give you a large FA package are Exeter, Andover, Groton, St. Paul’s School, Deerfield, and quite a few more. Some schools also offer scholarships.
All of those are non-religious except for St. Paul’s school. Even SPS though isn’t very religious. SPS is an Episcopal school and they accept all religions. Deerfield and Exeter have formal attire. The others are casual. SPS is a mix of inbetween.<br>
It depends what schools you go to. These are all very smart kids that keep a busy schedule. I imagine they do cut loose and probably smoke/drink. It’s less likely at SPS because it’s full boarding and alcohol/drugs are harder to get. All the other schools have day students and boarders can spend weekends at day students’ houses. This is probably going to lead to some rated R activites.
The classes should be difficult at every school, but manageable. Every school will try to fit you in teh best class placement possible and will adjust your schedule during the first few days. The culture and variety at BS makes it easier to connect (in my opinion. I haven’t actually gone). But because BS enroll students from different states and countries with different ethnicity and culture, I’d assume there is always someone you can connect with. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>