<p>We sent our son as a junior and he now wishes he had gone a year earlier as the two years passed so quickly and he is sad to be graduating so soon. Also, the junior year is full of pressure to get great grades in difficult classes, write your SATs and ACTs, APs and subject SATs, now add on, all while getting used to a new school and being away from home. However he was certainly very mature by this point and had no trouble negotiating the social network and peer pressure. </p>
<p>I must point out though that he goes to a small school where there is a strong adult presence. All of us have been amazed at the support at the school from a variety of adults and I think he would have faired very well even a year early. </p>
<p>However freshman year is very young still and I can understand where even the most mature of grade 9 students could find the whole process daunting, especially at a larger or less structured school.</p>
<p>I do know that when we toured Governor’s the atmosphere was a bit less intense - dorms are all singles and limited to 12 students per building. So more like houses than dorms. The staff seemed relatively up to the task and they have a relationship with nearby parents that encourages an on-campus presence. Good for someone who wants academic rigor but a more intimate environment and smaller student body.</p>
<p>I will say that our D started as a sophomore. As mature as she was - having that 9th grade year at home really solidified things for her and she went to BS much more ready to adapt to the change in “climate.” Was like watching my little caterpillar finish her metamorphosis and fully develop her wings. She went from precocious child to young adult in a year’s time span.</p>
<p>Still - BS is still a strenuous transition for even the most prepared. The coursework is harder, the social scene is often foreign and there are a lot more nuances to navigate. Some kids find themselves in situations where BS isn’t the right place and there’s no place like home. That’s cool too. The worst thing we can do a child is force them to ride out a bad fit situation. I think it took a lot of guts to decide to pull the plug and let him come home.</p>
<p>im actually a pretty independent person. i went to cty for two years and i adjusted extremely quickly. i went to three different middle schools, so i kind of got this new student thing down haha. i will be applying for sophomore year.
i feel extremely guilty about wanting to attend boarding school. my parents have recently attained a lot of this “extra” money that they can spend on vacations and their own enjoyment. now they can buy whatever they want materialistically. but my parents are still pretty frugal haha. i’m proud that they value my education, but i feel bad that i am expunging so many funds from them. i’m not sure if i used that vocab word correctly…although continuing my education at my public high school that has few opportunities for me to grow as a person and intellectually saddens me, i don’t want my to be such a burden to my parents financially!
we’re finnancially at this position where a little bit of FA would be comfortable (5k-15k would be fantastic). i guess we kind of can pay full pay but its a big sacrifice 
well, i may not get in anyways so no need to discuss the financial details yet!</p>
<p>@ylax: Have you spoken to your parents about your feelings? Guilt is an exhausting emotion. Maybe talking with them would help clarify things. In our case, yes, boarding school is a sacrifice financially, but to us it is worth every penny. I certainly wouldn’t want my son feeling guilty about it. Cars & vacations are just ‘things’…people are more important.</p>
<p>they kind of said yeah it is a lot of money but it won’t be THAT much in a decade or so. or like as much as it is now.</p>
<p>Like Exie, my d went as a new sophomore. I think the year at home showed her that bs was what she wanted/needed. She had been home-schooled 6th-8th grade, and wanted to go to “regular” school as an 9th grader. It wasnt, her she finally accepted that she wasnt "reguala"r–lol.</p>
<p>My d hasnt had homesickness, which I didnt expect from her, but ready to handle if needed. She had a few “deciding” moments within the first few weeks until she found her social group. </p>
<p>I will admit that I had an extremely independent 15 year old going to bs. Due to being an only child, parented by a divorced mom and a member of a tiny family, not even a cousin.</p>
<p>I sometimes question that I might not have been bs material, but my kid surely is. Parents have to really know their kid.</p>
<p>Just my 2 cents!</p>
<p>re dorm faculty - Culver has a full time dorm parent and a separate full time counselor for each dorm, and that system seems to be working well for my daughter. Also working well for me, since there is a clear person to call if I’m worrying! </p>
<p>Report after daughter’s first semester (new 10th grader) is that it was a positive move for her to go. While she had a few good friends, and worked well with the teachers in her day schoo0l, she was not happy - academics were fine, but way too much edgy NYC private school on the social side, and increasingly difficult to string together the extra-curricular activities that are just a given at BS. </p>
<p>Perhaps most importantly, at BS, everyone is on their own, and that seems to bring out the more positive side in all of them. </p>
<p>Of course it hasn’t been all roses - god do we miss each other - but it was clearly the right thing to do, and she is much happier and stronger now than she was at this time last year. They told us at orientation that you wouldn’t believe the change in the first 6 weeks - and it was true, and all for the good. </p>
<p>So I am just having to grit my teeth and live with the empty house.</p>
<p>Like Exie and AlexsMom my d began as a sophomore and I feel it was absolutely the right time for her. If we had viable local options I don’t know that this would have happened. I also think that if we had one parent who could stay home and do all the tutoring, driving and coaching that is required to enrich the bare bones PS experience we might have fought d’s request, but then I don’t think she would have sought this if she felt there were any way to get her needs met here. But we’re talking local classes of 40-60, waiting lists for advanced classes, smell of pot on campus, etc. here. BS has been a hard transition that I think is only manageable because of cell phones, email and Skype. I know someone who went to my d’s school from 1500 miles away as a freshman in the 1970s and I shudder to think of how hard it would be to only have phone booths and USPS for occasional communication. As we consider our younger child the questions are different, but there is an increased sense of urgency.</p>
<p>im applying as a sophomore, and my parents would have preferred for me to go to a nearby day school, which are excellent (Pingry, Newark Academy, Kent Place etc.) but there were no spots for 10th grade. my current public school is completely vile… i smell the scent of pot everyday walking around in the hallways and so many things hinder my education. i was absolutely sick of it and came home from school depressed everyday, thinking this would be the rest of my high school life. some of my friends were considering applying to boarding schools (they didn’t end up doing it, they’re not smart enough anyways…) and I became interested. i also have a lot of friends from cty who go to boarding schools and they tell me ALLLLLL about it. long story short, nothing was going for me at this school, and i couldnt reach my full potentials. i felt cramped. i’ve always been an indenpendent child. since i was 6, i got myself ready for school. my parents NEVER helped me with my homework. i can go around new york city by myself and not get lost. ive been to many retreats/camps that take place on college campuses. i was forced to move twice in a row.
but everyday when i’m with my family, i realize if i go to boarding school that it is an experience i will lose. i’m a bit torn, and i will miss them if i get accepted, but then again, if i get accepted, i’m definitely going! and the school is only an hour away which is pretty manageable for visits.</p>
<p>Ylaxw123: from my vantage point, you have everything to gain and little to lose. An hour is nothing 
and with technology you can still have close relationships with family. In fact, I have sometimes found that my d’s new life provides much more for us to talk about and in some ways we’re closer than ever. Good luck!</p>
<p>thanks wcmom1958 hopefully i’ll receive good news on march 10th! i count down every day.
23 days!</p>