<p>I recently talked to a friend who's in her first year at college, and she was talking to me about all the new things she gotten to try, the classes she's gotten to explore and how exciting everything is, living in a dorm for example, and all the clubs and activities. But isn't that more or less what boarding school is? So would going to boarding school, however amazing and great an experience, wouldn't it ruin the college experience everyone talks so highly about?</p>
<p>I don’t think so. I<code>ll be more focused in college because I wont have to act like I</code>m out of the house for the first time. My biggest concern about college is hoping to be around students who don<code>t need to partyallthetime Besides, most college student usually look for local housing after their soph yr. so it</code>s not like you`re living in a dorm for 8 yrs.</p>
<p>Not at all. For one thing, it makes the idea of going to a big U a lot easier since you already know how to navigate a relatively smaller institution. Also, you’re SO well prepared to jump into the academics, the social life, the ECs, that the transition is relatively seemless. Yes, as maddog noted, you’ll see other students crash and burn as they deal with freedom for the first time…but the BS students I went to college with–regardless of the school (most on this board were represented)–knew how to get their work done, how to engage professors, even in large classes, and how to take full advantage of the collegiate social life without it negatively impacting their GPAs.</p>
<p>IMHO, it doesn’t ruin the experience. It just allows you to have it sooner.</p>
<p>Maddog, that’s my concern too. I certainly hope the parties at Harvard aren’t nearly as wild as they were portrayed in The Social Network XD</p>
<p>Boarding school is pretty structured, so in that regard it is not at all like college. My son’s school has many, many rules and for him (this is his fifth year of high school), even though he absolutely loves his school, it is getting old. He is ready for college.</p>
<p>keylyme, did your son repeat a grade or is he doing PG? I’m applying to repeat 10th this year, in addition to being worried what BS might do to my college experience, I’m scared what an extra year of high school will do to it too…</p>