In the case of BS, the lack of consumption of food has basically consumed my sisters life, so if I get accepted and attend one, it’s more likely she will go there as well. She’s an amazing student, usually scoring in the 99th percentile for standardized testing, however her health is poor (both mental and physical). She eats at exact times, and only has one meal a day (something we are trying to improve), so despite her love for learning, she would really struggle. Also, yeah, my parents both work on the weekdays and sometimes weekends as well with unflexible schedules, so it would be much easier if we both went to the same school.
I hope that answers the question a bit : )
I’ll make sure to trust my gut!!
Legacies are never guaranteed, what happens if she doesn’t get in where you wind up, will you leave? BS put a huge mental stress on students which can exacerbate the extreme issues she already has and cause huge set backs for students.
Are you picking a school for her best outcome, or for yours? Also, frequent medical appointments can be quite difficult to arrange with BS schedules as they are less forgiving for missing time on campus that a regular public or local private school may be. If you aren’t asking the admissions offices now how this would work in the future since you state this is part of your decision process, you might find yourself in a bind later when it comes time for your sister to apply. Of course choosing a school has to be right for the student AND family, but simply because it is near home where you can be a day student doesn’t mean it is going to be the right school for your sister and her needs, too. Being a boarder would alleviate the need for your parents to drive you everyday freeing their time to get your sister to appointments that she needs for her mental and physical well being.
I just want to chime in that BS, unless it’s a therapeutic school, is simply not the place for a girl who already has an eating disorder. Boarding school is a breeding ground for disordered eating. Pretty much every girl I know at boarding schools across the US has flirted with disordered eating.
I hope your family reconsiders for your sister. I can’t emphasize what a bad idea I think it is to send a mentally ill kid away to boarding school.
I concur with the prior two comments, pretty much wholeheartedly. Not only is there no guarantee that your sister will be admitted wherever you are, even the most warm and fuzzy (but otherwise non-therapeutic) schools are places I would absolutely not send a child with the conditions you describe (and frankly, in the case of many schools, they will not relish the idea of admitting a student with an eating disorder already on the books).
Also, to your response, I still don’t understand the basic premise. You say “lack of consumption of food has basically consumed my sisters life” and then say that therefore she’ll go where you go. Why? Do you provide care or oversight? Genuinely asking. If you do, this will almost certainly not be something you can continue to do even if you somehow wind up at the same boarding school, which isn’t likely all things considered.
Not trying to discourage you. In fact, I’m trying to encourage you to focus on you. Not “selfishly,” but recognizing that your sister’s path is her own, cannot be planned for or guaranteed in advance, and may very well lie along a (very) different path than your own.
What’s the best situation for you? What’s the best fit for you? That’s the path to pursue.
Thank you for the advice! For why she would want to attend the same school as me is probably because we’ve always been together. Since my parents are very busy with work, it’s always been the two of us so me leaving would probably take a toll on her. Also, if a sibling or parent went to a certain BS or prep school, wouldn’t that mean that someone related would have a high probablity of getting in?
Thank you for the insight. Also, I agree. I care about my younger sister, a lot. She’s an extremly bright kid, however if this is the case, the BS may not be the best decision for her. For now, I’ll try my best to focus on myself and get all my application materials turned in!
While a sibling will usually get a small boost in the admission process, a school is not going to admit a student who they don’t feel will succeed at their school. And as others have said, someone who is actively dealing with mental health issues is not a great candidate for BS. The best thing to do is to focus on schools where you will thrive, and when its your sisters time to look at schools, she needs to find the best option for her.
As a side note, I suggest you change your screen name if it contains your actual name.
It is not a good score, I have to say. I know a lot of people say schools like Andover do not only look your SSAT, but there is not chance to get into Andover with your score.
