<p>Picking up from the day students at E thread, I have a more general question to run by people.</p>
<p>What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of being a day student at a school that is mostly boarding? If you live right nearby it seems to be a great situation, but what about if it is a 35+ minute ride each way? That is a big commitment for the rest of the family if the student doesn't drive , but is it helpful for the student? Do day students end up being some of the top achievers because they are getting help or maybe just a break, or does the driving time mor than make up for it? (Or now that we have technology do even boarding students get help from parents?) Do they see their families very much in the end or just end up using home as a hotel? Do they miss out on a lot? I know several people looking into this and I am curious.</p>
<p>I would rather be within reasonable driving distance of a top prep school like Exeter than being a boarder there. You could spend another four years with your family at home. That's something that boarders don't get to have. I also feel like day students can keep school and home life separate, and they don't get overwhelmed, but as a boarder, it would feel like you're at school 24/7, and it would be too much.</p>
<p>Jonathan offers a good perspective as someone who doesn't want to be a boarder yet. However, there are many advantages that one has as a boarder that you cannot get as a day student, such as the immersion so that school is not just some classes, but something on an entirely differently. And the 26-week school year. I like that. My opinion: I would rather be a day student at Exeter that not go at all, but I would rather board that be a day student. I really don't think having help from parents gives that big an advantage.</p>
<p>From my experience the one thing that I've heard day students complain about is the social aspect of school because they do miss out on dorm life and meeting a bunch of new people that way. Boarders also get to know the faculty more, which is an important part of bs life. Day students tend to be a little more academic because it is harder to get in as a day student at most schools. However, they do get homecooked meals and have much more freedom than boarders.</p>
<p>I've heard many stories about day students wanting to become boarding students. At this age, students really identify with their peer group. That said, not all day students want to be boarders so YMMV. I laughed when I read the part about getting help from parents. My child hasn't welcomed any help since lower school, so I didn't know it was common in high school.</p>
<p>I think there are advantages and disadvantages. At S's boarding school, there were 25% day students. The day students had a lounge just for them, so they could hang out during the day (free periods), take a nap, etc. They could stay on campus occasionally if there was space- or at a faculty house. Some decided to board after a year or so. I think it is much more of a disadvantage for BOARDERS if the school is more than 30-40% day students. You lose the feel of a boarding community. I know there were times my son really wanted to escape the dorm, and he would go home with kids who lived closer to school. Being a boarder is tough because you are on the clock 24/7. Every rule you break has SCHOOL consequences, as opposed to just getting in trouble with your parents.</p>
<p>Yeah, at a boarding school where my dad lives the boarding population is only ~20%. I talked to some boarding students there and they said boarding life is great, but focus is put more on day students.</p>
<p>I'm bumping this thread up because I haven't been on CC in awhile and as a day student at a boarding school, I would love to give my opinion on a topic I feel strongly about.</p>
<p>I love being a day student. I feel that I'm close to every day student in my grade. I have day student and boarding friends. However, some boarders don't think day students should be at my school. There is some prejudice. I have had people say to me on multiple occasions that day students take away from the boarding experience...of course, once they need something that only day students can get (something at a store that the boarders can't get to, or a costume for a party or something), the boarders are all accepting again.
I feel there is a sort of rivalry between day studs and boarders- if you're friends with a boarder, you have to acknowledge that it exists. That's what's really sad.</p>
<p>I like living at home most days- other days it's hard and I wish I had everything at school. Day students are often some of the top achievers in my grade- just as much as boarders are. </p>
<p>Sometimes I feel that I miss out on stuff, being a day student, and that I don't get the total experience of being at a boarding school. But I'm happy with being a day student and having the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>jonathan, most top boarding school, (i m talking about the elite elite ones), with the only exception of milton, has a much larger boarding than day population, and they like to boast that..look at SPS, Hotchkiss and deerfield "propaganda"
i think being day students suck, people are not really that accepting unless as the above poster says, when they need stuff from you</p>
<p>As a boarder at Exeter I do think ther is a huge disadvantage towards being a day student.
1. you miss out on study groups or reviews sessions at night
2. During your free periods you do not have a dorm to return to to study
3. You have a drive every morning and evening which cuts down on time you could be studying
4. You have to balance family obligations with school ones.
5. Day students are much more cliquish then boarders, boaarding students in general go to a school without knowing anyone, daystudents generally enter knowing four or five of their soon to be peers.</p>
<p>those things asside, many of my day student friends do recive help from their parents in things like drilling them for tests, correcting gramatical errors on their papers and things like that. That i believe is acceptable help though occasionaly you see obnoxious things like a student making a model of the gugenhime museum overnight which is impossible wiht an exeter homework load. </p>
<p>At first I wanted to be a day student. I got in to Milton, Nobles, BBN, and Dana Hall as a day student and Andover, Exeter, and Middlesex as a boarder. My initial reaction at that was "yay! I'll go to a school with an amazing reputation as a day studetn! YAy MIlton" Though once i started looking at ligistics I realized I probabl wouldl not like an hour and a half long bus ride in traffic every morning an dthat probably it would ot be great to be at a school where i would have to leave right when the day was over so I could get home for practices of my sport (Their swim team was not at my level). I had also revisited Andover and Exeter (My teachers said that i had to look since I was offered the oppertunity) and I fell in love with exeter. I'm a local boarder at Exeter so I see my mom pretty much twice a week. She'll come up for my games on wednesday and Saturday (we joke about her bing my laundry service). BEing a local boarder is the best possible situation in my opinion because you see your family often but you get the 24 hour immersion into school life as well.
-I hope that helps!</p>
<p>hmm. at my school the day student kids aren't given special attention or anything - the school knows that's it's hard on the boarding school girls because a great deal of girls miss home and family, especially if they live faraway. but there are a few girls who live an hour away, and half to get up around six or even earlier. there are girls who live fifteen minutes away and board. these who board but live closely dont mind because they get to go home on weekends, but still get the same close-knit experience as a boarding girl. it depends at times on the students.</p>
<p>actually even tho hotchkiss treats day students well, i still think being day students suck
at hotchkiss, half the day students share a double with a boarder, where they have a desk and a closet...and the other half have their own singles....but still it's different, the experience and everything</p>