If you (or your DD/DS) went to a BS summer session (for example at Choate, Exeter, Andover, Lawrenceville, Hotchkiss, etc.) and then you went to BS (or are planning to go next year), did your summer experience impact your school choice?
Did you (or DD/DS) end up at the same BS as the summer school choice?
If no, why?
Did your summer experience change how you evaluated schools when you decided on your BS?
Did you know anyone from your summer school experience when you matriculated for 9th/10th grade?
My daughter spent a chunk of her childhood on a BS campus because I was a faculty member. She then attended a summer program at Hotchkiss for 3 summers in middle school. Hotchkiss became her “dream school”, but it was a real reach due to her lowish SSAT scores, and it was the one school that sent a rejection letter. She ended up choosing a small all-girls school (there was a bit of girl/boy drama at the summer program, and she wanted a school where the girls would really focus on their academics and not be so distracted by boys!) and has been very happy with her choice (she graduates 8 weeks from today!).
My son attended the Choate summer program, and he ultimately decided not to apply in the fall. I was confused by this at first, because he really did have a great summer experience there. But ultimately he felt that Choate was too large for him (there are roughly the same # of kids there in the summer as there are during the school year). He met kids who were starting at Choate in the fall, as well as kids who would be applying, but he didn’t specifically remember kids who were already attending. I do think that it was a great introduction to boarding school and it certainly helped him crystalize some of his preferences going forward.
Our DS first attended Choate’s summer program. Unfortunately he did not enjoy it, probably because he was somewhat immature at the time. The next year, our DS attended Andover’s summer program and absolutely loved it. So much so, that he decided, to his parents’ surprise and concern, to apply to boarding schools as a full time student. After receiving his offers, he was convinced that he would chose Andover over his other excellent choices. During the Andover revisit day, he had an opportunity to talk to quite a few Andover students outside the program schedule (he knew some students there). He came to the conclusion that, although all students were very proud to attend PA, some were quite stressed. One student in particular he talked to seemed very unhappy. The revisit day also convinced him that Andover’s size was too big for his taste (PA somehow seemed more intimate in the summer).
During the Deerfield revisit day, our DS found that students there seemed very happy and led more balanced lives (many actually managed to get a full night’s sleep). At the end of the revisit day, a random student in the gym came up to him and started a long conversation, an experience that highlighted DA’s friendly culture and more intimate campus. Finally, our DS was very impressed with the teachers of the courses he participated in (he was not as inspired at the other two schools we visited). In addition, our tour guide went out of her way to assist us (her enthusiasm was contagious) and made the place seem very welcoming.
In short, revisit days can tip the balance, despite the fact that they are artificially choreographed and are very short relative to the length of summer program experience. Still, summer programs are not an accurate representation of the regular season either. In our son’s case, he has not regretted going with his gut and discounting a very positive summer experience.
Yes-- loved the summer program. The AO @ the school told us that a fairly high percentage of kids attending “summer” will be applying to the school at some point. The summer program had many foreign students who were preparing to apply for boarding schools in the US. The school was beautiful & the class sizes were small-- kind of set a very high bar for other schools. It was a small program with less than 10 students in the classroom - Harkness method. Very little homework & lots of free time. I believe the experience of living in a dorm, sharing space, meeting students from around the world, being away from home and pacing your time for assignments without parents around combine for a valuable experience - no matter what it may lead to…Agree with @happarent6 that the summer program may not be an accurate representation of the regular BS experience. It was really no-stress in the summer with this program. You can PM me for more info.
The summer programs at Choate are just a way for the school to use facilities in the off season and are not taught by faculty, are not reflective of the Choate curriculum, and do not simulate what it’s like to be a student at the school. They are simply camps that give kids an opportunity to have fun, experience the campus/boarding (under no pressure), and see what the town is like while providing revenue to the school between academic years. Nothing more. Occasionally, a faculty member will run a summer seminar as a way to supplement income but, again, not reflective of the student experience.
I think it’s important for new readers and potential applicants to understand that summer programs, for Choate at least, have no bearing on admissions and should be looked at as just a fun thing to do if you are interested in any of the offerings hosted there over the summer–same as any other camp you would consider anywhere else.
The above can (and should) be applied to any BS’s summer program.
In addition to the statement that attending will not give a leg up on admissions, the above statement can (and should) also be applied to any college summer programs.
For my kids attending a summer program was their first experience at a NE boarding school. We found this to be different from the CTY & a Duke TIP summer experience ( not at a BS). The OP asked about how this may impact BS choice. For us, it was in a different part of the country-- Our kids were so appreciative to have this opportunity. So, this was a great experience to meet other students with similar interests or goals from all over the world in a NE boarding school setting. Having a small class experience was very special for kids who have never had that personal attention or a discussion-based seminar. As noted by another poster, some of these summer programs may be “camps” renting space and having nothing to do with the BS. However, the ones my kids attended had actual BS faculty members, AO’s & recent grads there. So, while it may have no bearing on admissions, at least we were able to meet people who were actually involved with the school. It was especially nice to meet recent grads. The kids could actually “see themselves” going away to a BS after having this summer academic experience. When interviewing at another BS this year, one of the first things DD1 was asked by the AO was " have you ever been away from home for a camp or summer school?". The experience may not have anything to do with giving you a “leg up” on admissions (see above post), but having an experience away from home, living with a diverse community of students in a dorm, managing your time, gaining some sense of independence, traveling to a new environment, and reaching beyond your comfort zone are all factors that can influence your decision to apply for BS…The coursework also provided areas of study not available at our LPS (examples: photography, theatre- set design). So, you may discover that you want to choose a BS that will provide a platform upon which you can nurture the interests you pursued during that summer program. IMHO these summer programs can be very expensive, so parents need to do your “homework” and students must think about what they want to gain from the experience. We researched many summer options. Before we signed up, we actually phoned the director and asked many questions. Parents should know who is managing the summer program, who is teaching, who are staffing the dorms, travel, additional costs, living arrangements, security, etc). The kids gained confidence from having a summer BS experience. I believe there is a list on a CC thread of parents who are familiar with various summer programs.
BTW, there are many wonderful summer experiences at boarding schools that are not the ones so frequently mentioned-- think that sometimes people are very NE-centric… One DC attended an OTC summer program and a BS for the ice one summer and …DH attended a summer session at the “Harvard” of hockey and (guess what?) it’s not a NE school!!!
Thank you all for the great info. And yep, I totally understand that summer school has no bearing on admissions. And I understand there may/may not be any/much correspondence to the regular academic year (varying according to school). I am really just curious how the subjective experience played into later decisions for some kids. There have been some wonderful answers in this thread, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot. Thanks!
Just to clarify, although we probably got lucky, both GMCkid’s writing teacher and dorm advisor were “actual” Choate staff. Not that I cared/expected that going in (and I realize that’s not the norm) but they were both very helpful in terms of giving him a sense of what he could expect at Choate IRL. But more than that, living in a dorm and having to get yourself to the dining hall, classes, sports etc. on time and with the right books & clothes is a great test.
My child did attend one run by the regular staff at one of the well-known schools. The administration handled something important poorly and since this was the full-time staff it was enough to take that school off the list. It may have been just bad luck so I have no reason to name the school. I did see that there is or was a low-key looking summer program at Cate though I don’t have any direct experience.
