<p>I am very surprising that this thread end up with discussion about if college matriculation is parent’s top concern for sending kids to boarding school. As a parent is going to send a kid to boarding school this fall. I did ask myself this question. In my mind, I won’t put “top ten” college as my top concern. I do more concern if he/she get a better education (faculty/facility/peer) compared to local high school.
My wift and I are not ivy legacy. we are middle class who are working hard to support kids to boarding school. What I really want to know is not only if boarding school can help college matriculation but I want to know if boarding school can educate kids to have a strong profile to get ready for college. and because they have strong profile, ECs so they have better chance to get grants, aids. they don’t have burden on their shoulder to pay back a lot of student loan.</p>
<p>If my kid is a true ‘top ten’ college materials and they like it. It’s their decision to go.
However, I do not see the difference between choose college and boarding school. Isn’t it what we say “fit”. If a “non” top ten offer a better program, better scholarships. aids compare to “top ten” offerings. What will you/kids choose ?</p>
<p>It could be because my kid just start at boarding school. and I might change the way I see after 4 years. However, The way to judge kid’s success at boarding school should not be determined just by college matriculation. I probably is not a main streaming thinking parent in CC. I wondered how many parents have the same thought with me.</p>
<p>Wish I had known of this board before making the BS decision. We only looked at Boardingschool.com. Joke!</p>
<p>My son’s grades, confidence and ultimately, his motivation is much lower after his year at BS. It’s time for the veil to be lifted from this alleged utopia. BS best served for the potential nobel winners, the rest of the students serve as step stools for the stars’ achievements. We have been greatly disappointed. </p>
<p>Additional “cons”- </p>
<p>Island like exsistance: I thought there may be trips to local museums, sporting events, that we don’t have where we are. Wrong! One trip to Walmart or the mall each week.
Contact with other BS schools is somewhat limited in our case as well. I know some schools do a lot with others, but for some reason, we don’t.</p>
<p>“Hooks”:
Alsmost NO “free time” - so any hooks better be something that exists from the school.
What if you want to participate in a great local opportunity? Don’t have time or transportation. Forget community service, other than the one day each year the entire school does CS.</p>
<p>I heard a girl went to Exeter she considered to go 7 years medical school accelerate program which is non “top ten”. She had almost perfect SAT score and great ECs.
I met an Andover graduate who pick Duke as his early decision. I asked him why not Ivies. He just told me he did not feel he’s right fit to Ivies. I saw him tent at K’viile out of Camaron Stadium for 3 months and he is so happy for his school.</p>
<p>The stat for total college matriculation is good as a reference. but “top ten” school percentage is not meant too much for me.</p>
<p>Good point, bluegene. I agree that matriculation stats for a bigger group of selective colleges including universities and LACs provide a wholer picture. However, I think the top 10 stats while not very accurate are still meaningful. There are always some students who wouldn’t choose ivies because of fit or other considerations, but in general these are still most popular college destinations (e.g. Harvard’s yield is 75%+), so in many cases students turning down Y may be very likely going to S, another top 10.</p>
<p>I never imagined so many parents/families so focused on an ivy education in connection to the bs experience. We had discussed colleges, before bs came into our radar, as different levels of possibilities. HYP has never appealed to my d or even me. Will she apply now that she is going to bs, maybe or maybe not. We had our sites on Dartmouth, not due to the ivy status but more so for its small size, liberal arts focus, teaching focus and ability to give us a great FA package. Without the FA we could not even consider it, just like bs. We did not apply to bs that could not have offered a generous package, so we were left with more top tier schools than mid or lower tiers.</p>
<p>I believe that some families are going to do the same thing for college. We will apply to only places we would be happy going and those that have the ability to offer the FA we need.</p>
<p>All kids/families of bs are not on this “Ivy-obsessed” track for the name game. Remember not all kids that were accepted at the Exeter/Andover schools decided to attend, their yield is not 100%. Not that they couldnt make it, but that it wasnt what they wanted, or felt pressure to need.</p>
<p>The irony is that both, Padre and Quantman are right with their analysis.
I find this very appealing; we have people (parents) with very positive, somehow negative, and cautionly positive experiences. </p>
<p>My only comment to Padre would be: your D came to BS with that EC passion already developed. So, creating a new club was very natural for her; and that experience clearly was a great EC addition to her strong academics (I’m not an adcom member, but I would love to read a story like hers, really). The same was true for my D: she came to her BS with one dream project in her mind. She was able to fulfill that dream (in her case that turned out to be very risky and stressful, but the bottom line is the same: she did what she wanted, and as a bonus she got very appealing EC). But, to be honest: are you at least 50% sure that your D would even think about creating a new club if she would start her BS in 9th grade? Wouldn’t she just joint the existing club with the rest of the kids? And I suspect there is a difference between these two scenarios from the college point of view. </p>
<p>Quantman: “What aspect of bs life is so wonderful that I will let my child tread mine fields like these in the blissful hope that nothing untoward is going to happen?”
I don’t know. I wish I knew the simple answer. But instead I have only one naive suggestion: because this is the experience that our kids wanted (each one probably for different reasons). </p>
<p>If I can give an advice to kids – I would say that if somehow (disclaimer: I myself don’t know how) you can avoid being super competitive and overstressed about grades, but involved in what YOU really like - you will have much more positive experience in a short, and in a long run. This is how your BS is different – a lot of opportunities to do what YOU really like.</p>
<p>I agree with your comments regarding students being super competitive and overstressed about grades. It was one of the major factors that made me decide to take my daughter out of traditional school and home-school. As an educator I de-emphasize grades to my d as well as my students. I stress leaning for learning sake, the internal knowledge that you have taken a challenge and run with it, tackled it and won, with the price being the gain though the process.</p>
<p>I will be the first to say that my did not have a 99% SSAT and she is not an athlete but was accepted at top schools, why? Because she loves learning and was able to show this though her writing, ec’s and interviewing.</p>
<p>She is going to bs for the bs experience. Even if she returns home after graduation and goes to community college, for free, the bs experience would have paid off in our eyes. I am sad that I dont see more parents seeing it from my pov.</p>
<p>Alexz825–wait until you D has gone to BS before you speak with such rose colored glasses. The BS experience is not the beautiful pictures of happy, well adjusted sparkling kids frolicing about campus. It’s an awful lot to ask of not fully formed teens (and their sacrificing parents). Let’s chat again in a year or two or four. And BTW, the EC passion won’t likely birth at BS–if you don’t see it going in, it’s not going to happen like spontaneous combustion 'cause they are in BS-land.</p>
<p>grinzing, let’s not get too negative, I’ve known many,many, people that believe bs was the most formative and important part of their education. And that includes those that ended up at HY and P for good measure.</p>
<p>mashaa, actually more kids than you’d think have developed strong interests in middle school or are forming ideas of clubs etc. quickly after they join BS. They may not take actions in 9th grade for various reasons, but they have equal chances as students who begin their BS career in later years. Remember there are many day, local boarders or families living a few hours away. They can help out if needed.</p>
<p>You might be right, but and this is a BIG BUT, you might be wrong when it comes to my kid, time will tell.</p>
<p>Every kid at bs is not there cause it was the “thing-to-do” or we had options. When you and your kid knows that being killed, is an real possibility everyday going to school, an option like bs is going to be GREAT!!! and she will have a much better time there than here.</p>
<p>My d has her dance (11 years) so she has an established activity. </p>
<p>My rose colored glasses that you speak of is maybe just the vision that I know my child, maybe better than you knew yours at the time.-no slight intended.</p>
<p>But trust me…i will wait and see on many fronts and wont have a difficult time keeping her home if it doesnt work out.</p>
<p>MY motto: Everything is not for everybody.</p>
<p>Maybe you should accept the fact that maybe bs wasnt right for you kid but right for so many others.</p>
<p>“Or you could be smart and move to the suburbs.”</p>
<p>Some people just don’t have the ability to pack up their things and move. I think Alexz already mentioned she was a single mother and was a teacher, which makes it even harder.</p>
<p>Well that is kind of like saying it is cheaper to live in oklahoma than any other state. Everyone isn’t going to move to oklahoma just because of the lower costs. Of couse some people might, but obviously not everyone will or the united states would just be oklahoma not the united states. There are other circumstances at play such as a person may not like the oklahoma lifestyle, they may like to live near the coast, or they may not like the scenery in oklahoma.</p>
<p>If you made the choice to live where you live because you like it, then you shouldn’t use it (crime) as a reason to send your d to BS as you made that choice. I hope it is clear to you now.</p>
<p>Pulsar–I guess the teacher in me feels a crazy need to educate you—lol.</p>
<p>In most large cities teachers must live in the city they teach, so moving is not an option. Secondly, adults make “family” decision to assist not just themselves but sometimes older, ill family members, parents, grandparents etc.</p>
<p>Sometimes situations are bigger than the individual.</p>
<p>I have a difficult time believing that you are an adult or a kid considering bs, you are very tunneled-visioned.</p>
<p>pulsar, sometimes you are going too far (i hope you see what I mean). I can’t see any good enough reason to do that (I doubt that you are saving someone’s life posting all that …).</p>
<p>No body is questioning why you live where you live. I am questioning the use of crime as a reason to send your d to BS, may be it is for a better education. Thousands go to Chicago schools. Crime is in all cities and all places.</p>