<p>When we first get to boarding school, what's different from home? your classes? living in a dorm? your roommate? the freedom? the weather? everything and anything! So, after your first day, post here.</p>
<p>Preface: I'm a rising junior; I've boarded for two years after going to public schools my whole life. Therefore, this isn't exactly my "first day", but I think that it fits the thread. (Besides, how would anyone be able to judge the classes after one day?)</p>
<p>Classes are much harder in that there is much more work and some challenging concepts. This may be as much due to the transition from middle school to high school, as well as the transition from public to private, but I feel that this is at least partly because the administration expects students to help each other out.</p>
<p>Which brings me to the subject of homework. Doing homework at a BS is <em>such</em> a different experience for me. Having friends to help you out has admittedly made me a little dependent on them for help sometimes. I often ask my friends to proofread my essays, and I help my roommate with math sometimes. Also, being able to ask your roommate or go down the hall and ask your friend what the homework is, or how they are tackling a certain problem is a lifesaver. This is most evident when you examine the difference in grades between boarders and day students. Obviously, most of the time, boarders are stronger academically, just due to the selection process, and I hate to generalize, but if you take the 10%-20% highest GPA students, then you will notice that these are predominantly boarders (the top has the super strong, exception day students).</p>
<p>Living in a dorm is a strange experience. It's really fun, but at the same time, disgusting. Random junk (clothes, detergent, etc) is sometimes strewn all over the place, and the bathroom often stinks something fierce, even though my BS has cleaning crews sweep by every day? Still, the sense of belonging can get quite strong, and at the inter-dorm competitions, you can observe this in even the most timid, shy boarders.</p>
<p>As for freedom...well, my parents were a lot less strict, so I have less freedom at BS, but I think that most BS understand that high schoolers need their freedom, so (at least at my BS), students are given the benefit of the doubt and enough freedom. That said, the isolation from any major cities/urban areas does suck sometimes.</p>
<p>Weather...depends on what BS, so I won't get into it.</p>
<p>Hey who do you think you are bud?!?!?!?!? I have a thread suspiciously similar! Don't hate because I beat you to the punch. No one post here!! LOL
Jk jk jk LOL</p>
<p>PBailey, that was really helpful! Thank you :)</p>