@kidsparent, could you share how he made the adjustment from ps to bs? was it a smooth transition or were there particular bumps in the road? time management issues? thanks and good luck on the college apps.
He had a really easy transition. A couple home sick nights, and a bit of butterflies which were only shared with us about two years later.
He was pretty self managing in Middle School so it was not a huge deal to be on his own. There were things he missed, and about twice a year we get a note from he discipline committee that he has overslept more than he should, but overall nothing major.
he bonded quickly with his dorm mates, and they were/ are a cool bunch, but about three years in he realized that he could have done a better job of finding friends based on interest/ affinity rather than proximity. Good lesson for college (and one i did not learn until about 4 years into a 6 year college career)
Overall it was pretty smooth
I have a kid at PA, but can speak to transition issues. Not as much for him, but what he reported to us, what we saw in assignments and heard at parents weekend. He came from a small private school which prepared him very well for the academics. He was used to talking to teachers about anything and was very focused when it came to getting his work done. He was used to being away at overnight camp in the summer (with no internet - just old fashioned letter writing). What we saw/heard was that some kids from different schools did not have the preparation in writing. So intro bio and 9th grade history and English were heavy in helping kids transition. So he found the initial assignments somewhat short and easy. It did pick up during the year. And his Spanish teacher said some kids come in with not having spoken Spanish! That was incredible to us - how do you teach a language without oral component. So transition depends somewhat on personality - is your child easily distracted or can they focus? and background - is a full lab report going to be new and difficult? or is researching at the library and writing a paper new or something they have done? It took until spring for him to really find his social group. It was not his dorm mates. They were fine and he got along with everyone, but just not quite the same interests.
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I have been watching the assembly halls on the “gameonstream” site. Over the past month, 6 of the last 7 have been about racism and inclusion. This was a common theme before the new year, but it seems to be rather excessive lately. Is this how it is every year?
@heartburner How do you find the “gameonstream” link to the assemblies? Or do have to be a parent of a child at PEA to access the link? Thanks!
@Xystus – PM’d you the link
@heartburner Thank you!
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Exeter is college. And the best one I’ve ever sat in on. Kids won’t get a better education at any college, top or otherwise. I went to an Ivy and my daughter is a lower at Exeter. Not one day did I get in college what she gets everyday at Exeter. People need to get over this obsession that our country has with their kid being in a “top” college. As if that’s what creates their life long success. It doesn’t. It’s a feather in your cap and a bragging right but success and how you define it comes from what a person builds for themselves. I have loser friends that are still talking about their Harvard days or their HBS days because they haven’t accomplished a thing since graduating and I have wildly successful friends that dropped out of school or never went past high school. Parents are driving this BS that only top colleges count and as a result kids are padding college applications starting in like 4th or 5th grade to the point that theyre totally inauthentic.
Well said @Slapshot1. I feel the same way. I think it’s both a blessing and a curse the level of parental involvement these days. My parents were great, but did direct and/or dictate my educational choices after middle school. There is a very good book by Paul Tough that talks about what you mention above – it’s the “soft” skills that lead to success, not where you went to boarding school and college. If you lack the work ethic, grit, resilience, among other traits, you are not going to be successful (again whatever one’s definition of success is), if you lack those qualities. Personally, I do believe bragging rights has become more infused in the process of boarding and colleges than it should be, but that’s life, I guess…