I can only speak to Choate but, over the years, the other voices here have corroborated that Choate is typical. Five is the standard course load with a sixth course permitted by permission of the dean based on a student’s standing and academic readiness to handle the particular extra course along with his/her regular courses that term. Some extras/electives are easier to handle/less burdensome than others. In general, though, most students take five courses per term. Choate is on the trimester system; our son took one six-course term each year, usually winter term.
Most of these boarding schools will kick your butt academically. Colleges will evaluate you against your peers at your BS. You are not compared against students from any other school–public, private, or BS–so you will be compared against the students who get As at your BS. Do not underestimate the academic strength of the BS pools, especially at the schools you mention. You will be competing against the best and the brightest not only from the United States, but globally. This is why other posters are cautioning you about entering in the upper years when those in that pool have already hit their stride. Junior year is critical and is not the time to be experimenting or adjusting, especially if highly selective colleges are your target. Remember, at the top schools, almost every student entered that school with top scores and all-A report cards, so that becomes “normal.” They will not leave that way.
Ditto to everything ChoatieMom said as far as Deerfield is concerned. The only thing I might say differently is that I don’t think it’s THAT unusual to take 6 courses, but agree that the 6th course is often an arts class, with much less homework. There are also several double-period classes, especially some of the AP science classes (because of labs), so that also limits the number of courses you can take. Other than that, I agree about grades, how many electives you’ll actually be able to fit into your schedule (very few), workload, how colleges evaluate studemts from BS, etc. Finally, I agree there are PLENTY of rigorous boarding schools that will challenge you, look good to colleges if you take rigorous courses and do well, and have many many extra- curriculars, besides just Andover and Exeter.
@ChoatieMom @Daykidmom Wow, that means I will have to work my butt off once I get into these schools. Well, if I have the luck to go to a BS, and I am being evaluated against my peers, does that mean I would not get into a highly selective college if I don’t get the highest gpa and test scores? Do colleges take into consideration of the kind of high school you went to? Havard and Yale have definitely heard of schools like Exeter, Andover, Deerfield, and Choate, right? Say if two students want to get into Havard, one student gets all As but is from a not really competitive public school but the other student gets only a few As and all Bs because he is from Andover, who is more likely to be accepted?
^^^Only the particular college can answer that question based on their needs and the class they are trying to build that year.
If you are only concerned about getting into a highly selective college, BS may not be for you. Colleges don’t select students based on the high school they attend. They select students based on the packages they present, what they can contribute to the incoming class, and you can be an attractive package from your local school as well as a BS. Boarding school does not get you into any particular college; it will just prepare you to do well wherever you go. Keep in mind that MOST students who are admitted to highly selective colleges do not come from boarding schools and grades and test scores are only one part of the package you represent.
And I also have a few other questions. I’ve looked into some of the BS websites before. It seems those schoosl offer students a lot of opportunities to participate in community services, exchange programs, and many other types of extracurriculars. Do students in the school actually participate in these programs or are these schools just displaying them on their websites to get more people apply?
Who is driving this train or offering you guidance ? Who selected the schools you applied to last year ?
From what I’ve read so far your best bet is to stay where you are and finish HS there. If you want to pursue a PG year at BS after you apply to colleges - then go for it. I’m sorry but you should have a better handle on this if this is your second round. You need to do better research because right now you seem to be operating without a rudder.
@PhotographerMom I did everything by myself last year, including filling in all the applications and interviews and all of that. I did a lot of research already before I applied to these schools. It is just that I want to know even more about these schools, that is why I went here to ask for guidance.
Here is my concern : You were rejected ( not waitlisted ) by all the schools you applied to last year and you’re entering Junior year. It takes a lot of time and energy to interview/ tour and submit BS apps and the odds of getting in ( next round ) are already against you.
You are applying to some of the most selective schools in the country and your stats don’t match your ambition. If you researched this you would know that these schools are NOT the only game in town and you wouldn’t be wasting your time banging your head against a wall when you have a bigger fish to fry : JUNIOR YEAR. You need to focus and nail this year if you want a shot at a great college. Please don’t waste valuable time on schools that already took a pass on you… they’re not worth it.
Here are your options:
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Ground Hog Day. If you insist on applying to the schools that already rejected you.
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If attending BS is truly your dream… you need to apply to different boarding schools with more forgiving admission rates. Here’s what you need to know : You have 30+ schools to choose from and they’re all amazing. Get cracking and check them out. Look at the Hidden Gem List and see if you can find some schools that might suit you… it won’t be difficult because they’re just as good ( and in some cases ) better than the “Top Schools” on your list.
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Not an option but I’m throwing it in : Remove the word “Top” from your vocabulary. You’re killing me.
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Finish HS where you are and apply to colleges from there. If you still want to do a PG year at a BS - go for it.
You seem like a great kid and we’re all here to help. 
I’m kind of confused by you saying you are IN boarding school already? You also say you were depressed living in the dorm? You will have to live in a dorm at AE or Exeter…?
^^ Those are really good questions @catinthehat79 . I totally missed it but went back and just saw it now. What’s up with that, @axlethetraveller ? Are you a student at a BS ? Is your mother onboard with this adventure or are you off trying to do this all on your own ?
@axlethetraveller I suggest you begin by going to about page 35 (or further) in the Prep School Admissions thread. Read every single thread (including all of the responses in each thread). Then, after you have come up with a list of about 30+ schools and made an accompanying list of issues and questions to use in your search, visit each of those school web sites. Review all sections of each web site, beginning with Admissions and continuing onto Student Life and Academics sections. Then visit www.boardingschoolreview.com to use the Advanced Search function to see what schools are listed after you have entered your very specific wants and needs for a school. THEN (and only then) return to this board to ask any specific questions that remain unanswered after your research.
This may take a while, but until and unless you do this research there is little chance that you will: 1. find the right school for you and 2. maximise your chances for admission.
I suggest you also search your final list of schools’ web sites for PG Year information. I cannot see how changing schools for Senior year would work to your advantage. A PG year may, in fact, be a great idea.
Let us know what you find out. This board is only ONE resource you should be using. Good luck.
Listen, this is all about standing out. Find an extremely good hook and make a connection with the people there. I would definitely suggest going to the schools and doing on campus interviews and although it will probably be extremely stressful but I would do it and give it a shot. Plus if you can get in you could definitely mention this for college and everything you had to accomplish and the struggles you faced. It will be good practice and being in an environment that you feel welcomed in we’ll be good for you. Discuss every possibility with your parents such as repeating a year or going in as a PG. I wish you the best of luck and don’t give up because you never know what could happen.( also turn in your application in on time)
Boarding schools let in most of their students freshman year (kids applying from 8th grade) so there is barely ever any room and they only give space to kids if its an extraordinary case. No offense, you just being smart is not going to get you in. You will need awesome extracurriculars because these schools have plenty of smart kids they are looking at what you would bring to the school. Who knows there might already be a student exactly like you at the school already. My friend got into Andover for his junior year, he is not particularly smart but he is one of the top lacrosse players in Massachusetts so that is why they wanted him
Guys sorry for not replying in time. I was sick for the last two weeks (caught a cold), so I did not use my computer much.
Thank you very much for your advice @PhotographerMom , I will definitely check out the threads you gave me for sure. I know how difficult it is to apply for the HADES schools, but I feel I did not let them know my full potential since not only I did not plan an in-person interview, but also I was still in a period of adaptation in my current school. Anyway, I will make sure to plan better this time and widen my choices.
@catinthehat @PhotographerMom I am currently in a boarding school in the West Coast, and it is not a BS. My parents support my decisions to transfer to a BS, but they are very busy with their work, and they do not know much about the process, so I am doing all these by myself. It is very hard to explain in a few sentences of what I went through in the dorm and in school. I can probably talk to you guys in more details privately, would it be okay for me to PM you guys?
I don’t understand how you are in a “boarding school but it is not a BS”? This makes no sense. Do you go to a school where you reside in a dormitory during the school year? If so, you are in a BS. As a reminder: on this board, “BS” stands for Boarding School…
@london203 Thanks, I will do that soon once I have time.
@Penguins75 Thank you for that advice, Penguins75. You made me feel what I am doing is worthy. You mentioned “finding a hook”, but since none of my family members are alumnis of those schools, and it is not very convenient for me to go to the East Coast frequently since I live in a dorm. Is there a good way to find a hook easily?
