<p>My daughter is qualified to apply to a great boarding school. She'd start there in her junior year. Is it a good idea? Academically, she will be shining, but all the ECs and leadership stuff make me to think twice. You know, it's hard to be a new kid on the block and gets recognized right away, especially the college process is just a year away. I am wondering if some of you have any similar experience? How did it work out for your child(ren)? Thanks!</p>
<p>I would advise against it unless there is a very strong reason why she wants to attend there. I switched schools as a junior, from a small private to a fairly small public. The public school has better academics, more clubs, and many of my friends attend... it finally dawned on me that I shouldn't be paying 20 grand a year for an inferior school. </p>
<p>The social transition was really easy for me because several of my friends already attended the public school (less than a week after arriving I had more friends there than I did in 5 years at the private), but I think it would have been VERY difficult had I not already had friends there. If simply for the fact that life gets crazy for juniors and seniors and it's hard enough to have time to hang out with your good friends, much less have time to make new ones.</p>
<p>If you go to the "Discussion Home" page and scroll down, there is a forum for prep school admission. There are a lot of parents and students who are very helpful and knowledgable in this area. Good luck.
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/</a></p>
<p>I will point out that at some prestigious boarding schools, students who transfer in often repeat their sophomore year. This is one reason that their students do so well at admittance to the most selective colleges- they have 1 more year in HS for additional colllege prep , AP level classes etc, etc..</p>
<p>My son entered his final boarding school as a repeat junior. Entering as a junior was fine. He had time to get to know teachers and the college counselor before the application process started. He adjusted immediately. Most boarding schools are excellent at integrating new students and there are a number of them each year.</p>
<p>i think that it would be hard for her unless she is super outgoing. but i think she would be fine for college, at my b.s. the new juniors do just as well in the college process as everyone else.</p>
<p>I entered boarding school as a new junior and it worked out fine...I think I'm in better shape in terms of college admissions there than I would have been at my public school...it's easy to develop relationships with your teachers when the classes are small and you live with them. I'm pretty shy and quiet, but I still get noticed (it's hard not to get noticed when your entire grade has 26 people in it) and am in a couple of leadership positions this year as a senior even though it's only my second year here.</p>
<p>My D entered a boarding school her junior year, and although it was difficult, by the end of that year she achieved some amazing positions, including senior class president. When she received her Stanford SCEA acceptance letter, at the bottom there was a handwritten note which said the Adcom was impressed by how quickly she had become a leader at her new school. Not sure if she would have gotten in otherwise!!</p>
<p>There's a lot more to this decision than activities, I think. Does she want to go? One of the happiest days in my daughter's life was when she <em>didn't</em> get into a certain boarding school! I had no idea she didn't want to go. </p>
<p>If she wants to go and it's a top boarding school, then it may pay off-- especially if it's a better school than what she's leaving. I would seriously weigh whether she is competitive enough to be near the top of the boarding school class, stats-wise, especially if that's where she is in her present school. I would also call the people in charge of her current activities-- coaches, orchestra directors, etc, and see if she can audition now.</p>
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I will point out that at some prestigious boarding schools, students who transfer in often repeat their sophomore year. This is one reason that their students do so well at admittance to the most selective colleges- they have 1 more year in HS for additional colllege prep , AP level classes etc, etc..
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Will the adcom take this into consideration or hold it against you?</p>
<p>If you look at the #acceptances from colleges like HYP, etc for students from top boading schools , I think the answer is they don't hold it against it you. I think that 5th year is treated in a similar way that taking CC classes while in HS is treated- as additional academic preparation. Of course, the connections that counselors from top BSchools have with college admissions offices is not going to hurt either.</p>
<p>Sounds 'not fair'. But hey they pay big bucks, that should count on something, jmo.</p>