<p>Ok, we all know that if you went to exeter,andover,etc then that will almost definately be looked upon favorably on a college app, but what if you go to a smaller, less known boarding school? I am fairly sure that the schools I am applying to are a good deal better than the public school in my area, but what do colleges think about it?</p>
<p>and yes i know i have spelling errors but the dictionary is a whole two rooms away!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Take a look at the college matriculations over a few years. Some boarding schools have better track records with certain colleges.</p>
<p>I'd say that they might know your school better than public schools.. Or not.
Even in the worst case in which colleges don't know your school, don't worry.
There are plenty of public schoolers who get into top universities!
:)</p>
<p>Generally, prep and day sch students do a bit better in college placement than do public sch students. Just look at the percentage of pvt sch studetns at top schs (disproportionate compared to percentage of pvt sch students in the applicant pool).</p>
<p>Top boarding schools are amazing at college placement. Schools like Andover, St. Paul's, Deerfield, Hotchkiss, and Groton have around 30% of their grads going to Ivy League schools, and don't forget there are schools like MIT, Stanford, and LACs that are pretty close, if not equal, to Ivies. Schools like Taft, Choate, etc. send around 20%.</p>
<p>Most people on here say that it actually hurts your chances at top colleges by going to boarding school, but I don't buy that. There are a ton of legacies and athletic recruits, but there's also a decent number of smart, well-rounded kids. Universities say that your school doesn't affect your chances of admission, but all top colleges know the TSAO and ISL schools.</p>
<p>It actually all depends how well you do there. It's nice to have, but there are plenty of other factors.</p>
<p>I am a college freshman and graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, NH this past spring.
Having SPS on my resume definitely helped boost my own confidence, but I don't know if just the name did a lot for me. My grades were average, maybe a little bit above, but the experiences you have there really help shape the person you are and add to your application. Being able to write a solid admissions essay and prove to your desired college that you are competent and enjoy what you do can make all the difference. I applied to Emerson College early action, was accepted, and then applied to Cornell regular decision and was also accepted.
Obviously my list of schools was much longer to begin with but my top two were Emerson and Cornell, and after I got into one early, there really wasn't any merit to applying to safeties.
I really think you should focus on having the best time you can while at the school, and worry about the college stuff when you get to that point in your life.
best of luck</p>
<p>TheGoldenGirl: Great advice!</p>
<p>i think your milage will vary heavily on the school. for harvard, yale and schools of that caliber and in that region it's a wash or maybe a slight negative; with a place like stanford, say, i'd put it as more negative. but there are other schools that might still appreciate the novelty of it where it might be a positive, places like georgetown or schools that don't get many or any bs applicants.</p>
<p>I'd guess that it depends.
On the one hand, the top 10% of boarding school, academically-speaking (plus athletes, legacies, etc.) tend to have, if not guaranteed, a very high chance of getting in places - and being X out of Y students at a boarding school places you "higher up" than being X out of Y students at a regular public school.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the chances of an individual being valedictorian, or in the top 10%, etc., of a boarding school are significantly less than if one had stayed in his original environment.</p>
<p>You have to remember that the top boarding schools place a lot of emphasis on the ivies - most do have a high placement, simply because of the high caliber students - it's very likely these kids would have gotten in whether or not they had attended boarding school. Likewise, the kids who get into the top liberal arts colleges probably would have faired well at public school. </p>
<p>The kids who get into top 50 schools rather than ivies are the ones who boarding school really benefits - the academic rigor comes into play and prepares these kids to write strong college essays and fare well on the SAT; colleges know and respect that. The most rigorous boarding schools do have strong connections with many colleges, and this does help with placement. </p>
<p>Boarding school = benefit. I don't anyone who would have fared better going to a public school and being valedictorian.</p>
<p>thanks everyone! I guess a summary might be that smaller boarding schools tend to have a slight academic edge and a slight college placement edge. I know it seems a little crazy to be considering college in eighth grade but im a little crazy so....</p>
<p>For top schools, the edge becomes significant. But only maybe top ~20 in the country which have that much sway.</p>
<p>You'll likely have much better advising/counseling/recommendations from privates as well.</p>
<p>Really depends on whether or not you're the kind of kid who'll walk the two rooms to get the dictionary. ;)</p>
<p>Actually, one way you can better your chances is to choose a boarding school in a less represented geographic area. When college reps travel through Arkansas and Tennessee they'll give a serious look to some kids who might not have made it on to their radar screens in Massachusetts or New York.</p>
<p>If the quality of the education provided by the public school is the same as the boarding school. I question the wisdom of going to boarding school, unless there is another reason for going. (sports, broader course selection, ect..)</p>
<p>If the education provided by the public school is inferior to the boarding school, than the drop in class rank that will happen when the child goes to boarding school should be trumped by the fact that the boarding school student will be a much better college candidate. </p>
<p>One problem with boarding schools, or day prep schools, is that graduating students can get caught in a number crunch. A family member of mine is currently a senior at a day prep applying to a top college that I have some connections to. When I made some inquires at the college, the one of the first things I was told was that seven other kids are applying from that school. That is a lot from his school given its size. Luckily he is in the top half of that group and it will not keep him out. If he was at the bottom it may have been a different story. Colleges will only take so many kids from one school.</p>
<p>^if that was addressed to me, I only meant that it's the smartest kids who boarding school really isn't going to help much. The type of kid who scores a 1400 on the SAT as a freshman really isn't going to helped that much in the college admission process by going to a boarding school; the kid will succeed anywhere he goes.</p>
<p>JB1, that's not necessarily true. Duke, I believe, explicitly states they have no limit on kids from a single school. And some top preps essentially have no limit with any school.</p>
<p>And top prep schools will often amplify the already incredible candidate. I knew people who had Penn/Brown as safeties in high school, something which only consistently happens at these top schools. Other schools like JHU/Georgetown/Chicago are also less difficult to get into from the very top schools.</p>
<p>I can't speak for every school out there. Just relating my conversations with one admissions department. </p>
<p>I am sure there is no hard number in any admissions department, we will take no more that x students from x school. But if there are two identical candidates applying to the same college, one will be the seventh student accepted from a school and the other will be the first from another, who do you think they will pick?</p>
<p>I have a question- do colleges think that boarding school students who paid full tuition are extremely rich and have an easy life? I'm a little worried because I applied without FA because I didn't want to hurt my chances, but may have to receive FA in college (if I attended 4 years, full tuition).</p>