<p>My son is a middle school student and we will be applying to several schools for 2010. Schools that interest me are: Mercersburg, Christchurch, McCallie, Thatcher, Lawrenceville, kent and maybe a few of the “ten schools”. Interesting list, I know. We wll move wherever he ends up and he will be a day student. Here are my questions:</p>
<li><p>What does tier one and tier two mean and why is it important? Aren’t all the schools fabulous? </p></li>
<li><p>How important are sports? My son has gone to a sports camp every summer for 7 years, buthe is NOT an athlete. Because he has gone to camp he has learned about the sports and how to play, and he has fun, but he is NOT an athlete. At all. He loves math and science, volunteers, is a great student. But he has no natural talent in the area of sports or anything that involves fine motor skills. No artist. No musical instrument. Would be on a thirds team for sure, which he would probably like if it were a thrid’s for Lacrosse. It seems like there is such a focus at bs on sports that I wonder what the environment would like for those less athletic? Can anyone speak from experience? He did join a lacrosse club for 2 months last year which is new for our area, but they haven’t restarted it this year and he doesn’t have much in the way of sports to put on a resume.</p></li>
<li><p>Since he will be a day student I worry about schools like Kent that have less than ten % day. I hear some schools have a less than friendly attitude toward days students, and then I hear from others that there is little difference. Does anyone have the “little difference” experience? Any input is appreciated.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Tiers: Basically based on the level of perceived prestige of schools. Certainly not a good way to choose a school. </p>
<p>Sports: Varies by school. Many of them offer everything from thirds lacrosse to yoga, and other non-traditional options, including dance, search & rescue, and individual fitness training.</p>
<p>Day students: Depends on the school. Kent, a very well regarded school, is in a more rural less populated area, so most will be boarders. </p>
<p>I also note that you wrote "schools that interest me." Are these the schools where he will be happy and that interest him?</p>
<p>Also, it seems a bit unusual to move to wherever the student goes. You will need to check the policies about switching from boarder to day student of each school carefully, as he will most likely have to apply as a boarder since you are not local to the schools, and then switch prior to enrollment if you have moved by then.</p>
<p>If you plan to move, why apply to boarding schools? You have a much larger selection of day schools, and you don't have to worry about your son being a day student with all the boarders.</p>
<p>My seventh grader is starting to get excited and I am looking at schools that I think will be a good fit for him, because we'll be dependent on finanical aid we will apply to several...so I am doing most of the research and then giving him the information on the schools, but yes...I am trying to find schools that I think would be a good fit for him. </p>
<p>I know moving and being a day student is unusual. We only have one child and I am not really into sending him away, but the education and opportunities at these school are amazing. That is why day student. There are several prep schools with a large number of day students which seems to be a great option. I know the big push seems to be to board, but the opportunity for day certainly exist. That is one reason I actually like Mercersburg. They require you to board your senior year, which I like, but allow you to be day in the younger years. </p>
<p>I guess my question about sports is really can he fit in if he is not an athlete. It seems like sports are the be all end all for a lot of people looking at prep schools. </p>
<p>Burb Parent, your question on day schools is interesting. I have a close friend who turned me on to the whole boarding school thing. Her children will definitely be boarders. And there are great resources out their like boarding school review that let you know about the schools. I haven't found very much on "day schools only" and wouldn't really know where to begin to find these great day schools. And again, if some of the schools have 40% day it seems to be a good option. I don't mind him going to school that has both boarding and day as long as he's not mistreated for being a day student. It really depends upon the culture of the school. I never thought about having to apply as a boarder and then switch. Since we would move I automatically assumed he would just apply as a day student. Thanks for the information. I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Applying for financial aid will make this more complicated. Won't your jobs/income changes? Your living expenses? Given the current economic situation, will you be able to get jobs in the new location?</p>
<p>Sports really are big at a lot of private schools (both boarding and day). How it plays out can vary - some schools want everyone to do sports, some are focused more on having winning teams.
You can find out about day schools in lots of ways. Schools in New England, for example, are nearly all listed at <a href="http://www.aisne.org%5B/url%5D">www.aisne.org</a>. Schools in the Maryland area are at AIMS</a> - Website.
And Petersons lists schools all over the country.</p>
<p>My husband and I closed a business last year and he went back to school for nursing (I have been a nurse for 15+ years) so we will both be nurses when we move. No problem usually getting a job. A lot less risky than the last few years of my life...</p>
<p>I thought Petersons listed only boarding schools but I will definitely check out those other websites. Thanks.</p>
<p>When a school accepts day and boarding students, the competition for the day spots can be very intense. Applying to schools is time consuming, especially as you will eventually need to find a place to live as well.</p>
<p>I believe your son can apply as a day student, even if you don't live near a school. I know of Korean families who have done this. The Wall Street Journal recently featured a family who moved from California to Boston, in order to enroll their daughters at a prestigious day school. </p>
<p>The admissions departments of boarding schools might be wary of a family willing to move across the country. Many of the "day" spots at boarding schools may be taken by the children of staff & faculty, so looking for schools with more than 40% day students makes sense. If you are both nurses, and need financial aid, have you considered looking for a position as a nurse at a school? Staff frequently qualify for tuition discounts and/or housing. </p>
<p>I have heard good things about Boston University Academy. It looks as if it would be the perfect place for a student who loves math and science, but isn't looking forward to required team sports. It is a day school, not a boarding school, but the students have access to the Boston University campus.</p>
<p>Yes I have thought about working at a school, I have done that for seven years to get him to his summer camp and have built the most wonderful relationship with the owners of the camp doing this. However I think the nursing jobs at these schools don't have openings all that often. I have seen several sites where the school nurse has been there for ten years plus. Periwinkle, why would a school be wary of a family willing to move to where the school is located? I think it shows tremendous committment to education to be willing to do so. A great opportunity to give your kid the best opportunities/education and have a great day experience.</p>
<p>I will check out Boston University. He is very strong in math and science.</p>
<p>Most schools require students to participate in a competitve sport 1 or 2 seasons. Varies by school, but every school we visited it was at least one season. That said, it could be a 3rd's (or even 4th's in some cases) team. It's the learning that in part of being on a team they feel is important. In the other terms, they all required something like drama, or community service.</p>
<p>I don't have any issue with participating in a sport. Like I said he is gone to a 7 week residential sports camp every summer for 7 years. It's just he is not a strong athlete and I wondered about the culture of the schools and if you had to be "good" at sports to be accepted. (accepted by your peers). He would like drama and already participates in community service projects. He is strong academically. Has paricipated in Karate several years (although not this year). Lacrosse club one year. Very active in boy scouts and will make Eagle Scout by the end of his eighth grade year. It just seems that everything I see advertised for the prep schools is sports related and it gives me the feel of a bunch of jocks strutting their stuff. I was just wondering about the culture of the schools and how the kids treat each other.</p>
<p>Joyhuffes, many of the big name boarding schools could increase the proportion of day students in the student body. In the years since their founding, the areas around their campuses have grown less rural. That they still welcome many boarders leads me to believe that they value the more formal relationship a boarding school will have with a student's family.</p>
<p>I don't think the "jock" culture is any greater at boarding school than at any other school.<br>
I have in the last few years seen openings for nurses at schools. You keep that door open.<br>
Keep in mind, that at many (not all) boarding schools, it is HARD to be a day student. Read the recent post by beachguru (I think that's the name). I certainly understand you not wanting your son to board, but I would look at the culture of day students at a school. And, not just what the school SAYS. </p>
<p>For example, one school we applied to has info about day students in their view book in with "admissions and financial aid." Kind of burried. Others feature it prominently in the materials. That's a message to me.<br>
Personally, I hate the whole "day student lounge" thing. It just seperates the groups of kids. When you tour, as a day student applicant, they will probably talk to you and show you the day student hang outs. NMH for example, assigns all day students to a dorm room - usually about 8 or so to a room. They can hang out there during free periods - like boarders can and can sign up to stay over (obviously all 8+ can't the same time). The kids are part of that dorm, just like they lived there.<br>
One school we visited had a hallway of lockers - which was very "public school like" in my son's words. He didn't like it (he would have boarded there so it wasn't as if he would be using them). Anyway, ask questions about the day / boarding difference. Hopefully you will get a day student as a tour guide (and not a faculty kid who is technically a day student, but lives on campus, so doesn't really count).</p>
<p>Some private schools (boarding,day and mixed) are much more sports-oriented than others. There are several sports leagues - some , like the ISL are very competitive, others like NEPSAC are less so. Belmont Hill, for example, is known as a sports school, nearby Cambridge School of Weston is much more of an arts school. They compete in different leagues. Not all schools require a student to participate in a competitive sport either - some allow kids to do dance,rock climbing, or similar things.</p>
<p>BUA (Boston University Academy Boston</a> University Academy) is a very good day school. (I'll admit my child is there, so you can consider me biased.) It is rather unlike a lot of the traditional day and boarding prep schools. Sports is not big at all. It's all about academics. The curriculum is tough. Kids start taking university classes as juniors (and somewhat rarely before that).</p>
<p>From what I gather, boarding schools - at least those that primarily composed of boarding students - generally do NOT want high levels of parental involvement. The governing concept is that of in loco parentis, which loosely translates from Latin to "in place of the parent." In contrast to public or even private day schools, a BS will generally have a much lower student to staff ration and the student will be supervised much more closer, even in their personal life. When parents become highly involved, it actually interferes with the school's overall mission of indoctrination, possibly sending mixed messages to the students (parents insists one thing, the school another). Similarly, increasing the % of day students at a school typically detracts from overall cohesiveness of the student body and increases the chances of unsupervised off-campus "frolics" for the boarding kids.</p>
<p>I'm not trying to be mean here, but I will be blunt. The idea that parents would willingly pick up their own lives to move hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles to accompany junior to high school is a warning signal of helicopter parenting (as is the use of "we" rather than "he" in discussing the application process). I understand the desire to be an involved parent with a close relationship with your son, but if you are going to apply to schools that are primarily boarding, then let the school perform its function. Otherwise, it makes much more sense to look for a good day school in your area.</p>
<p>Concord Academy is one school that I think handles the boarding/day student issue beautifully. The school is 50/50 boarding/day, but most important is that boarding students are not allowed to return to their dorms during the day (from 8-3) thus making all students day students in effect. At the same time, day students are welcome to stay for breakfast and dinner and thus they mix easily and frequently with the boarders. Numerous weekend activities (no Saturday classes) make for lots of mixing as well. I have known day students in many other schools around here (greater Boston) who feel left out of the boarding community and agree with the sentiment that it might be better to be at a day school rather than a boarding school.
I do not think you proposed move, Joyhuffes, will worry many schools. You will naturally find that there is less parental involvement at high schools of any kind. That said, all schools in this region rely on parental volunteers and support (and not just for $$). PM me if you'd like more info; I know this area very well.</p>