I WISH I went to boarding school

Prep School Admissions
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<p>I'm a junior at a mediocre public high school in the Midwest. I keep wishing somebody had told me about East Coast prep schools and the opportunities I could have had if I had applied there. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sure that I have just as good a shot at the Ivies as you prep school kids--it's not about college. It's about the environment. I long to have more than one class that challenges me, to have classmates who are just as passionate about learning as I am, to have teachers who actually care about their subjects. I just can't imagine what it would be like to have that; I have never, at any time, had more than two classes in which I would describe myself as "challenged," and never more than four or five classmates who I felt actualy cared as much about learning as I did. I even long for the school BUILDINGS...my own school is big and dirty, with not a single window on either floor (it was built in the 70s), with no soap in the bathrooms, a single option--hamburgers--for school lunch, and desks that at some points have to be duct taped together. We have one athletic field; my varsity soccer team shares it with varsity football for practices, and the JV/soph/frosh teams have to take a 20 minute bus ride for their practices.</p>

<p>I guess I just wanted to say...all of you who are going to incredible schools like Andover and Choate and Exeter and whatnot, you should feel incredibly blessed to have learned about this opportunity and I hope you take the fullest advantage of it. What you'll be getting is not an ordinary education experience...I hope to meet some of you at an Ivy in a couple of years!</p>

2

<p>I'm a sophomore in high school , and I'd love to go to boarding school. Really really wanted to go badly, but it's just too far away so my parents are not willing. (i live in asia) they're not much for the overly liberal environment in the US and UK.</p>

<p>sigh. But I don't have much to complain about in terms of my school and its facilities I guess. Facilities are great but the problem is people care toooo much about academia. Seriously, it's like our entire year is defined by the final GPA we obtain. Really really sad but yeah. People cry over tests all the time and the academics are pretty tough... leaves you with little of a life for other stuff :S</p>

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<p>Southeast, I'm sure you'll do fine. :) But your post made me realize how lucky I am to be GOING to BS next fall. Thanks. :)</p>

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<p>why not try for a postgrad or repeat a grade? ^<em>^ when i entered high school, i was in the class of '08, but ive repeated 10th grade which puts me in '09. go for it- i believe in an average graduating class (on the east coast), there are more graduating 19 yr olds than 17 yr olds, which was a big shock for me because back home mostly everyone graduates at 17. ^</em>^</p>

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<p>I'll be graduating when I'm 18.</p>

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<p>same with me, olivia.</p>

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<p>Yeah, boarding school sounds totally awesome, although kind of expensive. :T Darn middle class. I don't have that much to complain about my current (public) HS, though. Well, there's always college. :D</p>

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<p>there's always financial aid...</p>

9

<p>dolly,
If you look at the bs sites, over 40% of the students are on fa at most of the schools. Don't let your parent's finances prevent you from applying.</p>

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<p>It's not too late to get the boarding school experience. Some schools accept students for their senior year and others will accept you for a post-graduate year. Take a look at Mercersburg or St. Andrew's-Sewanee.</p>

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<p>How much harder is it to get in for 12th grade/post grad than say, 9/10/11th grade?</p>

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<p>Most of the schools have a PG year; I think being admitted for 12th grade alone is rare, but an acquaintance was just telling us about her niece being admitted to New Hampton School (a small bs with an equestrian emphasis in NH) as a 12th grader.</p>

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<p>Single year experiences (12 OR PG) at New Hampton and many other schools tend to center around athletes who are trying to improve their college options (both athletically and academically). </p>

<p>However, many schools will take a 2-year (12 + PG) with top rate academics who can bring other things to a school. 2 years is enough to get solid recommendations and establish an academic track record.</p>

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<p>keylyme and IluvA's:
If you look at the bs sites, over 40% of the students are on fa at most of the schools. Don't let your parent's finances prevent you from applying.</p>

<p>From my experince, I do not know why stats came from, even some schools posted no regarding f status, no kids will be turn down for f stats. </p>

<p>My son was accepted to a few schools. due to no money no grant, he will not go bs. I feel it is joke for the statement they posted on the website or category.</p>

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<p>yan,</p>

<p>I'm sorry to hear that the financial situation didn't pan out for you. </p>

<p>I think there is a great misunderstanding in the general population that FA is a way that boarding schools make their services available to those of lesser means. </p>

<p>That is only part of the story. Signficant (meeting SSS's EFC) FA generally only happens when an applicant brings something extrordinary to the school that meets one of the schools objectives. Traditionally, the extras necessary to get admitted with FA are athletic abilitities (game dominating skill), artistic talents beyond the ordinary, URM status, academic achievement in the top decile of their admitted students (not of the general population or even of SSAT test takers).</p>

<p>Basically, they are buying things that they cannot find enough of in full-pay students. Is it charitable? Yes and No.</p>

<p>To the recipients selected, they get a great environment to fully develop themselves at a price that while it is a reach (SSS's EFC are not low by any means of the imagination) can be done if a family is willing to put fort a bit of sacrifice. And ultimately, they want the families to have some skin in the game.</p>

<p>It is good business for the schools in that the kids on FA make the athletic/artistic/academic/cultural experience for the full pay student that much better, which makes the experience worth the full tuition they pay.</p>

<p>Being the beneficiary of a generous FA situation, we saw that our best option (financially) ended up being at a school where my D added both athletically AND academically to school. Although the school my D attends is not one of the prestigous schools often mentioned on CC, it has served her needs well - much better than the large, impersonal public school where we live. We consider ourselves lucky to have the opportunity presented.</p>

<p>In a nutshell, I think there is a great misunderstanding of how tough it is to get good FA at a top rate school. I'm sorry if this comes a bit late for some, but I've tried to say it in other posts in the past.</p>

<p>If there is something to be learned from this experience, you will find college FA competition very similar. A lot of "need" FA grant money is reserved for students the school "needs" to achieve its objectives. Loans are given to the rest.</p>

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<p>very well said goalie dad.</p>

<p>we know a very bright boy who was offered admission to andover and choate for next year, but cannot go because he did not get FA.</p>

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<p>You are correct goaliedad....my son received pretty much full scholarship and was a highly recruited athlete as well. Last year he got nothing though....even though his grades were perfect then (8th vs 9th grade). We were told it was due to "demographics".
Several years back my older son gained admission to Exeter but was put on a fa "waitlist". We were told that if he reappiled the following year w/ the same stats it was likely he would be admitted with fa. We chose not to try that! He also got a large package from the same school my youngest will be attending.</p>

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<p>But the local public school will always be free. >> Mine isn't too bad, though.</p>

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<p>Our public school is not bad, too. So I feel the price for going to private school can be adjustified.</p>

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<p>The schools my D was accepted to offered very generous financial aid based on the SSS data. </p>

<p>I think it is sad that people say anything about the FA offered at the top tier schools because the packages we were offered at two of them, although only one was accepted obviously, were very generous. This is not FA for any sports star or cello player or anything like that.</p>

<p>I just don't want people who are reading these posts to think it is uncommon for middle class, normal families to get a generous FA package from a top tier school. We are living proof.</p>