Hey Everyone,
I’ve been doing some research for some of my students who want to go to the US for boarding school and I found that a very good solution would be for them to repeat 8th grade at a JBS and then apply to a regular BS after that. I’ve seen a lot of good JBS like Eaglebrook, Bement, Cardigan, Groton, etc. These all seem like incredible schools and I’m wondering if anyone has insight on schools that might be considered “safeties” in this category? I can’t seem to find any…
Would Orme school in Arizona be considered a safety? Moreover, how competitive are these schools actually? I see a lot of them have around 40 - 70% admissions rate, which doesn’t seem too competitive - especially compared to my alma mater (PEA)… that being said… I think the admission rate for international students might be low? Anyone have any insight on this? Or are the parents just driving me crazy?
I can’t answer your question about getting into these schools, but I know kids from Taiwan who have gone to Eaglebrook and then subsequently gone to BS. It was a good plan for them as it gave them an extra year (or 2, not sure if they repeated 9th) to improve their English.
The mother of one child said the only frustration she had was that her child’s peer group at JBS strongly influenced his BS preferences. (Seems like a small price to pay! Indicates he had choices…)
Are your clients full pay? That often makes a difference for foreign students as the FA pool for them may not be the same as the one for American students.
Thanks for your reply! I’m not an agent actually… I’m just a literature teacher at a school in Asia that does 6-12. The school sent around my bio before I arrived (PEA, Ivy League undergrad, Oxbridge grad, teaching experience from Mid-East to Far East) and so all these parents flocked to me for advice they dont’ wanna get from agents. Also the agents here are liars and don’t really know anything about boarding schooos. I’m guessing that’s why a lot of my parents are asking me questions since I actually went to these schools… I also get a lot of requests to look at personal statements. I should be charging though… I’m just trying to help them. Also I do interviews for candidates of PEA here sooooo I think that would be a conflict of interest. BUT THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY! I wish I knew more about JBS and safeties. I think having two extra years to better ones English would be ideal. Alas, I’m not sure some of these kids could get in to Eaglebrook… even with a 72% acceptance rate (is that real… that’s gotta be fake).
East Coast JBSs are competitive and offer tremendous value, but a lot of parents are hesitant about sending their kids away to school at that age- thus the admissions rate. I get it. Many of my friends were appalled when I sent my kids to JBS for V Form ( JBS 7th ), but I’m a JBS alum so for me it was just an amazing opportunity for my kids- and they loved it. My parents had no problem whatsoever sending me ( and my sibs- a mini crime syndicate spread out of several JBS/ SS campuses 
) off to JBS at a much younger age. I think if you were to poll my entire family, everyone would say that their JBS experience was by far their best BS experience. I envy the JBS kids today, and I wish more parents would be more open and let their kids go. That said…
Safeties… well, once you get past the parent apprehension thing, the kid still needs to be ready, fit the profile, and obviously that all needs to be sorted out with a JBS AO. They’d rather have an empty bed than fill it with a kid who isn’t ready, or doesn’t want to be there . If your student is FP, they might consider them now for next fall, but chances are FA will be a really tough pull- especially at this time of year.
Like any BS search, go to the main JBS website ( with all the links and info ) and research all the schools. Find the JBSs that you think best suit your student. Encourage the family to tour and interview, if possible . Many offer summer programs, and it’s a great opportunity for students to meet staff, confirm fit , get their feet wet, and learn about everything the school has to offer. It’s also an added layer of comfort for the kids ( and parents ) heading to school there the following year- which in many ways is priceless.
I don’t know anything about the JBS in AZ, but the other schools you mentioned are all great. Groton for 8th grade is ridiculously competitive - so please know that ( if you don’t already ) going in. Look at IMS, Fay and Rumsey Hall, too. All JBSs offer ESL programs. All JBSs offer diverse and nurturing communities. All JBSs offer expert SS guidance. For the right kid… JBS is an absolutely amazing experience !
Good luck with your search!!
Amazing! Thnk you. That being said… I’ve skyped a couple of teachers at PEA and found that the “rather have an empty bed” might be a bit false. A lot of boarding schools (Cheshire comes to mind) basically are 40% Asian and only accept FP students because that’s the only way they can survive. I’ma ssuming that’s why so many colleges have fairs all over S Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, etc. It’s the only way to get a steady cash-flow. At least… that’s what I heard from several administrators. It’s also why UK boarding schools are popping up campuses all over Asia… I mean… Harrow has a campus in bangkok, beijing, and hong kong.
Just curious@LestateDuSoir, why do your students want to attend BS in the USA?
I went to BS in Europe and it was a different situation 40 years ago. Are your students also interested in going to Europe?
Some are… but I’ve no experience with Swiss schools so I told them I only know La Rosey through friends but no experience. Those parents tend to be really snobbish and when they talk to me I just turn up the inner diva and out-posh them… and if all else fail I’ll just start speaking in French and tell them they’re idiots.
My students want to go to the US because they believe it will help them with US university admissions and to better their English. Also I think the parents just want them to get out. There are various reasons… but western education is MUCH better than the communist propaganda of Chinese or Vietnamese schools (including universities) and the lack of creativity in Korean schools. It’s baffling how bad education is in Asia. I’m speaking from experience as a teacher here. These kids can’t do simple logic, it’s sad.
I don’t know very much about JBS, but I do know that admissions for 8th grade at Groton is incredibly competitive (I figure that you already know this). Definitely not a safety, unless your kids are just that talented
That’s the problem… They aren’t very talented. They’re pretty average. I have this one student who is applying to some JBS and his parents asked if I could do a mock interview. I did the pretty standard “Who are your heroes / what do you wanna do when you grow up?” question and he had none. It’s part of this Asian philosophy of stripping people of their personality and personal opinion to the point where children don’t have goals and dreams. I then asked him why he wanted to go to the US for school and he said, “Because we can talk and learn and express our opinion.”
This is incredibly true. I mean it’s just incredibly sad that a boy that young has no ambition or heroes. Broke my heart TBH.
@LestatDuSoir the thing is that admissions can easily recognize kids like that who’s parents have turned their kids into award-winning test-taking goal-scoring machines who don’t even have a personality anymore. They won’t accept a kid that they think is being forced into it, or who talks like a robot in their interview. They will also be able to sniff out a kid who wants to go because they think it will give them a better chance to get into colleges… they’re seen it before, and they can tell.
I think international students are looked at under a different lens, especially from Chine and korea. There is a cultural difference when it comes to education. I spoke with a friend who does interviews at a HADES and some of these families spend tens of thousands of dollars on educational consultants who help them get in. They have been molded and prepped for this for years. The AO’s know this and these children are still admitted. It isn’t he same as being a NE private school kid, who parents have been doing the same, although those kids get in too.
Yeah I understand @Nico.campbell that they can sniff them out as I do alumni interviews for PEA and my Ivy on occasion. That being said, my point is that this kid couldn’t even do basic interview… He failed because the education system he’s under is a failure. This is why Asians flock to America to be educated. and @momof3swimmers it’s the same thing. And to be fair to the kids from Asia, they need tos pend this money and they need to be molded in order to fit in. Not sure if you’ve ever been to a classroom here but without some of those molding courses the kids in Asia would stand now chance at BS. Why? No critical thinking. No analytical skills. No opinions. That’s the Asian way. It’s founded in Confucius education whereas the West is Socratic. It’s interesting how education philosophies come from the very beginnings of each civilization. Confucius believed you should copy the master until you become the master (which is why Asians tend to plagiarize soooooo often) and Socrates believed in questioning one’s preconceived notions and opinions until reaching enlightenment (Harkness). One is a complete failure (East) and one is a success (West).
I’m very passionate about East vs West philosophy and education as this is what I studied in-depth. I think it’s easy to judge Asian parents for spending tons o’ money on their kids success rate. Confucius culture allowed East Asia to be mostly a meritocracy based on exam results since the early stages of civilization, something that was not seen in the West until AFTER the French and American revolutions. This is why Asians are so exam focused… it’s been part of their culture for THOUSANDS of years. It’s how students got ahead in life. So that’s why they spend so much money on these exams. Moreover, these exams are made for white students in mind and follow western notions of logic - you have these naturally as you (I assume) grew up in the west and went to western schools. They don’t. They need the extra classes to understand. Moreover, it’s in a different foreign language! I’d like to see any American kid take the gaokao (Chinese SAT) and score half as well as CHinese kids do on the SAT. Finally, parents here don’t understand Western culture and values too much which is why they often get duped by Admissions Consultants who train their kid on what their vision of the ideal candidate is… but they ahve no experience as they themselves are not Western and most have never even been to the West.
It’s frustrating for me, honestly. I’m just hopijng at least some of my kids make it. Though I’m trying to make a difference and bring Western style education to a region which has had it’s own education system for thousands of years. Seems like a fruitless task but eyyyyy we’ll see!
Wow… I made a lot of typos in my last response. 
@LestatDuSoir It’s great to know that you have put in effort trying to help your Asian students in Vietnam. But I would like to shed some light on your generalization of Asian education and Asian applicants.
Yes, there are kids that fit your description; but just like the varieties of education systems in the US, the same can apply to Asian countries, so the admitted international /Asian students of the HADES schools probably do not fit the profile of students you encountered. I believe that some do utilize the service of consultants, but if the kid has not potential to work with, no amount of consultation and grooming will possibly let the HADES schools hand out a spot for the kid. As a parent of international/ ORM BS kids, I am happy to say that my family did not spend a dime on the service of any consultant, BUT rely solely on advices of friends who are familiar with the BS scenes and CC community (Yes, I could not have done it with out CC!!!)
As for finding the right fit or school for your perspective students, I think both parents and students need to be well informed regarding types and tiers of different BS. But in order to achieve a certain level of success in BS results, the applicant should at least be on the co-pilot seat throughout the whole process.