<p>Thank you so much for all of your prompt replies and advice. I really do appreciate it!</p>
<p>My reasons for applying to selective boarding schools:
-I would like to formally study subjects generally not offered in local schools (for example: astronomy, japanese).
-I want to be in a place where I can relate to my peers; I don’t have any real friends at my school because I have trouble relating to the students (they’re very “ghetto”. I don’t mean it in a racist way-- a lot of the kids act ghetto regardless of their race).
-It sounds like an interesting and fun experience to live in a dorm.</p>
<p>Also, I’ve compiled a list of schools that I’m interested in, in no particular order. I would apply to all of them, but the application fees add up. </p>
<p>Andover (cousin currently enrolled as a senior. He likes it, but finds he has to work VERY hard. My Mom is planning on talking with my uncle about whether he would recommend the school to us. It’s too bad we don’t have any other family connections like this one…)
Choate
Hotchkiss
Deerfield
Groton
Lawrenceville
Emma Willard</p>
<p>It could be that many of the above schools are simply out of my league. However, my logic is that if I’m going to go to boarding school, it should be a very good school. Therefore, I won’t be applying to just any boarding school. I’m trying to narrow down this list to no more than 4, possibly 5. I’m thinking about cutting Choate, because it sounds like it’s pretty tough. Hotchkiss and Deerfield should probably go since I’m worried about the commitment, but I’ve gotten kind of attached to them. Andover stays because I already paid the fee (lol :P) and Emma Willard stays because I already had the interview.</p>
<p>Sorry, I’m terrible at making decisions… I need like 10 years to sit on whether I should buy a mechanical pencil or a box of standard pencils… xD</p>
<p>Heps- that’s great that you have a cousin to ask! You will probably get the real story. It sounds like you need a better peer group. Emma Willard is a really good school. Have you looked at Miss Porters? That’s another really good school.</p>
<p>I think you are heading to the wrong direction. The schools you are considering are not the best places for you to seek “reasonable workload and sleep time”, but then again something “unreasonable” to some may be very reasonable to others. Good luck!</p>
<p>I think the workload IS reasonable and a good night’s sleep possible just about anywhere. </p>
<p>There is, no doubt, more work at a competitive boarding school than at ps. But…when you’re at school, you’re at school. One thing I like about prep school is the way time is divided; there are separate times allotted for sports, classes, and ec’s. Back home, my son was constantly juggling conflicting commitments, which was stressful in itself. Is there more work? Sure. But there’s also much less wasted time in the course of the day. </p>
<p>3-4 hours of work a day can be done during free periods, on half-days and Sundays, as well as in the two-hour study block in the evenings. If you’re good at planning and don’t procrastinate on your work and don’t let social stuff become a more important priority than classes, it’s possible to get it all done and still get to sleep between 10 and 11 most nights…and have some time for fun and relaxation.</p>
<p>There is stress, mostly because the academic expectations are so high, and the workload is intense. So if you don’t want stress, it’s probably not a great choice. But if it’s just worry that late nights are inevitable, I think that good time management can prevent that. Of course, my kid has only been at this for a term. But I’ve heard similar things on this board and from older students. The occasional late night or particularly tough term’s a given, but overall I think that reasonable sleep and boarding school are not contradictory terms.</p>
<p>All I can say is having a lot (homework + extracurriculars) to handle, burning night oil and stress are common in these schools. Of course you could be the one who manages time well and gets things done stress-less, but if I were you, I’d be prepared for the “worst” and work for the best.</p>
<p>One thing I’d specifically ask students when you interview–given that you’ve said they stress you out–is the typical number of tests and essays/projects they have each week. </p>
<p>In general, I think you’ll get more of a sense of which schools are right for you by asking specific questions about objective stuff like that–asking about things like stress and workload will probably not get you what you’re looking for as everyone defines “too much” differently.</p>
<p>And if someone tells you they never sleep, you might ask why–some kids, I think, just prefer socializing during the day and don’t mind putting in a late night.</p>
<p>I had heard Exeter is doing the 30 minute shift, which Deerfield instituted several years ago. Deerfield found it increased grades and lessened overall stress.</p>
<p>I know your cousin goes to Andover and you’ve already applied, but Andover & Exeter love to brag about who has the greatest workload. So I think, those wouldn’t be good choices.</p>
<p>It’s possible to ‘coast’ and only do 2 or so hours of homework a night at the schools you list. Heck, there are seniors who are only in Algebra. But, is that really making the best use of the facilities and opportunities of these schools?
Also consider that when you see most/all your peers study many hours, that you’ll be influenced to follow. So perhaps if you’re at one of these top schools, you’d change your tolerance for homework.</p>
<p>If you’re local to Emma, have you considered their local rival Albany Academy for Girls? Matriculations are similar, the sports are better, and the boys school it’s matched up with is by far the best in the area. AAG is a day school, but you’re local.</p>
<p>i’m a new sophomore at exeter, and my first term was pretty stressful for me, only because i’m awful at time management and completely inefficient. i’ve learned to adapt, though. exeter gives you a lot of time to get your work done if you budget your time properly. i have friends who are in orchestra and on varsity teams and manage to get their homework done by eleven, but i have friends who are in club sports and procrastinate until one in the morning. it really depends on your study style.
i get one to two quizzes/tests a week, and maybe a paper a week. a “full night of homework” for me is at least eight math word problems, twenty pages of english reading with annotations and a response to said reading, twenty pages of history readings with notes, spanish vocabulary and exercises, biology worksheets and a pre-lab assignment. it depends on your day. but trust me, there is a lot of time during the day to get your work done, unless you plan on taking at least seven classes per term - then that typically leaves you literally no frees!</p>
<p>I’ve been enjoying the discussion, and I agree with those who argue that you really have to take inventory of yourself. What might take someone else 8 hours, may only take you 4. My son loves to spend time on his work, he just enjoys it, so he’ll spend a lot of time on academics, but he doesn’t complain because he likes it. He also plays sports.</p>
<p>I myself didn’t know what studying was until I was in medical school, and a friend who had gone to Andover explained that usually you do more than just sit in class and listen. Usually, one has to review things maybe even more than once. It was an eye opening experience for me.</p>
<p>I think you have to figure out what you want from your education and how you learn best. I’ve noticed my son who enjoyed spending many hours on homework a night in middle school because he liked to look up footnotes and read ahead etc is very different from my daughter who is no-nonsense, all business. She is laser focused and does what she needs to do, so she can be social or get back to reading her novels. What used to take my son hours, takes her less than an hour per night.</p>
<p>“If you’re local to Emma, have you considered their local rival Albany Academy for Girls? Matriculations are similar, the sports are better, and the boys school it’s matched up with is by far the best in the area. AAG is a day school, but you’re local.”</p>
<p>I’ve considered AAG-- it’s only a couple blocks away from where I live, so in terms of location, it’s pretty awesome. I don’t doubt that matriculations are similar and the sports are better (since my tour guide pretty much told me they’re not that great at sports lol), but my family knows a couple of kids who’ve gone there. Neither of the kids I know stayed past middle school. One girl simply said that it had “changed”. The other said she was asked to hang out 4 times in 4 years and was teased mercilessly. Now she goes to my high school and is having a blast… so… yeah, not particularly good reviews I’m sure some people have a great time though.</p>
<p>Odd the AAG guide would say the sports are ‘not that great’. It’s relative; obviously AAG and Emma cannot compete against the Class A schools. However, they compete in Class C. Comparing Emma and AAG, AAG’s soccer and lacrosse teams would easily win and score double digits. I had heard it’s changed since the AA merger and also the difficult economic times. Pretty much any eighth grader from AAG is an automatic at Emma if they so choose, so that would seem to indicate they do an alright job.
Although, you could also be a day student at Emma, a better school in most aspects.</p>
<p>What do you guys think about Lawrenceville and Groton? I’ve heard they’re not as stressful.</p>
<p>alextwoofour: I meant the EW tour guide. Should’ve made myself more clear; sorry
I would probably be a day student, but since it’s about 20-30 minutes away and the day student pool is more competitive, I might wind up as a boarder.</p>
<p>“you heard wrong. Lville and Groton tough schools. Only the serious need apply.” </p>
<p>I didn’t mean they weren’t serious. I heard from people on this forum who go to Lville that it wasn’t overly stressful for them, and I read reviews of Groton on boardingschoolreview.com that basically said the same thing.</p>
<p>As a Lawrenceville student, the school can be extremely stressful at times. The key is to find a balance between work and play. I do not really believe that any school of such caliber (ie schools such as lville, andover, exeter, etc) can be broadly deemed “stressful.” It really depends on what kind of person you are and how your work ethic is. Even public school can be stressful.</p>
<p>In other words, I think this thread is a little silly because it really depends on how you make your school life. Different classes give different amounts of work and how you get through your work will determine your stress and amount of sleep. I am pretty sure this applies to almost all schools.</p>
<p>Agree with LLVILLE. There’s a degree of self-selection that takes place…and, on top of that, there’s the culling out that’s done by the admissions offices. Then, once a student matriculates, the experience is individualized by course selection and some direction from a counselor/advisor. I think it’s impossible to project a single, accurate label on any given school as though the workload experience there is dependent on the school’s overall academic environment and not the student (or a particular course load for a particular student). It’s a combination of too many variables to lump into one generalized observation that gets differentiated on a school-by-school basis.</p>
<p>D’yer Maker: So if I spoke to my counselor about my concerns, they might be able to help me plan a course of study that would involve less stress? (I don’t necessarily mean taking all the “easy” courses)</p>
<p>aaeroplanes and LLVILLE: Thanks for your posts; it’s great to hear it from current students. Good luck with your year, I hope you enjoy it!</p>
lol), but my family knows a couple of kids who’ve gone there. Neither of the kids I know stayed past middle school. One girl simply said that it had “changed”. The other said she was asked to hang out 4 times in 4 years and was teased mercilessly. Now she goes to my high school and is having a blast… so… yeah, not particularly good reviews 
I’m sure some people have a great time though.</p>