My son is studying 7th grade at Inter school in Thailand. He want to study high school at boarding school in USA.
If he has 2 choices for this coming summer,
- Mathpath.
- Choate summer school.
what would you suggest and why.
Thank in advance,
They are different programs, so it depends what he wants to do - Choate will be a variety of academics (or they have an English language program) vs. Mathpath which will be intense math. Unless English is an issue and Choate helps with that I don’t think one will be better than the other for boarding school applications.
I don’t know anything about Mathpath, but my son did a writing program at Choate last summer (I believe that there is a math course option available). It was a great introduction to boarding school life and he really loved it. It was well-organized, and certainly pretty rigorous. He loved his teachers & coaches and met some really nice kids. It might be a great option for your son, as it would provide a taste of what boarding school life is like. You are expected to participate in sports, dorm life & other activities, in addition to focusing on your academic specialty. When the time comes to apply to boarding schools, they want to know that you can contribute to their community in a variety of ways, not just academically. For many kids, the adjustment to boarding school life and the variety of demands beyond their classes is more challenging than their actual coursework (at least in that first year ;-)) So, from that perspective, I think that Choate would be a good option. Andover & Exeter have good summer programs as well.
My daughter had a summer camp at a boarding school after 7th grade. It was a great introduction too. It solidified her wanting to apply, although not a art school type that she had summer camp on.
I’d go with Mathpath. It is a very serious program, the most prestigious one for middle school kids and it is very hard to get into. If your son wants to be a serious competitor in the high school math contests (especially the MAA series - AMC10, AMC12, AIME, USAJMO and USAMO) Mathpath will signal to boarding schools that he is talented, focused and serious about pursuing math. If he is extremely able, it is not unheard of for schools like Exeter to basically “guarantee” admission later on. There is a very active recruitment of top talent in math by certain boarding schools.
+1 on MathPath if your child really enjoys math. DS went last year and had a great time. Has your son completed the qualifying test to MathPath and been accepted already? If not, have him do the QT and submit and you can decide once he has been accepted. Best of luck!
My son loved mathpath. He feels it was life-changing. +2 for mathpath.
Thank you very much for the info. My son’s English is not issue. Now crossing finger and wait for Mathpath result. His folder is just complete at end of Jan.
My son just got accepted by Mathpath. 
Congrats–nice to have good options
That’s so awesome! It’s a great program.