<p>My daughter has been seeing a psychologist for mild depression since April. This has been made worse partly by an unhappiness at her current school, hence the search for an alternative. She is on low medication and stable, and the doctor recommends a school change, seeing no problem with her boarding.
Since applying and saying she is receiving treatment we have been bombarded with forms, requests for more details, information about special programs for learning differences etc. I am very concerned that she is being labelled and this will effect her chances of acceptance when her underlying condition is not causing any problems with her grades or her social life. She is a very engaging person with an outgoing personality. She interviewed strongly, with one school saying that she would walk into any college as long as she gets to interview in person. Her SSAT and school grades are high and she was clearly liked before the schools had information about her medical record. We are looking at a range of schools - a couple of the very rigorous, then some less academic but more holistic Quaker schools.
Am I worrying unnecessarily, or is this a real red flag that boarding schools will avoid at all costs...?</p>
<p>I don’t have the expertise to answer your question, alyanj, but perhaps it would cut to the chase and help the schools most if they just had a chat with D’s doctor so he/she could set the record straight, if they are concerned, rather than have you fill out endless forms.</p>
<p>I have a daughter who suffered from a similar issue - although it was later discovered to be caused by a condition that is treatable. You WANT the schools asking questions. Our daughter was gifted, clearly ahead of her peers academically, the doctors provided information which her private high school promptly ignored. I contrast that now with her college which made sure, discretely, that all the teachers were aware she was recovering and on medication, assigned resources just in case she needed them, and are keeping tabs in case she needs additional help (she doesn’t - but nice to know it’s there.)</p>
<p>Many boarding schools have learning centers and staff that understand what is going on with your daughter. The advantage to filling out the paperwork is that people won’t over-react or misunderstand if she slips. They’ll also need to know what medications she is taking because in many cases they don’t want it kept in a dorm if other students might have access to it (for example - some medications gives a “buzz” and are popular drugs stolen by non-sick students around test time - some meds don’t have a buzz and therefore have no “street” value). Etc. etc. They will know what to do if the medication runs out or goes missing (or she does what typical teens do which is to stop taking them because she wants to be like everyone else). </p>
<p>Since the boarding schools are acting in your absence as guardians, and since they are liable for things that happen on campus and with your daughter’s health - the forms are necessary - for your protection and theirs. It’s a pain, but no different than if your daughter were applying to school with any other visible disability. Lots of forms, but you only have to do them once. If you don’t do them you’re risking a rejection on March 10 for withholding the information.</p>
<p>No one on campus knows my daughter is ill beyond the staff who have a need to know. She doesn’t feel labeled or ostracized. And for the record, there are a lot of other students on BS and college campuses with similar problems. You’re not alone in this regard.</p>
<p>I cannot speak for other schools, but my children attend a Quaker boarding school, and they are very tolerant, but request and expect full disclosure on matters like this. All medications need to be stored at the campus health center, with the staff overseeing and administering.</p>
<p>I can only offer a sort of common sense perspective and echo what ExieMITAlum said: “You WANT the schools asking questions.”</p>
<p>If they wanted to blow you off as a matter of course, they wouldn’t go through the motions of sending you forms and probing deeper. Why go to that trouble when a simple rejection letter would suffice? I can only believe that they’re asking for information because they intend to utilize it – not as part of a needlessly elaborate scheme to make you think they’re giving her a fair shot that most other students assume took place without intervening communications.</p>