<p>I really would not worry (i know it is kind of instinct) but there are so many people there to help you out wether it be a teacher or a returning student you meet. as you get more and more comfortable the people you meet and become friends with are amazing. i have made much better friends at BS in 2 years than i have my whole life at public school. there are not many people who regret the choice to go to BS</p>
<p>My 15 year old D took a babysitting in Spain for the summer! Not quite the same,but a wonderful experience .At least with BS,there are many people in the same boat,plus adults to talk with and give support .I am a mom with 4 kids and 1 of them worried about going to college and feeling homesick .He did call after a few days,and said he was feeling like he made a mistake in going away,but he got support and was fine .If you have trouble, don’t hold it inside-talk to a support person; that’s their job !You will gain alot of confidence from BS,and become self reliant.Good luck!!</p>
<p>wierdness… i posted on this thread when i was nervous about going. haha this is weird…</p>
<p>If you have strong bouts of home sickness, prep school is probably not the right place. But most kids have some degree of home sickness. It’s more common than you think.</p>
<p>My D is keeping touch with us and friends via Skype, Facebook, texting etc. Plus she’ll be home a lot. Heck Thanksgiving is a week, Xmas and spring break are almost 3 weeks. She’ll be seeing her friends and so will you.</p>
<p>Still - I recommend FB. By the time my D arrived on campus she knew several students via FB, met her “Old Girl” (a senior mentor assigned to her), coordinated room furnishing with her new roommate, etc. She was nervous all of five seconds before she dumped me and ran off to get acclimated. (sigh). </p>
<p>She’s been all smiles and said she is too busy (in a good way) to be caught up in homesickness. </p>
<p>Don’t worry - if you can survive other away experiences (trips, summer camps, etc.) you’ll be ready for this. The schools are experienced and they keep a lot of activities going outside of classwork to keep your spirits up.</p>
<p><<if you=“” have=“” strong=“” bouts=“” of=“” homesickness…then…jprep=“” school=“” is=“” probably=“” not=“” the=“” right=“” place???=“”>></if></p>
<p>My two cents is, I prefer when people normalize experiences rather than try to make it seem like you’re the only one…fill in the blank, in this case “who might be homesick.”</p>
<p>At my son’s school, one of the dean’s said there will come a time when EVERY student wonders whether or not s/he belong here. Everyone will have doubts. And I think it’s true. He went on to say, but please know the Admissions Committee believes strongly that you all do belong here etc.</p>
<p>Likewise, anyone who has ever gone thru the most basic of all human development “attachment,” will undergo homesickness. Babies learn to attach and trust moms and dads. When you’re homesick, it means something preceded naturally and “right” at birth between you and your parents. Celebrate it…what’s normal too, is that they have also given you then likely the next stage of development (or you earned it), the ability to separate and individuate…ergo, your ability to feel like you can make it on your own. But that comes after the initial stage of homesickness…it’s normal for all. Normalize the experience, embrace it, so then you can move on and know you are not the only one feeling this way…truth is, you are in the majority.</p>
<p>Looking back, I realized that my last comment didn’t help anyone and i should probably contribute some real advice since I suppose I now have “experience” [though I think that’s debatable]. So here goes [be prepared for a few off-topic rants in parentheses]:</p>
<p>Everyone, EVERYONE [barring those who have attended junior boarding school or have otherwise been away from home for long periods of time] experiences some kind of homesickness to some degree for some length of time. The catch is that everyone’s is different. So I got over my brief, mild bout of homesickness within the first 2 weeks, but a friend of mine experienced very severe homesickness for over 2 months. Rest assured, the VAST majority of people get over it, make friends, and are fine. I won’t pretend that some people don’t have major homesickness for longer periods of time. Mostly these people leave. It’s sad, but boarding school isn’t for everyone. However, I’m willing to bet that 99% of people who read this comment and go to boarding school will get over their homesickness. </p>
<p>That said, there will come a time, probably just before a break, when you will become sick of being surrounded by classmates and faculty 24/7 and will take your break as a blessing from god where you can sleep late for several consecutive days [or more!], watch tv, and truly be alone [I personally never ached to see my family, but that’s just me. It’s sort of changed now that my toddler brother has become so adorably attached to me though].</p>
<p>Take heart, have faith, and hold on.</p>