Not so competitive BS

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Good morning to you all!</p>

<p>I´m thinking about sending our oldest son to a new england bs as a junior, and I´ve been doing some research in the different options available, and this forum has been extremely helpful.</p>

<p>English is not my son´s mother tongue (neither is mine, as you can see), and we were thinking of a place were he can spend next year or the next two learning english, having a good time, making friends, practicing sports, etc.</p>

<p>I´m a little scared about what I read about competitiveness, being the best in class, going to the best universities, etc, because I don´t think he will fit in those schools (which I suppose are Andover, exter, SPS, etc)</p>

<p>Which schools would you recommend? We will prefer all-boys, in new england, with nice facilities and "normal" people from an academic point of view, but drug/alcohol/attitude problems free. If they require ssat it could be a problem because he cannot take it in europe in time. We will be visiting the area shortly, so any help will be greatly appreciated</p>

<p>Thanks a lot in advance</p>

2

<p>Two schools that spring to mind that satisfy your criteria are Avon Old Farms and Salisbury School. Both are all-boys schools, both are located in Connecticut and, from what I understand, both offer very balanced (and wonderful) programs in academics, athletics, and other extra-curricular activities to a broader range of the student population and are therefore a bit less selective/competitive than the Exeters and Andovers of the world. Neither school is the sort where you would find students with behavior/substance abuse problems.</p>

<p>Go to their websites for some preliminary information: avonoldfarms.com; salisburyschool.org</p>

<p>You could also employ the search engine at boardinschoolreview.com. It allows you to specify criteria (like New-England, boys' schools, certain athletics, etc.) for your search. Although, as has frequently been stated on this forum, it isn't always up-to-date in its information so you should use it only as a first pass.</p>

3

<p>If he speaks English as well as you write it, then he is in good shape! Some schools offer English as a Second Language (ESL). You might want to look for schools with this program of academic support to find out if it would be appropriate for your son. In addition to boardingschoolreview.com, you can use TABS:</a> The Association of Boarding Schools to find boy's schools with ESL. I did a quick search, and Trinity Pawling is a boy's boarding school with a good reputation that is not too competitive. It is located a few miles from the state of Connecticut, so it is not technically in New England. </p>

<p>There is a test called something like TOEFL, which is a test of English-speaking skills. I think he will have to take this test. Once he does, you can ask a few schools if his scores are high enough that he does not need a support program like ESL.</p>

<p>If you decide to go the ESL route, here are a few co-ed schools in New England that offer it: Berkshire, Cushing , Gunnery, Kent, Northfield Mt. Hermon, Suffield Academy and Tabor. I used schools.com. There are many more schools in New England that offer it.</p>

4

<p>I ran a search on boardingschoolreview.com with most of your criteria:</p>

<p>New England
College Prep
All Boys
No SSAT Required</p>

<p>Here are the results: </p>

<p>*Bridgton Academy All-boys 12-12, PG North Bridgton, ME
BSR: Bridgton</a> Academy - Boarding School Profile
Web: Bridgton</a> Academy - The nation's only all postgraduate private school for young men</p>

<p>St. Thomas More School All-boys 8-12, PG Oakdale, CT
BSR: St</a>. Thomas More School - Boarding School Profile
Web: Please</a> wait...</p>

<p>Salisbury School All-boys 9-12, PG Salisbury, CT
BSR: Salisbury</a> School - Boarding School Profile
Web: Salisbury</a> School: Private New England Boys Boarding School in Connecticut</p>

<p>South Kent School All-boys 9-12, PG South Kent, CT
BSR: South</a> Kent School - Boarding School Profile
Web: South</a> Kent School: Welcome to South Kent School!*</p>

<p>Then, I expanded the search to eliminate the "No SSAT Required" parameter...because you might be able to find an educational consultant to administer the exam off the standard SSAT schedule and/or you might find a school that has rolling admissions, affording you additional time to complete the SSAT requirement. I got just one extra school, which luckily does have some form of rolling admissions (according to the BSR site):</p>

<p>Avon Old Farms School All-boys 9-12, PG Avon, CT
BSR: Avon</a> Old Farms School - Boarding School Profile
Web: Avon</a> Old Farms</p>

<p>I have heard of Salisbury and Avon Old Farms mentioned in mostly favorable terms here on this board. So you can dig further here and find more about them. fun is fun is a Salisbury alumnus who is partial to the school. </p>

<p>I can't recall much discussion on this forum about Bridgton, South Kent or St. Thomas More. A quick look suggests that, looking at factors that are important to you and relying entirely on numbers available on boardingschoolreview.com, they may be the schools you want to focus on.</p>

<p>Strictly by the numbers...here's what I saw: </p>

<p>**BRIDGTON ACADEMY<a href="189%20students">/B</a> has 1% international students and, if it matters to you, no ESL courses. 99% boarding.</p>

<p>**SOUTH KENT SCHOOL<a href="145%20students">/B</a> has 20% international students and offers ESL. 90% boarding.</p>

<p>**ST. THOMAS MORE SCHOOL<a href="210%20students">/B</a> has 30% international students and ESL. 100% boarding.</p>

<p>(I refer to Salisbury again below only because of the low international population; but you may decide it fits in many other ways that you'll be more flexible about that parameter).</p>

<p>All three of the schools above -- the ones that I can't recall being discussed here -- have from 90-100% boarders. (And so does Salisbury.) This is good. The % of boarders at the school is an important factor in choosing a boarding school, particularly for international students. Generally speaking, when you reach a certain critical mass of boarders (some say 75%, some say 80% or even 90% at a minimum), the more the school's culture and programming will revolve around the boarding community. Additionally, the thinking goes, the fewer day students there are, the fewer opportunities/conduits/pipelines there are for drugs and other contraband to be introduced into the community. Of course this is not because day students are immoral cretins. In fact, the floodgates of contraband theoretically open up after boarding students return from breaks. In the end, the school's vigilance and enforcement practices will dictate the flow of contraband. And, of course, your son's own upbringing and values will go a long way in determining whether alcohol and drugs are a negative influence on his high school career, wherever it plays out.</p>

<p>Naturally, you'll have to get some sort of "feel" and apply more specific preferences and superimpose your son's abilities, talents, needs and desires as an overlay to the information you gather. But these three schools could be a good start and you can adjust from there, deciding whether you want to consider some co-ed schools or whether you'll have a higher tolerance for day student population or how far you and your son can bend in terms of a community of international students. These other two schools are probably also worth looking at because there is some more anecdotal information about them that's available here and they are very close to what you seem to seek:</p>

<p>**AVON OLD FARMS SCHOOL<a href="410%20students,%2011%%20international,%20No%20ESL,%2075%%20boarders">/B</a></p>

<p>**SALISBURY SCHOOL<a href="294%20students,%2010%%20international,%20No%20ESL,%2093%%20boarders">/B</a></p>

<p>I hope people more wired into the New England scene, like Burb Parent and smile dog, continue to provide more and better suggestions. You're well advised to rely on their counsel over mine as to the merits of these schools.</p>

5

<p>It would be best for your son to take the SSAT. You can arrange for an educational consultant to administer the test when you visit the US. Go to SSAT</a> Student Guide Online 2007-2008 and look for Testing alternatives. They have a listing of educational consultants who can administer the test, and there might be several close to where you will stay. You should also ask about taking the TOEFL.</p>

6

<p>perhaps if you gave us some more info, that might help.</p>

<p>Why New England? do you want him to be within driving distance of a certain city? Will you be moving to the states? There are many excellent bs outside of the New England area.</p>

<p>Are you looking for a program that offers ESL (English as a Second Language)?</p>

<p>Why all-boys? While it is perfect for many students -- it definitely limits your choices</p>

<p>Why boarding school? If you will be living in the US, there are many local public and private schools that are excellent -- it might be worth checking out.</p>

<p>Will you be needing financial aid? it is nearly impossible to find a school that provides financial aid for an international student who is not at the top of the student pool.</p>

<p>How old is he? Many international student repeat a grade to increase their opportunity to work on their English. If he is in 10th grade this year, he could apply to repeat 10th grade.</p>

7

<p>Bridgton Academy is all boys but is for PGs only, so a junior would not qualify for admission</p>

8

<p>Ah, I missed that: 12-12, PG</p>

<p>I was looking to weed out the grades 3-8 and 3-9 schools and upon seeing a "12" I rapidly moved on. I didn't even know there were PG-only schools...unless we're counting colleges and universities, that is.</p>

9

<p>Thanks a lot for your replies (and the comment about my english :)).</p>

<p>Unfortunately he doesn´t speak english as I do, but that´s because I have worked in the US for a couple of years (my daughter was born there), where I took the CPA exam (new hampshire). He speaks decent english, and yes, he took the TOEFL exam last week so the scores will ve available shortly.</p>

<p>Giving you more info:</p>

<p>Considering his english level he won´t need ESL, although his lack of vocabulary and grammar mistakes will put him in clear disadvantage. That´s one of the reason we are not looking to a Top tier school.</p>

<p>He´s always been in an all-boys school, so we believe that a change (another one) in this field could be, let´s say "disrupting". But if we find a co-ed school thats fits him, that would definetely be our choice.</p>

<p>New England (in a broad sense), because is more convenient from a transportation point of view (direct flights). Not that he is coming home every weekend, but being close to NYC and/or Boston is a plus.</p>

<p>We are not planning to move to the US, and thát´s the reason we need a bs</p>

<p>No FA needed (nor that we were going to get any), and he is 15 now, doing 10th grade and it is out of the question to repeat that year. He will never accept that because if he decides not to go to a US college he will be losing one academic year.</p>

<p>As I see it, SSAT is extremely though for foreign students, being based in vocabulary and inferrals from reading passages. He will surely get very high scores in math but be embarrased by the other scores. TOEFL scores will have to suffice.</p>

<p>He loves sports, soccer, athletics and the possibility to try new ones (football for instance). Therefore, the school would have to have good sports facilities and promote them among students. He is not an artist and will never be (as the rest of the family...)</p>

<p>Looking at the schools you have recommended, </p>

<p>South Kent school looks very small, 145 students, and the web page does not give much information</p>

<p>Salisbury and Trinity-Pawling, look very similar and seem to have that sports "side". Any insights on the differences?</p>

<p>AOF seem (by the webpage) more focused on academics than sports (is that right or just an impression?)</p>

<p>The last three look perfect, but I will appreciate any comments about the differences between them, if any, in sense of community, sports, academics, etc.</p>

<p>Thank you again for your assistance</p>

10

<p>Usually the SAT, not the SSAT, is required for admission to the junior (eleventh grade) year at a boarding prep school.</p>

11

<p>If it is a boys-only school, you can pretty much assume there is a strong sports focus. In fact, boarding schools in general have a big sports element.</p>

<p>While you and your son may be concerned about his scores most bs's do require the SSAT or some similar test, not just the TOEFL. You should call a few schools that have been suggested to talk about testing, timing, and openings.</p>

<p>You said your son is 15 in 10th grade. When does he turn 16? The ages of kids in us boarding schools may be different than those where he is now. Are you thinking us boarding school to work on his english and have a different experience and then return to home country for college?</p>

12

<p>yes inquiring mind, that will be the most probable case</p>

13

<p>For a transferring junior many schools prefer the PSAT to the SSAT.</p>

14

<p>AOF's sport is pretty good, too. Ice hockey and other..</p>

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<p>My son goes to South Kent School and loves it. The student population is small, but we as a family have found that it means that our son is part of a great community. I would suggest you go back to the website, go to "Academics," and read about the "Form" program. The concept of the hero's journey is quite unique. Also, South Kent has started airing "live feeds" of many of their on campus events. As a parent who does not live near to the school, I can watch my son's football games, hockey games and, hopefully in the spring, baseball games! It's something that I think no other school offers! There is a sizable international population and for such a small school it is very diverse.</p>

16

<p>Groton also provides some live feeds. I'm surprised it's not ubiquitous at all schools. There are arguably some academic privacy issues involved...but they are can't be more complex than the ones related to putting together a viewbook and are probably as uncomplicated as the ones related to allowing the public to attend the webcast events live and in person.</p>

17

<p>It's just a really nice thing to be able to watch your kid's sports events from far away!</p>

18

<p>
[quote]
Salisbury and Trinity-Pawling, look very similar and seem to have that sports "side". Any insights on the differences?</p>

<p>AOF seem (by the webpage) more focused on academics than sports (is that right or just an impression?)

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Both T-P and Salisbury have formal "learning centers" if you need extra help.<br>
Of the 3 (we visited them all this fall), T-P is the most "structured" in terms of study time and time in general. They have a great "effort system" that is used for various privledges and is based not only on academic effort, but on effort in sports, other activities, dorm life, etc. </p>

<p>We got a great feeling of community at all 3 of the schools.</p>

<p>As far as repeating a grade, it would truly not be uncommon. My son - who is typical age here - is in 9th grade and is about to turn 15. There are several kids in his class that are a year older. It happens all the time and would not take away a year of college. It may just help him prepare. </p>

<p>All 3 of the schools have rolling admissions, so even though the deadline is 2/1, you can call them and get the process going. It may be more competitive, but it's possible (unlike at Andover, etc where missing the deadline is almost an automatice no).</p>

<p>Avon is very sports oriented, but you are correct, their web site give a more academic feel. It's clearly a priority at all of them, but then again, athletics is required at most boarding schools, it just happens that when you have 250-400 boys, you're bound to have some great athletes in the bunch. </p>

<p>I'm not an expert, but we did visit all 3, so feel free to let me know if you have any other questions about them and I'll see if I know the answers.</p>