<p>Hi all! I'm back from a rather lengthy hiatus and would once again like to know your opinions on boarding and day prep schools. Currently, I am starting Sophomore year and was thinking of applying for entrance in Junior year at several top schools. </p>
<p>My concern isn't chancing; rather do you think prep schools offer that much more of a customizable schedule than public schools? My school now is very wealthy and small, yet forces me into a strict structure of classes which I don't feel best suits my needs as a student. I love to learn, but some aspects of school generated curriculums do not appeal to me as others do.</p>
<p>Do you know of any prep schools allowing serious customization of schedules? Preferably in the North East, but all across the US is fine if you've heard of a stellar program.</p>
<p>Additionally--if you do not think I should be looking for these types of schools, why? </p>
<p>I would imagine that any boarding school that does not have the structure of academic classes would not be an “academic” boarding school. There are a number of schools that can probably meet your criteria, the ones that come easily to mind are the skiing boarding schools. Im not familiar with the arts boarding schools, but perhaps they are similar in that regard.
Another school if you have the resources for it is the Professional Childrens School in NYC. You dont have to be a “professional” child (actor, ballet dancer). You could also have a rigorous athletic schedule and attend classes that are based on your schedule.</p>
<p>The best way to get answers to your question is to do some school-specific research. Most schools have their requirements for graduation listed on their websites, so that gives you a place to start (i.e. how many credits of math, english, language, etc are required). Some schools even specify what specific courses must be taken to satisfy their graduation requirements.</p>
<p>Our experience was that the majority of schools recognized for their academic rigor have a very prescribed schedule, especially for 9th and 10th grade. Opportunities to customize, or focus on one particular subject area, tend to open up in the upper grades. And PG students generally are only required to take one academic course (usually English) with the rest of their schedule pretty much open.</p>
<p>There are definitely differences among schools, though. We found that some schools have the attitude of “what you see is what you get - we offer lots of great classes, and you need to choose from our set menu.” Other schools had a much more flexible attitude - “You say you want to focus on Robotics? No, we don’t have any classes in that, but we have a great ‘independent study’ program, and we’ll help you find a faculty member to be your mentor and create a class that works for you.” Or - “You will have exhausted our offerings in the Math department by sophomore year? No problem - we’ll pay for you to take classes at the nearby university so you get what you need."</p>
<p>I’m not totally sure what you mean by “customizable schedule,” but most prep schools are just that - prep for college. They want to make sure that you have the academic background required to be admitted to - and successful attending - college. It can be really helpful to take a look at the admissions requirements for a few colleges that you think you might be interested in attending, and make sure that whatever high school path you take, you are getting the courses required (i.e. 4 credits English, 3-4 credits math, 3-4 credits science, 2-3 credits social science, 2-3 credits language, etc.).</p>
<p>Performing arts high schools are a bit different though. I am specifically familiar with Interlochen, which is known for it’s excellent academics as well as it’s first-rate training in the arts. Some students are bound for conservatories (think Julliard or Eastman), so they fulfill minimal academic requirements, and devote most of their classes to specific study in their artistic discipline. Other students want to be able to get into a top university with a great arts program (think NYU or Northwestern for theater) so they balance rigorous academics with their arts classes.</p>