<p>Okay I'm reading this forum and everyone who's applying to boarding school goes to a private school o.o
I'm applying this year too, but I'm from a public school. Here at public school, there aren't any clubs or many oppurtunities for much...we just have Science Olympiad and Math Counts. Hence, I don't have as many extra-curricular activities as some of the private school applicants. Will boarding schools understand this when I apply? Or will I be held against the same grading criteria? (I mean, public schools barely have any money anymore because of all the budget cuts and stuff like that... we barely even have an art program...and we sort of/kind of/ have a debate club...but we didn't go to any tournaments or anything. o.o" )</p>
<p>er…in a nutshell, will applicants from public schools be judged the same way as applicants from private schools?</p>
<p>Yes. They’ll be judged the same. A lot of people on this forum are from public school.</p>
<p>Okay cool. Thanks for the reply! Wait…Really? All of the posts I’ve read so far, the applicants go to private school and play 20 different sports, instruments, and…gosh! When do they have time to sleep??</p>
<p>Not all private schools are equal; nor are all public schools equal…</p>
<p>They (the admissions offices) will try to put your application into context. For example, an applicant from a poorly funded public school won’t have the same expectations placed on them as an applicant from a prestigious pre-prep school.</p>
<p>An applicant from a prestigious pre-prep school probably has many things out of their hands going for them (money, a school that provides lots of opportunities, tutors, etc.). So, the admissions office expects a pretty amazing application from them.</p>
<p>However, an applicant from a poorly funded public school probably has a lot of things going against them (probably a lack of money, a school that isn’t providing opportunities, etc.). So, the admissions office won’t expect 99% on the SSAT and them to be able to play 15 instruments and speak 7 languages. </p>
<p>All they expect is that you do the best you can with the resources you have available.</p>
<p>im from public school and go to boarding school now so yea they treat everyone the same</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who replied!
BUT THANKS SO MUCH IFAX108 THAT IS MUSIC TO MY EARS. WOOT!</p>
<p>They really just want the students that will do the best at their school. In a lot of cases this will be students from public schools, even if they havent had the same oppurtunities as some other students previously.</p>
<p>They also want students that they think will benefit the most from the boarding school experience…so either way don’t give up!</p>
<p>I went to public school for my entire life. Although my school didn’t exactly provide much in the way of extracurriculars, I pushed to find my own hobbies, unaffiliated with my school. Don’t think that just because options aren’t available at your school that you should just relax and not worry about extracurriculars. Sure, an AO won’t see fault in your application if your school simply doesn’t offer many activities, but imagine how IMPRESSED (s)he would be if you started your own club, or pursued something outside of school. Many students go to schools that aren’t able to provide an extensive list of impressive clubs, but it’s what they make of their talent and passion that really counts.</p>
<p>It depends on the school. A top public district, a lower public district, and an excellent private school will not be judged in the same way. It does, I think, depend on how much you tried to do with what you had.</p>