<p>What are some ways to get the real flavor of a school, beyond CC, view books, websites, Boarding School Review, and a visit/tour? </p>
<p>I'm after the real personality of the place - not buildings or admissions stats, but those little things that give you an understanding of what makes the place tick and whether it would be a good fit. There are some schools DC is applying to which are not discussed much on CC, and we're having a hard time getting a true sense of, beyond liking them well enough during the brief visit to apply.</p>
<p>Also, what are revealing questions to ask at the school on, say, revisit day?</p>
<p>I’d say that nothing beats a visit, in order to get a feeling for a school. You can get a sense of what’s valued there, and how the student body looks. Some schools were striking in how little “personality” they seemed to have - we barely saw students when we visited, even though school was in session. If you keep your eyes open, you can see a lot: do kids seem to be socializing in homogeneous cliques, or do they seem to interact spontaneously? Do they seem to have plenty of weekend activities planned, and do the kids seem involved? If you have questions about specific schools, put them out for people here, and they might have some insights from acquaintances who have attended or sent kids there.</p>
<p>I’m going to send you a PM tonight.</p>
<p>Thanks, stagemum. I’ll probably post at some point about some of the schools that DC has applied to, since I’ve found CC parent/student input invaluable in drawing up ‘the list’. What a great group of people on CC! And yes, I’ll be eyes wide open on revisit day(s) - your suggestions on what to look for are so helpful.</p>
<p>Whether here, via PM, or via email, anyone & everyone, students or parents, feel free to chime in or contact me. Thanks!!</p>
<p>@2kids, one of the best possible sources is, of course, alums (if you can find them). Even if the information is a little dated, it gives you a great sense of both the high- and lowlights, and how these people have measured up, down, or sideways after leaving.</p>
<p>i agree with pelican dad. ask current or past students when not on a tour about the school. tour guides usually have an optimistic look/script to follow and so try talking to a student not giving the tour about the true opinions of the school</p>
<p>Check blogs, facebook pages, and youtube, as well. You can learn a lot about a school from what the students post online.</p>
<p>For revisit day, I would say definitely don’t ask the current seniors what colleges they got into. Revisit days are usually right after college decisions come in, and students don’t want random parents asking about their decisions.</p>
<p>ˆˆˆHah! I totally asked the seniors I met where they were going to college! Seems like a perfectly normal question to ask, IMO.</p>
<p>Lol! @SevenDad, we did too!</p>
<p>If you want the real skinny on colleges, see if you can guest view Naviance. It is of course the most telling on how well the BS does at each college. If you want to know the real skinny on academics, social, culture, etc. you really have to talk to parents whose kids have been there; or attend a PTA meeting–they can be pretty revealing; also definitely look at the school newspapers where the student opinion pages can reveal quite a bit about the school.</p>
<p>@erlanger: I second the school paper idea. I found one student editorial from last year particularly revealing.</p>
<p>Brilliant, thanks erlanger & 7dad!!</p>
<p>I didn’t think of this - but boarding schools all over the world draw students from all over - or they migrate all over. Might want to see if there are active alumni groups (older and recent grads) in your area or within driving distance. If not, why not call one in a remote area and ask if you can talk about the target school</p>
<p>Alumni - unless unhappy in which case they wouldn’t be active alums - LOVE to talk about their alma maters. :-)</p>
<p>The school paper is a great idea…but keep in mind that the opinion page tends to express extreme views, rather than the happy medium. The news page, on the other hand, tends to be more expressive of the views of the whole–at least at Exeter and in my son’s opinion. Extreme’s, of course, offer insight too…</p>
<p>I also think looking on the website for assembly/chapel speakers and talks for a good sense of the moral compass and priorities of a school.</p>
<p>Great ideas, Exie & classicalmama. Wouldn’t have thought of the alum group idea. The assembly/chapel talks online do run the gamut, from what I’ve seen so far. Someone on another board suggested looking at the youtube green cup challenge videos.</p>