Hi everybody
I just got accepted to my first choice boarding school earlier this year and have made the decision to go. This school is all the way in New England (MA) and I live all the way across the country.
The current high school that I would be going to is a small coed catholic school that is pre k though 12 and I have gone to the school since i was in 1st grade. Socially, this past year has been rough due to some friend issues (I won’t go into details) I have also had some medical issues. I think boarding school would be a great opportunity for me to blossom as a person and try new things. All in all, I believe I would be much happier.
BUT I am worried that I will get very homesick. I also worry that I won’t have any privacy. I’m beginning to second guess my desicion to go to BS.
What should I do? Any advice would be much appreciated
I’m going to boarding school in NE this year as well, so I don’t have much experience (yet) but I did go to boarding school in another country before and I’ve lived away from my parents for a long time now so I do have some things to offer.
Homesickness really depends on the person. For me, I was scared that I’d miss what’s familiar, but the new experiences keep you excited for at least a while, and honestly your parents will probably miss you more than you miss them in the first few weeks. After that the excitement may start to die down, and you might start to miss them more, but its important to immerse yourself in school, ECs, and friends, and you’d probably start to do so by then anyways.
If you still miss your parents, Facetime, Skype etc are always an option. After a while you probably get used to it.
You’ll certainly lose a lot of privacy, but its really what you make of it. Establish rules with your roommate if you have one, and if privacy really means a lot to you, see if you can request for a single room. (Some may say that a room mate might help you be more social but I’m sure if you’re willing to put yourself out there you’d get friends anyhow) Don’t think you can get through boarding school without accidentally having your privacy invaded/invading others privacy though lol, just make sure you communicate about it or apologize afterwards.
Honestly all this is going to happen in college anyways, so I think its a good idea to go to boarding school, especially there are rules that minimize the problems that will ultimately arise with living in a dorm, and there’s also a strong support system and plenty of things to distract you if you’re homesick.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your help. I have actually just decided that I am going to attend. 
Good luck! Hope it is a great experience for you! If you do feel homesick, talk to your dorm parent and advisor–they have seen so many kids go through these transitions and can offer support. Amd come back to this board whenever–there are lots of parents on here who offer wise advice. I will be counting on them when my daughter starts boarding school in the fall!
Thank you so much @mass2020mom great advice
Almost all the girls at DS’ school said they were very scared when they started. One even called her dad the first day wanting to go home. As they were preparing to graduate, they talked about how much they loved their friends and school and how grateful they were not to have missed the opportunity because of fear. Which is all to say that your cold feet are normal but in all likelihood, pushing through your nerves will give you more than you can imagine now.
Everything I’ve read has said that you won’t regret going to BS. I’m going this year too, and I’m super excited!