<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>I was wondering if anyone has experience sending siblings (one year apart) to two different boarding schools. Is it a logistical nightmare?</p>
<p>Our DC was waitlisted at the sibs' school but accepted to another - which is a very good fit/choice for them. </p>
<p>DC knows the sibs' school very well from all our visits and really loves it.</p>
<p>Questions are:</p>
<ul>
<li> is it foolish to try and wait out the waitlist vs. loving the school that loves you back?</li>
<li> how miserable will I be trying to manage/navigate multiple parents weekends/move-ins/move-outs/ sporting events etc.?</li>
<li> is it better to give sibs thier own space/identity or have them in the same place (which we love)?</li>
</ul>
<p>We will also have one starting college in the fall so include those visits/moves etc...</p>
<p>Would love to hear from anyone who has done it and can offer advice :)</p>
<p>No doubt, it is difficult. Our DS is in CA (9th grade), and our DD is in MI (11th grade), and we’re in CO. Their schools both start at the same time, and Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks line up. But this year, DS has his Spring Break the first 2 weeks of March, and DD has her Spring Break the last two weeks of March - they overlap for less than 48 hours. At the end of the school year, DD will be home for almost 2 full weeks before DS gets home. Time together as a family has become incredibly precious.</p>
<p>We’ve managed by “dividing and conquering” - mom took one child to school, dad took the other (this was the first year at BS for both of them). We have done an enormous amount of travel (two visits to each child so far - one visit for Parent’s weekend, one visit to see each of them in an important school event). If possible, we both go, but sometimes due to work schedules and other commitments (not to mention the expense of plane travel) we go solo.</p>
<p>If you are within driving distance of one or both kids, I expect it would be a bit more manageable. But for us, having our two kids attend the same school was never an option - their interests and needs are so different, it just wasn’t possible that the same school would be a “fit” for both of them.</p>
<p>It can be done. It is easier if you live within driving distance to the schools. You and your spouse might need to “divide and conquer.” I suppose it would make a difference if your children might be at the same school for three years, or one year. Does your younger child have a strong preference?</p>
<p>The reasons for the waitlist would also influence my decision, were it my child. Was he waitlisted as a gentle way of not admitting him, or did the admissions committee feel the fit is not quite perfect at this time? Some schools seem to prefer students who are more mature; would reapplying next year bring an acceptance? As you already have a child at the school, I think you could ask the admissions office or director for guidance. </p>
<p>The other school admitted your child, knowing he/she has a sib at the other school. I think that’s a sign that school felt there was a good enough fit that your child might decide to attend. It was a vote of confidence.</p>
<p>It is quite possible to send children to different boarding schools. Look at the two schools’ schedule for next year–they may be online. We’ve found our kids’ two schools don’t have many dates which conflict. </p>
<p>College students seem to start school in mid-August these days, so that should not be a problem. A relative has two children at different colleges, and a child in boarding school, and they manage to visit, drop-off, pick-up, and attend Parent Weekends. Now, it doesn’t leave them much time for doing anything else. “Free time” is an alien concept.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if this is relevant to your original post, but I did want to share with you that I learned from a school official at one BS, that one thing they struggle with is sibling applications. It seems that there are so many siblings that apply to school of their older sibling that if a school were to accept all of the qualified siblings the school would have few families and in the name of diversity they often have to disappoint families. They did say that on a given year the amount of legacies (parents who went to the school) and faculty children are much less then sibling applications.</p>
<p>One thing that is important to check on is if vacations line-up. Spring break, in particular, can vary from school to school. Even Christmas break may vary somewhat. Having those line-up between the schools can make family vacations run more smoothly.</p>