We looked at all the BSs, but decided to stay in our local public HS. Yes, local BS would affect D’s swimming. D got admitted to MIT, U Chicago, Duke Robertson finalist, etc, in spite of it. Her admission record was exceptional at her public HS. She was the only U Chicago admission ever, and first MIT in a few years.
It is the discussion about big fish, small fish and money involved. I hate to be politically incorrect, do you believe PEA put you to success when PS couldn’t otherwise? And you don’t believe your son will succeed in the future with local public schools? You need full FA, but do you qualify for FA for BS or College? If your kid got into more prestigious colleges, will you be able to pay for it? Or are you going for merit? I think you need to consider at least that part especially if you need full FA now. You don’t want your son get into Harvard, and have to choose Michigan Stamps if he really wants to go to Harvard and all his friends are going to Ivys.
I have two friends kids going to PEA. One came from a great PHS in Georgia and she is rising senior interning (unpaid) in DC this summer. Meanwhile, D applied for multiple summer camps, and was attending a free 6 weeks engineering camp at Lehigh the same summer. Another friend son got admitted to PEA and got significant aid, but the son doesn’t want to go now.
My overall conclusion with my observations is that if you are gold, you will shine everywhere, and that applies to both high schools and colleges.
@SincererLove - good questions, but, no, this isn’t about college, or even about future success. It’s about getting the best education he can at this point in his life. It’s about being excited by his classes, and learning to think critically, challenge assumptions, and defend his positions. Actually, if I had to choose between my kid going to Exeter or going to Harvard, I’d choose Exeter.
@Happytimes2001 - I agree. There are many paths that can work out, and pluses and minuses to every one of them. I really hope he winds up with some choices, and that we can help him figure out what would be best for him. My biggest concern is if he winds up having to go to the neighborhood high school. It’s not a bad school, but I think he’d find it not terribly challenging after his middle school magnet…
This is tangential to your original question, OP, but another thing to think about is whether looking at lower ranked boarding schools might make sense. They may or may not be better than the magnet high school, that’s for you to figure out. But your son might get merit aid, even at schools without huge endowments (or even when they explicitly say they don’t award merit aid!).
I know one boy who is *super * bright (ended up with perfect SATs and ACTs). He is now at Williams. He went to Salisbury School on a full ride.
Only you can weigh the commute to the magnet vs the education at a lower ranked boarding school, but I thought I’d throw it out there for you to think about.
OP, when I started the process; I wasn’t that big on the idea and I still wanted to stay with my friends at home. What changed for me personally, was researching the schools completely, 100% on my own. Encourage your kid to look at schools and visit their website, or go on their social media pages so that he can get the wonderful experience of BS. Hope that helps
@JustWinginIt your post above on what you hoped your son would gain by attending a BS school like PEA really resonated with me. That is exactly what we hoped for our kids when looking at high schools. I can tell you that is exactly what our kids got from PEA as well. Combined with friends from around the globe, unbelievably unique opportunities (studying in Russia, shooting a documentary in the Philippines), and amazing close relationships with faculty and staff. It was a life changing opportunity. Another thought for your son is to speak to some current or recent graduates of BS. For years our kids have connected when families had questions on what PEA was really like and why they would recommend it. If your son is interested, our youngest who just graduated PEA would be happy to connect with you guys. Jus pm me.
@vegas1 - thank you so much! It really is a remarkable place. I often describe it as the most intellectually exciting environment I’ve ever been in. I have several classmates who have kids at PEA now, so I’m hoping I can make some connections that way. But I will definitely keep your offer in mind. I’m always delighted to read how much three of your kids loved PEA - and that your fourth had the wisdom to find a path better for her (hope I got the details right). As an Exonian, regardless if I ever become the parent of one, I love hearing that!
@JustWinginIt Another option to consider is United World Colleges (UWC) for either junior and senior year or senior year plus a post-grad year. It is a two-year International Baccalaureate program in which each country selects some of their most promising high schoolers, who are then sent to one of 18 participating boarding schools around the world. There are participating schools on just about every continent and their student bodies are comprised of the students selected by the different national committees. BTW: The national committees don’t just choose the kids – they also heavily subsidize the cost of attending. Ivy admissions officers love UWC kids, btw. https://www.uwc.org/about
