Hey guys,
I’m a kid interested in boarding prep school. I haven’t talked about it with my parents yet. About a year ago I asked them about it and they thought the reason I wanted to go was to get away from them, and they got very upset. That’s not the case though. I see many benefits in it for myself, and there are several schools I am interested in. Another issue that I have my family can’t really afford it, but I think me make too much for financial aid. Anyways, how can I talk to them about boarding school without them about it without making it seem like it’s because I want to leave them? And what should I do about my financial predicament?
How good are u at hockey? If u are recruitable (ready to be a starting player on varsity and potential future olympic material), then hockey could be your key for admission and key for getting financial support from the school.
Tell them about the benefits academically and athletically. Show them the school websites. Show them CC (College Confidential).
A lot of BS have large endowments, and some even are need-blind (which means they won’t even look at your financial status/how much you need when making the admissions decision). For one of the schools I am applying to, the average financial aid given out is $38k for boarding and $27k for day students, if I am remembering correctly. So I’d say that based on that, the possible amount your parents might be paying would be $10k.
I’m a Triple A goalie for a travel team. I also play for a middle school team and train off ice almost everyday. How can I grab the coaches attention? Not many recruiters come to where I play. Should I send a video to the coach?
I didn’t know that. Paying 10 or even 15k could work for my family. Thanks for the help!
@hockeygod33: On my applications, there was an option to add a video/multimedia link if you were talented in the arts, athletics, or music. You can also go to the school’s team page on their website and find contact info for the coaches.
@thelittleswimmer Ok. I haven’t addressed it with my family yet, so I haven’t really seen the full applications. Have you talked about it with your family? Do you have any suggestions in addressing it with your parents without making it seem like you want to go because you want to leave them?
Speaking as a parent whose son successfully convinced her that boarding school would be a good choice for him, keep calm, have a well-thought out argument, and direct your parents to online resources to help them understand the advantages of boarding school. Boarding School Review is a good place to start, and they can also find a wealth of information and wisdom by searching this forum.
@PhotographerMom Thanks for the link! Most of the schools I am interested in are in there, but there are a few I haven’t seen before that I will look in to.
I would particularly stress that boarding school can DEFINITELY prepare you mentally, academically, and physically (athletically) for college. Say that by attending boarding school, you will be given many opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow.
If your parents don’t want you to leave home, why don’t you introduce the possibility of relocating to a day student town? Either that, or the possibility of relocating to a day student/boarding town (you have the option of being boarding or day), and they would be able to visit you at campus often if you were boarding.
@thelittleswimmer I spoke to my mom last night and she was in a very relaxed and joking mood, as she had not seen me since she left for a business trip. I told her about one school I was interested in, and she said “Why would you want to leave us?” I gave her some advantages the school has over the public and private schools here, and she said that they were good reasons but we can’t afford it. We’re right in that spot where we make too much for aid but not enough to afford it. Playing the lottery today, fingers crossed!
I suspect that good goalies are often in demand. Does your AAA team attend showcases or large tournaments? Often times, prep school coaches check those out. If there are certain schools you are attracted to, you could email the coaches and ask how they usually find new (experienced) players…
If money is the only issue, then pursue it with your parents and treat it like the “lottery”… If it’s meant to be it will be, but be ok with it if it doesn’t.
Just reading the above posts and am worried you’re getting the wrong impression, hockeygod. You need to realize, many BS do NOT give merit based aid (including athletic scholarships): they only give need-based aid (depending on parental finances). “Need-blind” means they don’t consider finances when deciding whom to admit-- and then will give aid based in how much THEY determine you need, not based on how much YOU want. Some schools, on the other hand, DO give merit based aid, including athletic scholarships. Therefore, if your parents won’t or can’t pay full tuition, but make too much to qualify for need-based aid, check out each school’s website carefully to see what kind of aid they offer before applying. You may need to narrow your list to the schools offering athletic scholarships, if your parents really make too much money for need based aid. (Although check that number out carefully as well-- many BS give aid to middle class families-- just check what the numbers really are).
@Daykidmom Thanks! I did notice that most schools I was looking at don’t give merit scholarships, although there were one or two that do. I have to check what the exact salaries that are are too large for financial aid with each school though, I have only seen the averages for many schools.
With regards to financial aid, I came across this “calculator” on the exeter site. I found it to be very interesting.
http://www.exeter.edu/admissions/1286.aspx
You’d be surprised what is being offered, at least at exeter. I assume other boarding schools with large endowments are similar.
Exeter is one of the schools I’ve been looking into. I never saw that on their website. It was helpful, thanks! @heartburner