<p>hi everyone, what're your impressions of the following schools? peddie, governor's, taft, st. andrew's, brooks, mercersburg, westminster, williston northampton, hill, george, blair,gunnery, st. james, westtown, brewster, berskhire, tilton, cheshire, canterbury, holderness, vermont, tabor, kimball-union, hebron, stonybrook, portsmouth, blue mountain, promfret, millbrook, suffield, loomis, st. mark's, st. andrew's, middlesex? I know this is list is mega-long, but we're in the process of narrowing down boarding schools. we picked these b/c they're not too small and not the largest either. they're also in the mid-atlantic and NE region, which is what we want. we're newbies to this whole process and have no idea so you're thoughts would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>mml - </p>
<p>what are the interests of the child who will be applying? Sports (which)? arts? clubs? etc. How academically strong?
Tell folks more - it's all about finding the right fit for each kid.</p>
<p>Also, you may find good info using the search function at the top to look for postings on each school</p>
<p>The student wants a medium size co-ed school, likes playing basketball, soccer, and is great in math. He doesn't have great extracurriculars however. He's recently re-taken up kyudo (Japanese archery), but just started it again after not doing it for several years, so he's a beginner. He's an international student with A/B grades and who speaks English quite well. He'll be taking his SSATs in October. He'll also be entering as a 10th grader. I'm concerned that he may not have a great a shot at some of even the medium reach schools because he doesn't have strong extra-curriculars and his grades, though good, aren't the most competitive. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Thanks for your advice creative1 btw! I listed above some more detail about the child. I've been reading everyone's pieces and it's been very informative so far, but we find the entire process incredibly overwhelming!</p>
<p>Question about the international student aspect. Is he currently in an overseas (non-US/Canadian) school or is he currently in school in the US/Canada (for how long) and happens to be a foreign born student? Is he going to have to take the TOEFL exam?</p>
<p>This makes a world of difference in which pool of students he is evaluated against. The slots for students from overseas is much more competitive than local candidates even at the medium level schools.</p>
<p>The list of interests can be accommodated at about any of the schools you will find, unless he is currently taking Calculus in 9th grade. In that case, you may want to examine course catalogues carefully to see if they support independent studies and for which grades.</p>
<p>His SSAT test results will tell a lot about how competitive he will be. If he is full-pay (no FA needed) it also helps when a student does not have a hook. And never underestimate the interview and essay as a way to present a promising (but perhaps a little underachieving) student. Of course, if he is an A/B student at a highly competitive private school, those grades may well not indicate underachievement, but the level of competition at the school.</p>
<p>Looking over your list, you have a fairly broad range of schools with about the only thing in common is size. Besides the size parameter, is there a certain feel you want from a school - e.g. artistic or athletic, competitive or cooperative, student driven or adult lead. etc? What are you looking for (developmentally) for your son - spiritual, leadership, social skills, learning skills, independence? Does he need a very regimented life, or does he function best when left to go his own way?</p>
<p>These questions will help narrow down that list considerably.</p>
<p>I personally don't have a lot of advice or knowledge to give you - my child had a specific interest so that narrowed our list down dramatically.
I know it can seem like an overwhelming process. :)
I am sure others will come back with more insight on some of the schools listed.<br>
It's hearsay but, of the schools you've listed, I've heard great things about the sense of community at Middlesex.</p>
<p>My son goes to Blair Academy, so I can answer questions about it. However, I cannot guess at what your son's chances are. Blair's basketball program is very strong with 3 graduates in the NBA. It is a beautiful campus with an outstanding sense of community, high percent boarding, great academics and more. Math is strong. I suspect that all the schools you are looking at have a soccer team. If you have questions, you can ask me here or send me a private message. If you live close to Tokyo, there will be a TABS fair there with many of the schools you are considering present. Look for the thread with a link to it.</p>
<p>Ahh I see Goaliedad. Thx for the insight. Definitely an athletic, cooperative environment. An adult led and more regimented school would be better too (e.g. he's a smart kid and learns quickly but he's not the best note-taker, he needs to develop his study skills more, and he performs better with a little more structure). Though either extreme would not be helpful for his learning. He's been attending a very competitive day school for 2 years (how long he's been in the U.S. total) on the East Coast, where he picked up his English rather quickly due to I think the fact that he was one of the few international students and none from Korea (where he's from). This is actually one of the reasons why he wants to transfer. Although it has a great reputation, a few of his day school peers haven't been too responsive to the fact that he's "Asian". He really needs a close-knit community and good friendships. He's a little shy at first, but starts to open up when he feels comfortable. He performs best when he feels accepted and in a close-knit community environment, so a medium size school that offers this while developing independence would be ideal. Basically, he's a good kid/has a good heart, and is a good student in the right environment until he finds his own comfort level (e.g. he got most improved recognitions in his subjects after the first semester at his school). He gets stressed when he doesn't feel he has good support, especially good friendships, and that affects his work. Also, I think he has to take the TOEFL b/c he's technically an "int'l student"? He is full-pay, which I guess could help? I also thought his interest in the martial arts of Japanese kyodo would help stand him a bit as he doesn't have strong extracurriculars (e.g. he likes community service, bball, soccer, but hasn't spent a lot of time in it) Because he's already in the States, the TABS event would be hard for us though it sounds great. I hope this isn't too long!</p>
<p>Not too long at all, MML. Very helpful. I will be sending you an email shortly with another thought.</p>
<p>In addition to the foregoing advice I'll throw in my thought that the teacher recommendations will be important and need to be very strong if the grades are underwhelming. Decent -- but less than stellar -- grades are fine. But there should be something that makes you stand out among the pack. And, academically, the best place to show that (since grades don't seem to be the hook) is in the recommendations.</p>
<p>There are several required recommendations. One from the current English teacher. One from the current Math teacher. One from the head of the school or guidance counselor (I'd think about who to call on here, as there's some flexibility). But you're allowed additional recommendations. And in this case I would see if there aren't other teachers who can provide glowing recommendations.</p>
<p>You will probably want to use your "wildcard" recommendations on extra-curricular interests, so do so.</p>
<p>I would recommend that you find one or two more academic recommenders ON TOP OF the ones you would otherwise plan to use. Don't go crazy and send in a binder full of recommendations. But if there are a couple of extra teachers who can inform the Admission Committee about your child and paint a clearer picture of his academic virtues for them, they will appreciate the extra recommendations.</p>
<p>You might want to start a new thread so that posters and lurkers know about what you are looking for.</p>
<p>If you live around the New England/mid-Atlantic area, my suggestion is that you go to a few open houses of the schools you are considering. This will help you narrow your list and select more specific criteria. When we did our search, school visits helped us realize what we were looking for. Open houses are a good introduction to a school, and your son will not have the pressure of having an interview when he is uncertain of what he wants. Many schools have open houses in the fall. Here is the open house info on Blair <a href="http://www.blair.edu/Admissions/ad_open_house.shtm%5B/url%5D">http://www.blair.edu/Admissions/ad_open_house.shtm</a> . Blair is around 10% international, and Korea is the largest international group. Americans of Asian descent also attend. It is a friendly environment with strong academics but also opportunities to have fun. There are many athletic options. </p>
<p>Open Houses will probably help you narrow the school size you want, and hopefully more. While you say you want a medium-sized school, most would call Loomis large and schools like Millbrook small. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks Burb Parent for the suggestion on starting a new thread! I'll do that. We're in the mid-Atlantic area so our plan is to narrow down this list and with some planning visit the schools. One thing I forgot to mention is that we actually would prefer that there isn't a huge Korean Int'l population. He thinks it won't help with his English skills as many tend to stick together. He would like a close-knit community, not a possible "cliquey" one. Thanks for everyone's advice so far! I'm going to try to figure out putting a new thread in .</p>