<p>I go back and forth on this so I love to hear what others think. Is the true value of Boarding school, the intangible growth, maturity and experience for our kids? OR is it positioning them to getting into the best college they can? Of course, it is, to some degree both, but I just can't get my head around which is more critical. I've heard it here: if the goal is just college entrance, just stay at the local school and be top of the class. So I waiver. We are sending D to BS because what resonated for me is that I want her to be the very best she can be (academically, socially and athleticly) and BS had a much better chance of bringing that out. However, I dont want her to miss out on her best shot at college either . . .</p>
<p>There is no hard and fast decision making rules on whether BS is right or not for your child.</p>
<p>That being said, here are some things to consider…</p>
<p>1) Is your child sufficiently challenged at his/her local school and will s/he be through his/her senior year?</p>
<p>2) Would your child benefit significantly from being in a smaller class environment where engaging in small group discussion is critical for generating optimum academic achievement (assuming here that your local option is larger) or is s/he a passive learner?</p>
<p>3) Does your child need more kids like him/her to optimize the academic motivation to achieve in a 24/7 environment? How much involvement does s/he need?</p>
<p>4) Is your child ready to learn the lessons of self-management academically, socially, and emotionally that come with living away from the parental security blanket?</p>
<p>5) How integrated does s/he want his academic/social/athletic/artistic life to be? Some kids thrive on it, others like to compartmentalize their non-academic endeavors.</p>
<p>6) Does your kid take advantage of everything they can where they are? You might be wasting your money…</p>
<p>Did you notice that I didn’t say anything about college admissions here? There are some advantages at most boarding schools in college placement, but they are not the advantages most people with 8th graders are thinking about.</p>
<p>Many prospective BS parents look at the numbers about a boarding school when selecting schools to apply to. They are trying to match their child to other children based upon numbers (SSAT test scores). While academic match is important in that there will be kids of similar achievement taking the same level classes as yours, that is only the beginning of the search. And this match doesn’t have to be “exact”. The difference between a 95th percentile SSAT and a 75th is generally not that significant.</p>
<p>The other numbers that parents look at are Ivy/MIT/Stanford/etc. placements on the back end. This is by far the most misused statistic published. Perhaps your child will be a match for MIT, but most of us cannot discern that from an 8th grader. So if a school does seem to place some students in “top” schools, this should be all that you need to know. If your kid is MIT material, a good school will do what is necessary to get him/her there. Having more Ivy admits only says that a school attracts more kids who end up being Ivy fits. Yes, they finish polishing these kids up, but they don’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Don’t expect miracles.</p>
<p>Now the part that boarding schools CAN do right (note that I didn’t guarantee anything - you will need to research this yourself at each school). Boarding schools get to know their students better than day schools, as they get to see the kid 24/7. They will know better what type of college will fit the student better than the public HS that sees his transcript and “daytime” life. There are kids who go to boarding school who need more structured and/or nurturing college environments than others. Living in a boarding school will reveal much better what type of environment will be better at college to both the student and the guidance folks. HYP may be good for some top students, but Williams/Amherst might be better for others. Boarding school counselors and college admissions folks develop relationships over time that help make better matches. Yeah, some top publics do this, but I doubt to the same degree. Bottom line, it is about finding the right fit for the student, not the “top rated” school. Get the “chances” issue out of your mind.</p>
<p>Lately, I have been getting a very strong feeling goaliegirl has found her college. It is nothing I would have dreamt about 3 years ago when I sent her away to school. I’d never even heard of it. Yet I now see how she would fit in there. And academically it is a safety school for her. However, there are things about it that are far more important than the incoming class stats. She is finding herself - and that by itself is worth the price of admission.</p>
<p>I hope I’ve helped to answer your question…</p>
<p>WOW, goaliedad…That was a terrific post! Should be required reading! Somewhere, there should be a compilation of really great posts like yours.</p>
<p>I’ll second that Kaileigh. Goaliedad – that was really thoughtful and right on the mark!</p>
<p>I’m not sure I agree with/understand this comment: #6 Does your kid take advantage of everything they can where they are? You might be wasting your money…</p>
<p>I found this comment interesting- my kid does not join every group available to him at his current school- does that mean bs would be a waste for him?</p>
<p>I think the other points made above actually reinforce what I thought- that he will become more involved by living there vs living at home. He needs other kids around telling him hey, I’m in this club or that sport, it’s really cool you should try it. Then he does. Right now his friends live in towns all over NH so there isn’t a way to share outside of school interests.</p>
<p>I still remember I joined swim team as a kid because my neighbor invited me to go with them- then I swam for many years and became a lifeguard. </p>
<p>I’m not sure if what Goaliedad meant by #6 though and if I am misinterpreting it.</p>
<p>Clarification on #6…</p>
<p>I’m talking about the depth of a program of interest, not the number of offerings offered. Really, the heart of this thought is that if your kid isn’t really involved in his/her drama club, putting him/her in a top boarding school won’t change that.</p>
<p>I understand the confusion though…</p>
<p>Thanks Goaliedad- </p>
<p>I do think being around other interesting/motivated kids helps my son get more involved- but he is very selective about what he is interested in taking up- no math team for him, he likes scouts and computer robotics/programming. He is interested in learning more about astronomy and meteorology but suggest a music ensemble and he is less then enthused. (even though he plays the piano). Of course suggestions from peers are much more acceptable than suggestions from parents at this age so we’ll see what happens!</p>
<p>I have also heard that if your child is not super involved in ECs the first year that may be ok since some kids have all they can handle adjusting to the work load and living away. Then they usually step up ECs the second year.</p>
<p>Yes, I do understand that other kids interest in an endeavor does have a positive feedback effect and that often clubs can be a bit dull, hampering an otherwise strong interest. It might be better to interpret my comment as saying that if you kid is in an activity for the resume building, spending more money to send him to boarding school to build that same level of resume there is wasting your money.</p>
<p>I see so many kids here on CC who can list a dozen clubs/activities they did in HS on their chances post. Given the same 24 hours in a day for everyone, there is no way they could have done something significant in all 12 of them. If a student behaves the same way at BS, they will get the same result - a resume that the admissions folks will read as ‘just another applicant’.</p>
<p>It is great that your son has distinct interests and is picky about what he participates in. So many kids do “whatever mom takes me to” without regard to their own interest - and it shows.</p>
<p>Thanks Goalie Dad- I was getting kind of worried that my thoughts were way off the mark as far as hoping BS would get son MORE involved and not LESS. I think I do have a pretty realistic view- I know my kid and he will never be a super joiner no matter where he goes! 
Thanks for all your help as always you are a wonderful resource!</p>
<p>Great insight Goaliedad, thanks.</p>