<p>...to try to get into a "prestigious high school" and pay obscene amounts of money to increase your chances of getting into a good college?
If you're smart enough to "get into" an elite boarding school, aren't you smart enough to get into a good college from a public school? If your family makes enough money to go to a private school, I would assume you don't live in a district where the HS is crap. </p>
<p>I don't get it, why put yourself through this?</p>
<p>Damn good question!</p>
<p>Can't answer it definitively, but I'm curious to see the responses.</p>
<p>Simply because there's more to offer at such schools. There are often more community and family knit, education is considerably better, faculty tends to pay more attention to the students, EC's are mandatory and often allow students to discover new interests, etc. etc.</p>
<p>There would be hundreds of reasons I'm sure the people here could name why they would want to attend prep school then public school besides the chance of getting into a better college. Personally, I don't bother too much with looking at college matriculation statistics at each school I apply to.</p>
<p>I would be surprised if most parents sending their kids to expensive private schools (and it really is the parents' decision at that age, 8th graders have less choice than they think) are doing so for any reason other than to get their kids into college.</p>
<p>Well then mephist0 perhaps you shouldn't be.</p>
<p>I actually think it's harder to get into a better college through a prestigious boarding school, at least, that's what most of my interviewers told me. There's much more competition. The interviewers try to get you to state many reasons why you think you should go to boarding school, and going just for college isn't going to cut it.</p>
<p>Alright I'm offended by both of your points,
I am applying to Exeter and Andover because, in general I don't fit in very well at my current school which is an all boys, mostly republican, southern school. Many kids actually hate me principally because I'm Jewish. Alright, hate is to strong, but my relationship with certain kids at my school is predetermined due to my religion and general intellectualism. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of people at my school who are intellectuals and I have one or two friends. But, it is hard being the only Jew in my grade of 120.
My parents didn't want me to go to boarding school initially and both of us agreed that my chances were more or less the same from exeter or from my current school as my state is a general minority in IVY league applicants. But, a place like Exeter is a place where I could find people who I have a lot in common with. At my current school every discussion involves football or some or sport. Thats totally fine and I have nothing against it, I just cant relate to it which makes fitting in very tough at my school. So, at a place like Exeter where the jewish population is roughly 10% (a friend made a ball park guess as he goes there) and everyone there is an intellectual is some fashion of the word I think I could really thrive socially and academically in that environment in which I could actually relate to people.</p>
<p>As for your other comment about how having enough money for boarding school means your current school is good enough. Well, for me this is definitely true. But Exeter has a policy of a free ride for anyone under 75k income per year. This means people from the worst places (schools too) in the world have the same chance as a kid like me who comes from a very privileged family. Thats part of the beauty of these top schools, they are open to even the most underprivileged.</p>
<p>Going to boarding school is a really big lifestyle change, if you think we (eighth graders) don't think about the consequences of it you are really underestimating and ultimately insulting our intellects.</p>
<p>^
Exactly.</p>
<p>My mom and dad don't actually mind much about the whole boarding school thing... my dad actually wants me to apply only when I'm in grade 11 or 12, but I'm just really interested in the whole boarding school experience. Besides, I'm really not getting on too well at my school now... just transferred there in the middle of 7th grade (currently in 8th grade), and many of the kids in my class hate (not too strong, the absolute truth) just because I'm smarter than them and are beating them in grades and tests. I also am not too great at making friends, and am hoping to learn how to do that better at boarding school. And also, going to a boarding school would also provide me with a chance to study many kinds of things I wouldn't be able to study elsewhere. Where else would you find such an art center as in Exeter, only for high school students? Where else such a beautiful enviornment as in SPS? It's not only about preparing for college! It's much much more than that!</p>
<p>My son is not attending bs merely to increase his chances of getting into a top college. I think that is a very wrong reason for attending bs. It is the opportunity to broaden your horizons, increase your independence, meet people from all over the world, live and interact with students and teachers who love to learn and truly care about education.</p>
<p>Wow guys, this has been a delight to read!</p>
<p>I wholeheartedly second most of the comments.</p>
<p>I think BS is an experience. Being away from home, having new, like-minded individuals for friends - which can be a happy change for some who don't fit in, better (and more) academic options - room to grow in every sense, more offerings, excellent teachers that love their job, resources, facilities, EC options, a year or term abroad in a foreign country - be it Russia, France, Germany. </p>
<p>These are just some of the reasons for me.</p>
<p>It's just the ultimate high-school experience, I think, in every sense. It's BIGGER and BETTER. And yes, having a dilpoma from one of these fine institutions helps you get into an Ivy, but it's not that big of a deal. I also believe that the Ivies want a diverse student body - just like the prep schools, and in THAT sense, I wonder if being from a place like Andover, (where, say 50 people are applying to Yale), they may all be more than qualified and 'acceptable' candidates, but surely they will not fill their pool with just the prep grads. Being from a PS in central South Dakota on the other hand, will make you stand out.</p>
<p>Anyways... bottom line, for ME, the prestigious diploma is only 5-10% of my reason for application.</p>
<p>I'm a parent.</p>
<p>My son has a better chance to get into an IVY or great LACs from his current school, not Boarding School.</p>
<p>I want Boarding School for him because</p>
<ol>
<li><p>He is losing interest in school. Although grades are high, enthuiasm is slipping. He only is working up to the bar set, and that bar is not as high as he could be achieving. I think the lax attitude is norm for a boy his age, but as a parent I miss the enthusiasm he used to have for learning. I think getting into a school with a group of intellectual peers would be a HUGE life changing experience.</p></li>
<li><p>Great Financial Aid -- We can't afford a private day school, but the generousity of the boarding schools makes it affordable for us.</p></li>
<li><p>My son is becoming more & more of a loner. He needs to be surrounded by peers, not just kids his own age.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>College matriculation is the very LAST thing this parent considers. Not eveyone is as superficial as you make them out to be. It's about quenching a thirst, not building a resume. You are correct when you say that if a student can gain entry into an elite high school, they could probably can into an elite college. The matriculation data is very much skewed by the BS selection process itself. </p>
<p>As a parent of middle school kids, I can honestly say that college is the last thing on my mind. I simply want my kids in an environment where they will actually learn. Why should they have to piddle away 4 years in public school until they are challenged in college? There are children who actually have a real passion for learning - who are not really happy unless they are thinking, who ENJOY difficult problems, and who are most engaged when there are paradoxes and impossible problems to solve. What are my kids going to do in their public school? Read books they read when they were 8? Be graded on how well they can convince their teachers that they have been taught, instead of what they already know?</p>
<p>Perhaps you haven't met children or parents like this, but I can assure you that they exist. No, my son did not initiate the search process. As a matter of fact, when I started showing him what some of the options were, he didn't believe me. He didn't think the schools were real, that he would be allowed to study both Latin and Greek in high school, that he could take classes in constitutional law, etc.</p>
<p>"It's about quenching a thirst, not building a resume."</p>
<p>Thanks for putting it so succinctly neatoburrito, I love this line!</p>
<p>Also, socially my son does better being around kids who think/learn like him. He's happier and has more friends now that he is in school with other bright kids. (charter school) I expect this will be even better in BS when he will be with peers 24/7.</p>
<p>I am applying to these schools because I want to. My mom doesn't want me to leave, but she can appreciate the opportunities the schools offer.</p>
<p>We are poor as anything, and will be receiving massive amounts of financial aid.</p>
<p>I heard it was actually harder to get into boarding schools than to get into college</p>