<p>I am a freshman in highschool now, and due to the need for a more vigorous accademic course and an escape from peers who bully me, my parents have agreed to let my try for BS. I live in NJ, and I am looking for the 10 best boarding schools on the East coast ( so from maybe NH-MA). I am going to apply for lawrenceville and deerfield, but what are 8 other amazing boarding schools? Also, which ones are known to be more gracious with financial aid and other expenses? My family can pay some of the costs, but definetely not all of them. </p>
<p>There have been countless threads on this site extolling the virtues of different New England boarding schools and those that provide the best FA. Before you ask your question and get a few tired hoorahs from one person or another, you should do some research on your own (after all, it IS your decision, not ours): old threads on this site, boardingschoolreview.com etc. Then come back with some specific questions. Basic research is on you (and should be).</p>
<p>For financial aid, look at schools like Andover that are need blind.
Also try to find numbers of students joining in grade 10, it will give you a good idea of how easy it will be to settle in at the school and if it will be a particualr struggle to get accepted or not.
Sorry if that doesn’t all make sense :)</p>
<p>Have you taken the SSATs yet? Please realize that the “GLADCHEMMS” schools have very low acceptance ratios, and you might want to cast a wider net, especially if you need financial assistance and will not easily be in the top 10%. Consider George School, in Bucks County, PA, which is very convenient for NJ residents. Also Hill, Westtown, Mercersburg, Peddie. I would recommend having “reach,” “match,” and “safe” schools, much as you would for college applications. The schools are very different, and you should consider the size and focus of schools, rather than whether they are “Top 10.” All are excellent.</p>
<p>If you apply ONLY to schools with the same low acceptance rates and that are on the top of everyone’s “must have” list - you’ll be disappointed. Average class at Exeter is 308 kids, most of whom entered in 9th grade. So at Exeter you’ll be among thousands of applications trying to get the remaining handful of 10th grade spots.</p>
<p>Cast a broad net. If you need a better academic environment you’ll find most boarding schools in your area will fit the bill. Try big ones and small ones. Financial aid will also factor in your chances, unfortunately, because budgets are limited.</p>
<p>You won’t know unless you try - but it’s worth taking a day or two and touring campuses.</p>
<p>Btw - you won’t “escape” bullying by going to Boarding School. It’s not tolerated, but there are other adjustment issues. Too many kids think BS is going to be this neat, nice, idyllic place - and it’s high school. Just a harder form of high school with nice kids and kids you won’t like. So don’t go to BS because you are escaping something, go to BS because you are running “towards” something better.</p>
<p>If you read the threads from March (admissions decision time) you will see how very many applicants got “burned” (i.e. no acceptances at all; all waitlisted; no/insufficient FA) by only applying to a top10 school.</p>
<p>To estimate the number of 10th Grade spaces available at a school, assume 2/3 are returning students who entered in the Freshman year.</p>
<p>And, although I understand that family finances may not permit it, consider applying as a repeat 9th grader. Although the percentages of 9th and 10th grade applicants who are accepted is virtually the same, there are simply a lot more new 9th graders than new 10th graders . . . and that makes it easier for you to get in. And there’s no stigma attached to applying as a repeat 9th grader . . . it doesn’t mean you think you’re not mature enough or smart enough to cut it as a 10th grader. It just means you want the full four-year boarding experience.</p>
<p>And if you really are ready for boarding school, then it’s time to figure out for yourself which schools are “best” for you! No matter what grade you apply to, being successful in boarding school means being able to the initiative to make your own decisions about things.</p>
<p>^^Frankly, I’m amazed at just how common the repeat year phenomenon is, for both 9th AND 10th grade. Alot of it seems to have to do with sports preparedness; clearly it’s a significant advantage to have a year or more’s extra training and growth under one’s belt. DC plays on a thirds team as a “true” freshman (14), yet there are more than a handful of 16 yr old sophomores on the team, as well as on the teams they face. I find it a strange phenomenon, but it’s a good reminder that families approach BS for very different ends. For some it is a gateway to collegiate athletics at top flight schools; for others (like family friends we know), their 15 year old is in her junior year at one of the HADES and will start college at 17.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input! The thing is, I am deffinetely not repeating a grade… deffinetely when I may possibly be first in my class and I am falling asleep in my classes… lol. My best schools I think are Lawrenceville and Andover, so I am starting to apply now. Also, I am fine with being with kids who all know eachother already… and I know there are a wider range of schools, for example, the peddie school. I heard that it is not as accademically challenging as I need… with the top 10 or so schools, you know that their rep is good.</p>
<p>I would just reiterate that if your current situation is as dire as you first stated, looking outside the top 10 will provide you with the safety of options come March 10. Most of us don’t want to believe how intense the competition is, but anything under 25% is a REAL crapshoot, ESPECIALLY when you’re factoring FA into the mix. You really should consider some other schools with decent/strong endowments and financial aid, if you feel you’d be happier being out of your current circumstance.</p>
<p>You are missing the point! Repeating a grade does not mean you’re stupid, or falling behind or getting bad grades this year - if that were the case, you wouldn’t be eligible for boarding school anyway. I guarantee that if you repeat, you won’t be bored next year . . . your classes will be challenging and you will be surprised at how many of your (brilliant!) classmates are also repeats! It just means that this year wasn’t what it should have been . . . and you want all four years of your high school experience to be challenging.</p>
<p>Finances may make repeating a year impossible . . . but don’t reject the possibility simply because you were first in your class this year. Just about everyone you encounter at boarding school was among the “best and the brightest” at their prior school!!!</p>
I recently asked my daughter which was harder, her high school (one of the ones in post #3) or the University of Chicago. She hesitated a long time before answering.</p>
<p>Karategirl2005, I am a student at one of the GLADCHEMS schools and those that are repeats are brilliant, bright kids who wanted a longer boarding school experience. Most GLADCHEMS schools will place you in the level thats right for you. I know I am at a higher level in a language in which it is not common for new students to place into. They want you to be challenged and if you feel you aren’t, all you have to do is say something.</p>
<p>There has been a lot of buzz on repeating a grade on this board. I agree that repating is common in BS, but IMHO, if you don’t have to why bother? As great as BS is, it is high school after all. There’s a big world outside BS. I wouldn’t hesitate to repeat a grade if I felt that I wasn’t well prepared for the “regular” grade I should be in, but I wouldn’t want to stretch the high school period to 5 years without a good reason either. I know some repeaters are trying to gain an advantage in atheletics, which - well could be categorized as a “good” reason.</p>
<p>DAndrew - Because it can sometimes be easier to be admitted as one of 100 students (9th grade) rather than as one of 10 students (10th grade). And some schools are worth investing four years in . . . and that would be most of the schools mentioned on the board, plus some!</p>
<p>So I am a curious, if I did try to repeat a grade, would it be possible for me to enter classes right for my grade? See, I would be fine with repeating if I could go right into classes that I am supposed to take next year. I know many people who senior and junior year took college courses and other extra courses that could be used in their field of study.</p>
<p>The admit rates of 9th and 10th grades are actually similar. I think many people choose to repeat a grade for different reasons. Some feel they can have some advantage by simply being a year older than others in the same grade because presumably older kids are more mature. Others try to stand out in a sport by competing with younger and less experienced teammates. All are good “strategies”, but rarely anything comes at no cost of course. For non full FA students, it means one more year of tuition, and a stretched out HS can burn/worn you out. Also, BS tend to have strict rules. As kids grow older, some are more perceptible to alcohol or even drug problems. If caught they’d be in big trouble.</p>
<p>^^Yes, placement is done by aptitude, not by grade level, so you could well be in advanced math or language classes with upperclassmen. English & history curricula may not be so flexible…science probably would be if you demonstrated the knowledge in some way at entry.</p>