<p>Can anyone make an argument for leaving a top prep day school and going to a boarding school? When I say top, I mean outstanding arts facilities, 25-30 AP classes, class size from 10-20, fair Ivy matriculation, excellent college counseling, nearly all sports available, beautiful campus. Thanks in advance for your input.</p>
<p>There are many top day preps that equal the education and facilities at BS. I would have loved it if a top day prep were within commuting distance for us -- hands down, I would have preferred this over having my S live away from us. I think you are lucky if you have this available (the closest excellent day preps for us would have been a 2 hour commute each way in New York city), and I'd much rather have my S be able to do sports and other ECs rather than spend his time on a train each day.</p>
<p>A boarding school can draw students from a wider geographical area than a day prep. I suspect boarding schools tend to be less parochial in consequence. </p>
<p>If the "top day prep" lies some distance from your home, a large amount of time is lost in commuting. If the school draws from a wide area, the students don't have a chance to hang out with friends outside of the school day. Living at school allows a student to make the most of time, and allows her to see her friends anytime. </p>
<p>If parents are willing to consider a boarding school, they have a much wider choice of answers to the question, "how should one educate a late adolescent?" If a family's values fit well with your local day prep, that's not a factor. If, however, a family's highest and most deeply held beliefs conflict with the local day prep's values, it may be more healthy to seek out a school with compatible values.</p>
<p>If a child wishes to immerse himself in a particular discipline, in sports or the arts, for example, a school which specializes in that discipline would allow him to progress more quickly than EC efforts outside of the general day prep school day. Pursuing certain sports, for example, such as riding or skiing, can estrange students from their day schools.</p>
<p>Parents' influence in the school day is minimized. I count this as a plus. (Go ahead and boo me; I'm well aware that I'm swimming against the current here.) Although boarding schools are reputed to educate the children of the wealthy and influential, it is much harder for parents to pressure school administration when they live an hour away, or in another state. Many of the top boarding schools have developed large endowments. This allows a school to set its own course in curricular matters, and in day to day administration. This is not an unalloyed good, obviously, but it does allow an able head to stand her ground against pushy families.</p>
<p>I actually just struggled through this decision myself. I've been attending a top day prep for the past several years, and this year I decided that maybe boarding school would be a better thing for me. But it wasn't an easy decision.</p>
<p>I think the biggest thing for me was just being more involved in the community. I mean, I lived really close to the school, but a lot of my friends didn't, and since I can't drive, they were hard to hang out with. Also, my school gives a lot of work in addition to requiring a large amount of involvement in ECs so you don't really have a lot large chunks of free time. When it takes 45+ minutes to drive to a friends' house, it's hard to hang out with them. Also, because it's a day school everything has to happen within a more limited time frame, making it hard for someone like me who likes both drama and sports to do both in the same season.</p>
<p>Also, what periwinkle is saying about parents influence is a BIG ISSUE. I can't tell you how many times I have been unfairly treated because my parents aren't going to donate a building and some of my friends' parents might. There is a lot of parent pressure because the endowment isn't as big as some other schools and so they need the money. Also, relating to endowment, because boarding schools have such large endowments, it allows them to have more kids of financial aid resulting in less of an "elitest" feel than some day schools. I mean, I pay the full tuition at my school, but I often feel way left out because so many of the kids there have mansions, and look down on anything that's not designer and it's just not always the best atmosphere because of that.</p>
<p>However, on the plus sides of day schools, I do think family involvement in a kid's school-life is important. That's part of the reason why I didn't apply to boarding school until junior year: my family is a huge part of my school-life coming to games to cheer for me, or watching me in plays in the like. I'm going to a boarding school nearby, so they're still planning on coming to see me in games and whatnot, but I know for some people that's not an option.</p>
<p>But I think ultimately it should really be the child's choice. I mean, maybe I'm saying this because i am the kid, but the choice between day and boarding was really a difficult one for me, and if my parents had made the decision I think as soon as something when slightly wrong (which it's bound to, i mean, boarding school isn't perfect) I would resent them for it, where as now it was my choice. And it's also really based on the kid, some kids will excel at boarding school, whereas some kids might need the focus that a day school would provide. Clearly, based on my decision, I think that boarding school is definitely an option to strongly consider, but it's really a personal decision.</p>
<p>The idea that my s will live with and learn from motivated students from South Korea to the South Bronx and everywhere in between is one in which I don't believe a day school could ever match, imo. This gift, this education, is invaluable. </p>
<p>Still, I'm going to miss him terribly, but I'm cool with that.</p>
<p>Assuming the student is happy in a strong day prep, communte is reasonable, family is not moving or anything, I think most would stay there rather than making a change. I know a few kids who did not look forward to staying in their strong private schools for the rest of high school and switched schools, some to boarding. There are some good reasons, including:</p>
<p>Branching out, meeting new people, more diverse group, especially if child has been in the school for a few years
Specifically, leaving single-sex school for co-ed, or maybe other way around
Looking for better fit, especially if current school is small and especially draws a certain type that the student hasn't turned out to be
Looking for better opportunities in particular sports or other EC's or opportunity to combined interests that current school doesn't allow
Interest in having separate identity from siblings
Interest in the challenge of being away
Other family members have attended bs, student interested from them</p>
<p>Isn't it harder to get jobs/internships needed and ECs(for college) at BS?</p>