<p>For students and families from a state like Mississippi who are pursuing boarding schools in the east coast, the good news is that since some of these schools are striving to build a diversified student body, the fact that they are from an under-represented state would boost their admission chances significantly. </p>
<p>What sly123 said is why there are kids from areas that have “above average” local options in top boarding schools. I know we did but DC “wasted” too much time in school by not being challenged academically and sometimes not learning anything. And I know some kids are bad fit socially in their PS as well (which was not an issue for DC though). It really depends on what local options one has, what are available or reacheable, and what your expecations are from the HS education. For those families who are open to the boarding school idea, I suggest you visit one or more of them (many many of the first time visitors would be “shocked” by what they see in a top boarding school), look at the course and EC offerings from their website and get connected with those associated. For the right kids and families, it is an excellent option.</p>
<p>You don’t “move out of the family home” when you go to boarding school. As was pointed out, the kid is gone for, at most, 6 weeks at a time. Breaks are long and the kid is home for the summer. Many kids don’t go for all 4 years. Especially at Interlochen, it is very rare for a freshman to attend due to the need to mature in his/her art. Each class gets progressively larger, with most students coming as juniors or seniors. </p>
<p>I have friends who sent kids to camp for 8 weeks every summer and never saw the kids during that time. These kids were MUCH younger than high school age, too. The kids loved it and so did the parents. This was not something we chose to do, since we really enjoyed family vacations. There are lots of options for families that don’t necessarily mean you are ditching your kid!</p>
<p>The Mississippi public universities auto-admit those who meet the NCAA standards. I.e. it is the Mississippi public universities’ decisions to use the NCAA standards (which have higher test score requirements than their regular auto-admit standards for cases where the HS GPA is the same as their other auto-admit standards).</p>
<p>“3) Kids ask to go. Parents don’t “send” them.”</p>
<p>^^^This. Looking back, I think I would have loved to go to boarding school! I loved school and learning and would have loved to go to a top school even for high school. And the last two years of high school, I was definitely ready to start being more independent, living on my own, living in a new area. Boarding school was never an option for me, as my parents would not have been able to afford it, and I did still have a great high school experience, but I think boarding school sounds amazing! I am sure I am not the only one.</p>
<p>Our gifted 8th grader has asked for years to go to boarding school. It is not at all my family’s culture-in fact I will be on the outs if they catch wind of it-it is more of a tradition in my husband’s family. Husband and I have not been interested in it;we love time with our children and don’t want to miss any of it. But…our child is gifted, we have other children who take our time, we are sandwich generation with ailing elders, and her current school isn’t doing it for her. So…we told her applying and getting financial aid were up to her and IF she got in somewhere, THEN we would discuss it. For her, it is out of a desire to grow/develop more and to have more opportunities and to gain time she now loses having to be transported from here to there or waiting for others.</p>
Of course, we didn’t talk about the obvious or look at it from this angel, which is that historically, it’s been the tradition of the wealthy “college prepping” their kids. While some of these schools have been following the footsteps of elite colleges in diversifying their study body, still just as their big brothers, overall they are places with more kids from wealthy families. For example, even though 47% of students in Andover are on financial aid and about 10% on full financial aid, it just means more than half of them are paying $50K+ every year for HS, plus those who are on partial aid, you get the picture. Then I am sure some parents would tell you that they are full-pay but they are not wealth, which is a story for another day.</p>
<p>Another issue is that many parents are just selfish, as in “I can’t imagine not seeing him/her grow up”; “I can’t imagine not parenting my child and letting others do it!”</p>
<p>Newflash: At most all the good boarding schools, they have adults that have seen tons of kids over lots of years and, as compared with a couple of parents where every day is the first time, have literally 100’s of years of experience guiding kids and building character and dealing with every imaginable kid issue. Parents love to go to their kids soccer games because it is fun for the parents – I get that. On the other hand, having some experts – in a brilliant social, academic, and sports setting – “raising” my kid may not be half bad, especially when I get him back for breaks and summer. Sometimes, parents ought to look inside and realize what they really miss is the personal joy of seeing (and “raising”) their own kid every day; but that’s a different question than whether the kid might actually be better off being raised by . . . . professionals.</p>
<p>I can assure you that over 50% of the kids at the private schools my kids attended locally could have easily paid for boarding school. </p>
<p>Also, these days attending a boarding school - even one of the top tier ones- is not a guarantee of admission to a highly selective college. The competition is intense, and you will see a very different matriculation range than you might have seen in the 70s or 80s.</p>
<p>I was raised in Michigan, but haven’t lived there for over 25 years. I would be thrilled if anyone here even knew what the ACT was. The low SAT participation rate is not because it plays second fiddle to the ACT; it’s due to lack of interest in pursuing higher education.</p>
<p>makenna, I appreciate how you are making your point, and it is definitely food for thought. I think “leaving it to the experts” is exactly the same thing that happens with families who send their kids away to resolve their substance-abuse issues. In my community, I know a lot more people who have done that than enrolled their kids in “regular” boarding schools or performing arts academies. In every case, it is wealthy, high-achieving parents who are overwhelmed by the out-of-control behavior of their teenagers. They trust the experts to help get their kids back on track (and in some cases, it works).</p>
I don’t know about other people, but the reason I have kids is the personal joy of raising my own kids. If the professionals are better at raising our kids, then we might as well send them to a commune as soon as they are born. But I don’t think the reason many parents send their kids to BS is because they want someone else to raise their kids. I think they do it because they want to give their kids more opportunities, opportunities they couldn’t get locally. I give those parents a lot of credit for putting their kid’s interest first.</p>
<p>I also think many families do it because it is a tradition. My friend D was going to Hunter’s (one of most selective public schools in NYC). The D was sent to a well known NE BS because that’s where the whole family have gone since whenever.</p>
<p>I don’t think you are giving up personal joy in raising your kid when you let them go to boarding school. As ChoatieMom so well illustrated, they are home an awful lot. Even when she was away I was always getting a phone call to talk about some wonderful or exciting thing that was happening. Also I could always talk to her adviser and I did. They had groups of 7 or 8 in an advising group and they met weekly in her home because it was close to the class/dorms. She had the same one for 4 years and I became very familiar with her and her husband and my daughter occasionally babysat for them.</p>
<p>There were many families at that school that had a tradition from even the grandfather attending. And a nurse working one year was from one of those families. But many people who have a family tradition also do so because they know the inside scoop on it. Even my family. I said “no way” when my daughter first brought it up. But a much younger cousin had gone to the school so I could talk to my Aunt about it in detail. Since my daughter graduated, another cousin has now sent her children. My sister would love to send one of hers when he is old enough.</p>
<p>My daughter learned to cook a few things I taught her and she made her specialties at her adviser’s house and some of the day students houses. I know because everyone mentioned what a good cook she was, but she always pretty much made everyone the same thing. She still makes those things.</p>
<p>@makenna, most families don’t choose BS because they can’t afford it, especially if the child also wants a high priced college education. BS + college can be a $ half mill financial burden.</p>
<p>I daresay a lot of poor kids in dysfunctional communities would be better off being educated in a boarding school. Did u see ‘Waiting for Superman’ where one poor kid was trying to be admitted into a public boarding school via a lottery?</p>
<p>No, problem whatsoever with boarding schools. But, I just gotta say I’ve been pretty unimpressed with all but a very few of the professionals we’ve encountered through this whole child rearing thing. So far, so good. Good luck to all.</p>
<p>I went to a well-known boarding school in 1979 for several reasons. There were not many private day schools in my area and I was not the kind of kid to thrive in a large public high school. I also had a sibling with severe mental illness, complicating life at home. I loved every minute of boarding school and still go to our reunions. I went home all of the time for long weekends, holidays. I talked to my parents on the phone often and they came to athletic and other events. I was also very well prepared for college. Interestingly, I never considered sending my own kids to boarding school. They had no interest and the idea was too alien to my husband. But I love my old school to this day</p>