<p>Beside the "more challenging atmospere" and. in theory, it looks better on college applications, why do you attend/want to attend a boarding school? I have a few personal reasons, a myrid of academic reasons, and a list of others that I couldn't categorize. How about you? </p>
<p>I'm curious to hear what everyone else thinks just because I come from an area that when you say boarding school most people think of that stupid tv show Zoey 101 (Is that the title?) or Harry Potter, and I don't get too much insight on the topic. -Especially from other students. If you're a parent why did you have your child attend boarding school?</p>
<p>Boarding school was by far the best decision my family and I have ever made.</p>
<p>I met so many wonderful people. Boarding schools have incredibly diverse student bodies. Never thought I'd meet someone from Saudi Arabia or Nigeria at such a young age! Moreover, the result of such an small, academically focused environment is a faculty that genuinely cares about your success. You are not another face that the school just wants to see through graduation. You become a member of a community, which brings me to my next point: You will become a part of an alumni network with thousands of very accomplished men and women. Boarding schools have incredible legacies and histories. It's not so much about the prestige, it's about being a part of something that has been around for, at least in my case, nearly two centuries. Lastly, the campus and facilities are absolutely unmatchable. Some colleges can't even compete with boarding schools in terms of architecture and landscape.</p>
<p>And it's also great to be away from parents. It makes coming home a Hallmark-worthy holiday; in other words, I'm spoiled when I go home because I've been gone so long. He he... :)</p>
<p>Thanks. Those were a lot of the reasons inspiring me to look into boarding schools. I'm glad to see others look at it that way.</p>
<p>The plethora of activities that you can take really appealed to me. I made a list the other day in the car of all the clubs I am interested in taking at Exeter and I filled up more than two pages. Also, even though you might dismiss this, because of Harry Potter boarding school does have a magical feel to it for me. With the combination of those two last things, the fact that Exeter has a 'Hogwart's Wait listed Club' it was destiny!</p>
<p>Ha. I'm not too big a fan of Harry Potter (I read the books in hopes he'd be killed off...Could you imagine that as a publicity stunt?! Ok I do like the books, but that's not the point. :)) It does sound appealing though. I've been looking for a good school (that my family and I can afford).</p>
<p>Hahahaha, ouch. That wounds me deeply... and Harry!</p>
<p>He almost died though, so I feel somewhat better. It healed my wound a bit. At least we're both wounded. Me about not dieing and you about me wishing him too. :)</p>
<p>The classes were excellent. They further challenged me academically and made me realize my strengths and weaknesses. I absolutely loved the teachers. We sometimes went out to dinner and talked about our lives. When I had problems, personal or academic related, I had no fear of going to see them in their apartments or dorms and ask for advice. We walked together, hugged, and chattered whenever we saw each other. I couldn't fully express my gratitude at the kindness and concern these teachers had shown.
Because I was living in a dorm, I was able to make very close friends. We hung out together, late into the night studying for chem exams, had snow walks at 11 at night around the campus, going out to eat, watching movies, crying and laughing over our problems. I had a great time with them overall and I could never forget these times.
And boarding school has definitely given me a lot of independence and trimmed down my impatience and temper...a lot more.
Of course, boarding school also provides challenges and it's definitely not right for everyone. Someone has mentioned here about it being diverse. I agree with the fact that you may meet kids from all over the world that you wouldn't find typically in a local high school. I talked to kids from Nigeria, South Africa, Peru, and China. And it was nice to have made friends and learned of their homes. But bewarned, boarding schools are not so diverse that you will meet kids and make friends with people of all different cultures. In fact, these international students and students of color (African American and Asians) make up a small proportion of boarding schools. In my experience, the school is homogenous. The majority of students come from extremely well off Caucasian families and the community has a dominant culture of preppiness and wealth.</p>