As is typical for anyone before they are actually attending, you are greatly underestimating the time commitment required at BS. Plan on 4+ hours of HW nightly plus the required athletics in addition to your music time
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Wow, I was totally unaware of that. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. In that case, I’ll just repeat 10th and graduate within three years.
I was worried that entering as a lower would limit my chances to gain leadership roles in clubs and the student government. (my school doesn’t allow sophomores to be club P/VP, only sophomore officer. That being said, all sophomore officers in my school have went on to become VP/P in their junior year and President in their senior year), and by going to these schools I would lose all of that, but it seems that it won’t be that much of an issue –
I’m assuming your parents are on board with paying the costs for three years of boarding school, and then college?
@skieurope Thank you for letting me know.
Andover’s course of study says this: “Workload and Assignments: For each course, class time and homework time together should total approximately six to nine hours per week, depending on course level. Given that courses will meet for 190 minutes in a five-day week, students may be assigned three to six hours of homework per course in a typical week. 100- and 200-level courses should have no more than four hours of homework per course in a typical week; 300-level courses should have no more than five hours; and 400-, 500-, and 600-level courses should have no more than six hours.”
This sounds reasonable to me, and with a lunch period, I don’t see myself struggling UNLESS I PROCRASTINATE – from my experience, it’s all about time management.
That being said, I do know multiple kids at these boarding schools who do manage academics + music + ECs, so it certainly must be possible. I am willing to do whatever it takes – but first, I must get in, which is the biggest obstacle right now.
@thumper1 Yes. I have seriously discussed this with my parents multiple times, and my parents are willing – I’m very, very thankful, as I should be.
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If you successfully manage BS and JPC, you’re probably not going to have the time you’ll need to forge those relationships with influential people. There are only so many hours in a day, and the ones you spend in a practice room, on a train, in NYC, or in the library are unlikely to be the ones that allow you to fully integrate into the fabric of the school.
While BS may give you more confidence socially and academically when you get to college, I’m less convinced that the BS kids control as much as they once did at many unis. In fact, many schools have been dismantling the systems that promoted that for precisely this reason. Yes, you may recognize each other in a casual way, which you will not if you stay in your current school, but it’s unclear where that gets you.
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I must be dense here. You seem to want to be part of one of the most competitive and prestigious precollege music programs in the country…and yet you also say you want to make the connections you feel you need to make in high school for politics and business.
As noted, many of the pianists at JPC practice up to 8 hours a day and many are homeschooled for that reason. But their college intentions are more towards top music conservatories in our experience. They are not using JPC as a means to get accepted to a top elite university for politics or business. Sure…some of these students do attend these elite schools and yes, JPC probably helped them with their admissions. But I think you are over conflating your goals here.
If you want to play piano at a very high level, it is my opinion that you will have have a challenge doing so at a Saturday program like JPC…because you absolutely will have classes on Saturdays at most of these prep schools.
And agree with not underestimating the amount of time you need to do your academics…and related ECs you described. That is time consuming as well.
Are there any prep schools closer to your home where you could be a day student? That won’t take away the Saturday classes in some cases…but would still give you sufficient time to do your piano practicing.
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From Andover:
Does Andover have classes on Saturdays?
There are no classes on weekends, but students often have other obligations, such as performances, athletics, testing, and trips.
And from Hotchkiss:
Each weekday kicks off with a breakfast in our dining hall. From there, students go on to attend classes starting at 8:30 a.m. on Monday through Saturday. Our schedule includes shorter days on Wednesday and Saturday, giving students ample time to pursue other activities and sports. Throughout a typical school day, you’ll attend school meetings, advisory sessions, or school-wide chapel service.
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This is beyond cringeworthy.
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Thank you for letting me know.
That quote doesn’t apply to just these schools, and I was just trying to make a reference to JFK. They apply to many other schools as well, but those were just the schools that I was thinking of on top of my head at that moment. Regardless, I am sorry to hear you feel that way.
Have you toured and interviewed at the BSs you are considering? The fact that you were unaware of the amount of homework at these schools is concerning. I would highly encourage you to tour and interview first before you decide that a BS will fit your needs.
Also, it maybe too late to have in person campus interviews at this point. In person interviews go quickly. Choate only does zoom interviews, FYI.
Off the top of my head, Groton, Exeter, Deerfield, Lawrenceville and Middlesex out of the GLADCHEMMS are no longer test optional.
So as I have written many times, the key to success at a rigorous boarding school is time management. My youngest son, who is not a genius, got his homework done at Hotchkiss in 2 to 2 1/2 hours. And got good grades, I hasten to add! He was able to do school sports, play club soccer and have a leading role in the school play all in the same semester, because excellent time management is his superpower. (And he was in bed by 11). Another son, with adhd and horrible time management struggled to get homework done and would routinely be up until 1 or 2 am.
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There is no such thing as a legitimate school “sealing” a high school transcript. You, a student applying to boarding school, would blatantly have to lie about your admissions status to your new high school. Your new high school would either have to willing perpetuate a fraud or be grossly perpetuate a fraud on the college AND you would have to lie as a college applicant. There is no escaping a transcript without outright choice and fraud on your part. At one point one of our kids changed schools and we were dealing with high quality schools and we were very transparent. They went over the record with a fine tooth comb. Plus phone calls AO to AO to make sure nothing was missed.
@Dulcesugar Yes, I have done that. I am aware of the HW at these schools, although I think it should be manageable – I think most people who report “staying up til 3 AM to finish HW” just procrastinate too much and have poor time management. I personally attend a school where it’s normal to take 6-8 APs a year (and many students in my school self study another 3+ APs, including myself), so I am not entirely new to academic rigor.
@cinnamon1212 Exactly. I 100% agree.
I personally keep a rigorous schedule everyday that is divided into 45-minute blocks, which are meticulously planned out the day before. Before I fall asleep every night, I always think to myself “if this was my last day on the face of this Earth, would I be proud of what I did today?” – I find it to be a great motivator. (I know you didn’t ask for this, but this is just something I want to share)
@SweetBoy1 I see. I always suspected that, but thank you for confirming that.
Closed at OP’s request.