<p>I’ve done this.</p>
<p>Going to the smaller, lesser competitive boarding school helped me TREMENDOUSLY. It’s definately something I’d recommend, as you won’t get that “step up” at your public high school. When it comes time to apply, teachers will understand that the school isn’t for you and will help you; the recommendations that I got were great. I do have to say, however, that I really did feel disconnected from the school and really didin’t enjoy myself for the year… I never really tried to make good friends because I knew that I would just leave the next year; and when I did switch schools, it sucked because the new environment (more competitive) really didn’t suite me as well as I thought it would. My advice: see if a smaller school is a good fit before you make the decision.</p>
<p>The big part of this is whether or not you will actually succeed in attaining admission to a bigger school - I didn’t. I got into a good school, but not one like Exeter or Andover and I had all of the credentials to. In a way it’s luck, but I don’t think these schools really appreciated my leaping away from my boarding school so quickly. My only suggestion is to get an academic consultant next year that will speak for you, it will help you explain your reasoning of switching schools.</p>