<p>Okay ,so right now i'm having trouble convincing my parents to let me go to boarding school. We are what you would call an average family, so my dad doesn't think they will give us any financial aide, or anything near what we will need. I mean we can afford about 10,000 a year, and even that's pushing it. So what I'm asking you all is- what's your story with boarding school? Was it your choice or your parents? How did you convince them if so? Also any info on financial aid would be greatly appreciated. The schools im looking at are Chatham Hall, Exeter, and Hockaday.</p>
<p>My story…well, I’m just your average smart kid. Public school. Asian, but nothing real special.
But I always felt like I could be doing so much more than was I was doing at public school. The years just keep getting worse and worse, and it’s not my poor school’s fault. (Um…Let’s just say I live in Jersey) So after this summer <insert “i=”" love=“” cty=“” and=“” it=“” changed=“” my=“” life"=“” spiel=“” here=“”> I realized that yes, there were other options. Before, I had never thought of private schools because point blank my parents couldn’t afford it. Kids at CTY, however, told me all about FA options given and that’s how it all started.
My parents were surprised when I told them my endeavor, but throughout they have been extremely supportive. It stinks that you are having difficulties convincing your parents to allow you to go, and I can’t really give any good advice. I would just reiterate why going will open up so many more experiences for you, but ultimately, it is their decision.
Our family is close to a staff member of one of the schools I’m applying to, but we never considered going to that school. It never crossed our minds.
About FA - Exeter has a policy that every family under $75,000 admitted is free of tuition. Exeter has a humongous endowment and generous financial aid goals, so even if you don’t fit in that range, you probably will get enough FA if admitted. I don’t know that much about the other schools; sorry!<br>
Well, here I am now. Crossing my fingers.</insert></p>
<p>hope - you have a long way to go in the process. good luck to you. one of the things you may engage your parents in, while educating yourself as well, is to go through and figure out which BS you want to apply to and why. You list 3 very different schools, do they have a unifying factor that appeals to you? They are just so different from each other to someone who is more familiar with schools, so it makes me think you havent studied the schools very well yet. And perhaps as you are doing that, get your parents’ opinions telling them its just “for arguments sake” and then they may get drawn into it.</p>