Considering Elite NE Boarding Schools for Son (Taft, Choate, Hotchkiss, Deerfield, etc.) Any advice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine has a recent Deerfield grad. My friend is from a very wealthy and privileged background and has raised her kids similarly. She’s from the Northeast and well acquainted with private school and boarding school culture. And even she was disgusted by the blatant wealth at Deerfield and how it really guided who ruled the school.

My friend's kid went to Deerfield for junior year because she hated going to a local elite girl',s private school here. Girl was a "so-so" student but family was " name on a building" wealthy. She liked Deerfield. With extreme wealth you can usually go snywhere OP. Are you uber rich?

Does that include Heaven ?

[Anonymous]

As always, this board is very unhelpful when it comes to boarding schools. There is a very good, moderated boarding school board at college confidential that has been very helpful.

[Anonymous]

I attended one of the schools in your list. When you go look at them, you'll walk away with 1000X more info than anything you'll find here.

But I'll say this - its going to be hard to get there more than once or twice a year from DC. You might look at Lawrenceville, St. Andrews (Delaware), and other slightly more southern schools if going to see your kids sports games, or them coming home for long weekends, etc. are important to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As always, this board is very unhelpful when it comes to boarding schools. There is a very good, moderated boarding school board at college confidential that has been very helpful.

Many are bitter they can’t afford the tuition and feel threatened by boarding school seniors taking their public and private day school children’s college slots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As always, this board is very unhelpful when it comes to boarding schools. There is a very good, moderated boarding school board at college confidential that has been very helpful.

Many are bitter they can’t afford the tuition and feel threatened by boarding school seniors taking their public and private day school children’s college slots.

It can't be that...Exeter and Deerfield have some of the most generous FA of any school, including every college. At Deerfield, you don't pay any more than 10% of your income. I don't think any college as an example would give FA to a family making $500k, yet Deerfield caps you at $50k tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As always, this board is very unhelpful when it comes to boarding schools. There is a very good, moderated boarding school board at college confidential that has been very helpful.

Many are bitter they can’t afford the tuition and feel threatened by boarding school seniors taking their public and private day school children’s college slots.

It can't be that...Exeter and Deerfield have some of the most generous FA of any school, including every college. At Deerfield, you don't pay any more than 10% of your income. I don't think any college as an example would give FA to a family making $500k, yet Deerfield caps you at $50k tuition.

Even though they are generous with FA, it is still a large expense for upper middle class families. They’re not giving up an annual ski or beach vacation for boarding school unless they really prize education. They’d rather send them to MoCo schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I attended one of the schools in your list. When you go look at them, you'll walk away with 1000X more info than anything you'll find here.

But I'll say this - it’s going to be hard to get there more than once or twice a year from DC. You might look at Lawrenceville, St. Andrews (Delaware), and other slightly more southern schools if going to see your kids sports games, or them coming home for long weekends, etc. are important to you.

Schools aren’t advertising their shortcomings and you won’t find them on a school tour. I went to one of these schools and most of my K-9 classmates did, too. I loved boarding. That said, every single boarding school has ample drugs and alcohol, sexual misconduct, academic dishonesty, and other issues. Are you confident in your 14 year old handling this environment? Is it worth it to you? It was for me, but for many it was certainly not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As always, this board is very unhelpful when it comes to boarding schools. There is a very good, moderated boarding school board at college confidential that has been very helpful.

Many are bitter they can’t afford the tuition and feel threatened by boarding school seniors taking their public and private day school children’s college slots.

It can't be that...Exeter and Deerfield have some of the most generous FA of any school, including every college. At Deerfield, you don't pay any more than 10% of your income. I don't think any college as an example would give FA to a family making $500k, yet Deerfield caps you at $50k tuition.

Even though they are generous with FA, it is still a large expense for upper middle class families. They’re not giving up an annual ski or beach vacation for boarding school unless they really prize education. They’d rather send them to MoCo schools.

PP's slight specifically mentioned local private day schools. I just don't think cost is much of a factor for people that send their kids to say Sidwell, and just pointing out that a decent %age of Sidwell parents that are now full pay, probably would get aid at a place like Deerfield that would bring it to lower than Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

I can’t believe you’re all falling for this obvious troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended one of the schools in your list. When you go look at them, you'll walk away with 1000X more info than anything you'll find here.

But I'll say this - it’s going to be hard to get there more than once or twice a year from DC. You might look at Lawrenceville, St. Andrews (Delaware), and other slightly more southern schools if going to see your kids sports games, or them coming home for long weekends, etc. are important to you.

Schools aren’t advertising their shortcomings and you won’t find them on a school tour. I went to one of these schools and most of my K-9 classmates did, too. I loved boarding. That said, every single boarding school has ample drugs and alcohol, sexual misconduct, academic dishonesty, and other issues. Are you confident in your 14 year old handling this environment? Is it worth it to you? It was for me, but for many it was certainly not.

As does EVERY SINGLE HIGH SCHOOL. Day/boarding/private/public

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As always, this board is very unhelpful when it comes to boarding schools. There is a very good, moderated boarding school board at college confidential that has been very helpful.

Many are bitter they can’t afford the tuition and feel threatened by boarding school seniors taking their public and private day school children’s college slots.

I think many DCUM folk truly think there has to be something irreparably broken between parent and child to consider boarding school, and therefore they, the DCUM elite, are far superior and clearly love their children more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended one of the schools in your list. When you go look at them, you'll walk away with 1000X more info than anything you'll find here.

But I'll say this - it’s going to be hard to get there more than once or twice a year from DC. You might look at Lawrenceville, St. Andrews (Delaware), and other slightly more southern schools if going to see your kids sports games, or them coming home for long weekends, etc. are important to you.

Schools aren’t advertising their shortcomings and you won’t find them on a school tour. I went to one of these schools and most of my K-9 classmates did, too. I loved boarding. That said, every single boarding school has ample drugs and alcohol, sexual misconduct, academic dishonesty, and other issues. Are you confident in your 14 year old handling this environment? Is it worth it to you? It was for me, but for many it was certainly not.

As does EVERY SINGLE HIGH SCHOOL. Day/boarding/private/public

At boarding school they don’t have a biologically related adult checking in daily. Teens change monthly and you don’t see your child that frequently. Some teens thrive in this. Others need parents to help ward off drugs and promiscuity. The downside of boarding is so much worse than day school, and I say that as someone whose experience boarding was life changing for the better and wouldn’t have changed a thing.

[Anonymous]

Lol unless your name is on a building friends and text scores alone won’t guarantee admission.

Anonymous wrote:I'm considering sending my kid to one of these schools. We know we can get our child in through connections. He's very smart, scores in the 95th percentile on the standardized exams. Does anyone have any experience at Taft, Choate, Hotchkiss, Deerfield, Loomis? Are they as rigorous as the top DC schools? How do they impact college admissions?

[Anonymous]

Also attended one of the schools on your list. Incredible academic experience but if you are at a top boarding school you are going to be surrounded by very smart and hardworking students, I think probably more so than any of the top DC high schools. So can be hard to stand out for college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm OP. We have family members on the board of several of these schools and he's also a recruited athlete with coaches' interest at several of them.

Assuming any of this is true (and it's probably not), way to out yourself with the family members on the board comment.