what are some good but not super tough to get into boarding schools?

Anonymous wrote:There are dozens of great boarding schools...the key is finding the right fit for your specific child. As the parent of a boarder, I would advise starting here:

https://www.boardingschoolreview.com/

You can then search based on certain criteria i.e. do you want a school with many day students? Do you need FA? If so, search for schools with big endowments per student capita. Do you want a lot of diversity? Search by that. Certain sport? Search by that. Percentage of teachers with graduate degrees? Big campus? Small student body? Formal/informal? Saturday classes? Support for learning differences? etc....

Good schools have blind admissions in that they won't care if you are full pay or need FA. I suspect it may impact kids who land on the WL...but the good ones have plenty of money to help a kid who is a good fit.

Many schools have outplacement advisers who can help you with this too.

If you want a school that isn't nearly impossibly to get into, avoid Deerfield, Andover, Exeter, Choate, Hotchkiss, SPS. The rest of the schools enroll a pretty healthy percent of applicants (20 percent or more).

It will probably surprise you to find that most of the schools are inclusive. There is something very democratizing about kids (no matter their economic background) living in dorms. Money/privilege/sense of entitlement seems more more common in day schools from my experience having one in each type of school. One thing I will say is that boarding school is not the best option for all kids. Your kid needs to be a very independent, organized, mature, self-advocate who is curious beyond their current environs. They need to want to go. You will not find kids who were "sent away" these days at boarding school. The schools won't admit kids like that.

Have fun searching for the best fit.
P.s. plan on getting some extra Kleenex if your child is accepted and goes. He won't need it, but you will.

You wouldn't need the Kleenex if you didn't send your kid away. Geez.

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06/19/2018 18:36

Subject: what are some good but not super tough to get into boarding schools?

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Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on military schools, like Culver Academy, Randolph Macon, Valley Forge, Fork Union, Admiral Farragut, etc.?

Save your money unless your kid has behavioral issues.

Not necessarily. I've heard good things about Culver. Not familiar with the other schools.

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06/20/2018 01:44

Subject: Re:what are some good but not super tough to get into boarding schools?

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Anonymous

No. I wouldn’t need Kleenex if I didn’t “send my kid away”. I would, however, need Kleenex (or a new brain) if I thought that all adolescents developed on the same timeline as American teens (who are woefully slow and immature on any global meausure....including two in my brood who would not thrive in a place requiring so much independence, courage, and sense of self- those two thrive in a nest with me and a day school ). I am curious how many hours of quality time a night you spend with your teenager? Most boarding school kids cite more quality hours spent with their parents than day students cite. Breaks are much longer at boarding and those times are 100 percent devoted to connecting..not homework drills. Teenaged day students, like my other two, live with their parents but have at most one hour a night of quality interaction with a parent. Hassling a child to do homework does not count as quality time according to teenagers. If you have the good fortune of being a stay at home parent than you may have more quality time than most, which is great and commendable.

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06/20/2018 06:23

Subject: what are some good but not super tough to get into boarding schools?

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Anonymous

Culver is very sports oriented. If you're conservative, check out Hill in Pottstown, PA.

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06/20/2018 06:49

Subject: Re:what are some good but not super tough to get into boarding schools?

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:No. I wouldn’t need Kleenex if I didn’t “send my kid away”. I would, however, need Kleenex (or a new brain) if I thought that all adolescents developed on the same timeline as American teens (who are woefully slow and immature on any global meausure....including two in my brood who would not thrive in a place requiring so much independence, courage, and sense of self- those two thrive in a nest with me and a day school ). I am curious how many hours of quality time a night you spend with your teenager? Most boarding school kids cite more quality hours spent with their parents than day students cite. Breaks are much longer at boarding and those times are 100 percent devoted to connecting..not homework drills. Teenaged day students, like my other two, live with their parents but have at most one hour a night of quality interaction with a parent. Hassling a child to do homework does not count as quality time according to teenagers. If you have the good fortune of being a stay at home parent than you may have more quality time than most, which is great and commendable.

+100

- Boarding School Alumna who was close with my parents when I went and remain close now