Boarding School - Why or Why Not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've observed that people who went to boarding such versus private day schools:
A) are quite good at maneuvering the social scene of college
B) have terrible table manners, and
C) are awful drivers

Okay, enjoyed that one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC-area residents live in fantasy land. Top schools here are at best average nationally. Except for Thomas Jefferson, there is no other school here that is on the same level of the top boarding schools and the top prep schools in NYC and Boston. Don't get me wrong, the areas top prep and public schools are strong, but people need to pull off the blinders and realize that DC is not the center of universe. I moved to the area a few years ago and realized that this beltway culture that everyone told me about is true. People here are clueless about what life is like elsewhere and this post is proof. Get real folks, attending one of the top boarding schools will provide a great academic, athletic, and social experience beyond what most top DC-area schools offer. These schools are not for everyone but to argue that DC-area schools can offer a similar better experience is "crazy talk."

We're not talking about "most top dc area schools." We're talking about ncs, sta, and sidwell. My friends and I, all at top ten colleges, ncluding hyp, though our education at ncs was better than at college.

I'm a public school grad who went to one of the Ivies. The Sidwell/NCS/St. Albans grads were (a) pretty impressive; and (b) to my observation very much the equal of the Andover/Exeter/St. Paul's grads in my class. I'm now someone who has some involvement with independent schools now, and the quality and style of teaching at the good local day schools entirely comparable as the grand old NE boarding schools. Lastly, if you look at the percentage of National Merit Semifinalists as a proxy for the strength of the student cohort, Andover, as an example, comes in at under 10% -- equal or behind St. Albans, Sidwell, NCS, and some years GDS in terms of percentages. Just as the day school parents on this board may tend to undervalue the worth of the top boarding schools, it would be a mistake to undervalue the top day schools in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC-area residents live in fantasy land. Top schools here are at best average nationally. Except for Thomas Jefferson, there is no other school here that is on the same level of the top boarding schools and the top prep schools in NYC and Boston. Don't get me wrong, the areas top prep and public schools are strong, but people need to pull off the blinders and realize that DC is not the center of universe. I moved to the area a few years ago and realized that this beltway culture that everyone told me about is true. People here are clueless about what life is like elsewhere and this post is proof. Get real folks, attending one of the top boarding schools will provide a great academic, athletic, and social experience beyond what most top DC-area schools offer. These schools are not for everyone but to argue that DC-area schools can offer a similar better experience is "crazy talk."

We're not talking about "most top dc area schools." We're talking about ncs, sta, and sidwell. My friends and I, all at top ten colleges, ncluding hyp, though our education at ncs was better than at college.

[Edited to fix phone typos] I'm a public school grad who went to one of the Ivies. The Sidwell/NCS/St. Albans grads were (a) pretty impressive; and (b) to my observation very much the equal of the Andover/Exeter/St. Paul's grads in my class. I'm now someone who has some involvement with independent schools now, and the quality and style of teaching at the good local day schools is entirely comparable to the grand old NE boarding schools. Lastly, if you look at the percentage of National Merit Semifinalists as a proxy for the strength of the student cohort, Andover, as an example, comes in at under 10% -- equal or behind St. Albans, Sidwell, NCS, and some years GDS in terms of percentages. Just as the day school parents on this board may tend to undervalue the worth of the top boarding schools, it would be a mistake to undervalue the top day schools in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Haven't read all of the responses but wanted to say that I taught at a boarding school for 2 years, and very very few of the kids were mature enough to be there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to one of the 'big 3.' I grew up in a suburb of NY without elite day schools. I dont know enough about the schools here - maybe if you live here it isn't worth it. There were a lot of things I didn't like about boarding school, but I will say this - the academic and intellectual experience was incredible - so much so that college (HYP) paled in comparison until junior year when I started in upper level classes in my major. Also, as pps mentioned, the resources were amazing - we're talking school radio stations, rowing teams, diving, things most high school kids would never be exposed to. Not to mention the interaction with the amazing faculty. And for a smart girl, it was so refreshing to have intelligence taken out of the social equation - everyone was smart, so you weren't automatically a 'nerd' for talking in class or getting good grades. For the right kid, I think it can be an amazing experience. I wasn't that kid, and I didn't like it, but my brother thrived and there is no doubt it changed his life for the better.

+1. For a really smart, driven, independent kid, the day schools don't even come close.
It took my peers in college (HYP like pp) at least 2 years to catch up to those of us from what pp referred to as "the big 3". Which meant we were able to get a lot more out of our college experience, in some ways, too.

Hmmm -- I went to a top suburban public and then HYP. I'd say it took about a semester for me to "catch up" with the Exeter/Andover types, and within a year, my roommate, who went to a lousy consolidated rural public school, was nipping at our heels. Interestingly, my kids, grads of a "Big 3" day school, have made exactly the same observation about their HYP classmates.

I'm the first PP here. The multiple responses just show how competitive minded you all are. I didnt say anything about being 'ahead' of my peers at HYP or that they needed to 'catch up' - what I said was that the intellectual environment at Andover was far superior. In other words, not grades, but in how much I actually learned and took away from my teachers and classmates. For some kids, that matters. If all you care about is summa cum laude at the end of the line, be my guest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to one of the 'big 3.' I grew up in a suburb of NY without elite day schools. I dont know enough about the schools here - maybe if you live here it isn't worth it. There were a lot of things I didn't like about boarding school, but I will say this - the academic and intellectual experience was incredible - so much so that college (HYP) paled in comparison until junior year when I started in upper level classes in my major. Also, as pps mentioned, the resources were amazing - we're talking school radio stations, rowing teams, diving, things most high school kids would never be exposed to. Not to mention the interaction with the amazing faculty. And for a smart girl, it was so refreshing to have intelligence taken out of the social equation - everyone was smart, so you weren't automatically a 'nerd' for talking in class or getting good grades. For the right kid, I think it can be an amazing experience. I wasn't that kid, and I didn't like it, but my brother thrived and there is no doubt it changed his life for the better.

+1. For a really smart, driven, independent kid, the day schools don't even come close.
It took my peers in college (HYP like pp) at least 2 years to catch up to those of us from what pp referred to as "the big 3". Which meant we were able to get a lot more out of our college experience, in some ways, too.

.

Hmmm -- I went to a top suburban public and then HYP. I'd say it took about a semester for me to "catch up" with the Exeter/Andover types, and within a year, my roommate, who went to a lousy consolidated rural public school, was nipping at our heels. Interestingly, my kids, grads of a "Big 3" day school, have made exactly the same observation about their HYP classmates.

I'm the first PP here. The multiple responses just show how competitive minded you all are. I didnt say anything about being 'ahead' of my peers at HYP or that they needed to 'catch up' - what I said was that the intellectual environment at Andover was far superior. In other words, not grades, but in how much I actually learned and took away from my teachers and classmates. For some kids, that matters. If all you care about is summa cum laude at the end of the line, be my guest.

How do you know that the intellectual atmosphere at andover was far superior? You haven't attended or taught at sidwell or ncs. You dont have a kid there. You don't even live in dc.

You sure do have a superior attitude though. I wouldn't want my kid to have your attitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do the boarding schools provide need-blind, full-tuition financial scholarships? If so, they sound like a great option for anyone.

I'm familiar with Andover, and it does. But keep in mind that it also had an acceptance rate of 13% this year.

"Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Jim Ventre ’79 announced that the Academy had another strong admission season, resulting in an incoming admitted class of 168 girls and 151 boys with a median SSAT total score of 92 percent. Ventre said that 147 of these students, 46 percent, have been awarded financial aid scholarships, at a total cost of $5,235,000 in financial aid. Andover is the only boarding school in the United States to have maintained a full need-blind admission policy since 2008.

“The newly admitted students bring a desire and a commitment to join our community where the intentional aspect of living and learning together is focused on the education of the whole person and not just the classroom student,” said Ventre.

Overall, 402 students, or 13 percent of the 3,029 who applied to Andover this year, were accepted, marking the lowest admission rate in Andover’s history. (The Academy calculates its admission rate based on the number of completed applications.) The 319 students who enrolled made for a robust yield of 79 percent...."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do the boarding schools provide need-blind, full-tuition financial scholarships? If so, they sound like a great option for anyone.

I'm familiar with Andover, and it does. But keep in mind that it also had an acceptance rate of 13% this year.

"Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Jim Ventre ’79 announced that the Academy had another strong admission season, resulting in an incoming admitted class of 168 girls and 151 boys with a median SSAT total score of 92 percent. Ventre said that 147 of these students, 46 percent, have been awarded financial aid scholarships, at a total cost of $5,235,000 in financial aid. Andover is the only boarding school in the United States to have maintained a full need-blind admission policy since 2008.

“The newly admitted students bring a desire and a commitment to join our community where the intentional aspect of living and learning together is focused on the education of the whole person and not just the classroom student,” said Ventre.

Overall, 402 students, or 13 percent of the 3,029 who applied to Andover this year, were accepted, marking the lowest admission rate in Andover’s history. (The Academy calculates its admission rate based on the number of completed applications.) The 319 students who enrolled made for a robust yield of 79 percent...."

The admission rate does not concern me.

[Anonymous]

My thoughts on boarding school. Some people I knew seemed to use their boarding school time sensibly. The rest learned a great deal about how to make bongs out of apples or 2 liter soda bottles. They were smart. They were gifted. They were affluent. They went to good SLACs, but i don't want my child to develop an expertise in drugs. Honestly, I have the same opinion of the Manhattan private school crowd, who were as bad as the SF/LA bunch in their way wrt drugs and casual sex. The DC region privates crew were far more wholesome by comparison, on the whole.

[Anonymous]

There is no 'home' to return to.

Cannot help but wonder how a parent could send their child away like that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My thoughts on boarding school. Some people I knew seemed to use their boarding school time sensibly. The rest learned a great deal about how to make bongs out of apples or 2 liter soda bottles. They were smart. They were gifted. They were affluent. They went to good SLACs, but i don't want my child to develop an expertise in drugs. Honestly, I have the same opinion of the Manhattan private school crowd, who were as bad as the SF/LA bunch in their way wrt drugs and casual sex. The DC region privates crew were far more wholesome by comparison, on the whole.

Seriously, is there anybody who arrives at college *not* knowing how to make an apple bong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do the boarding schools provide need-blind, full-tuition financial scholarships? If so, they sound like a great option for anyone.

I'm familiar with Andover, and it does. But keep in mind that it also had an acceptance rate of 13% this year.

"Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Jim Ventre ’79 announced that the Academy had another strong admission season, resulting in an incoming admitted class of 168 girls and 151 boys with a median SSAT total score of 92 percent. Ventre said that 147 of these students, 46 percent, have been awarded financial aid scholarships, at a total cost of $5,235,000 in financial aid. Andover is the only boarding school in the United States to have maintained a full need-blind admission policy since 2008.

“The newly admitted students bring a desire and a commitment to join our community where the intentional aspect of living and learning together is focused on the education of the whole person and not just the classroom student,” said Ventre.

Overall, 402 students, or 13 percent of the 3,029 who applied to Andover this year, were accepted, marking the lowest admission rate in Andover’s history. (The Academy calculates its admission rate based on the number of completed applications.) The 319 students who enrolled made for a robust yield of 79 percent...."

The admission rate does not concern me.

why not?