School

Hello, I m parent, my ward is studying @ DPS Pinjore. Family stays in UP. As it is much far from the place we live, i m planning to shift him in somewhere near from home. If some one can suggest which boarding school in or near UP will be better will be just great.

Thanks

Any boarding school, all are same – staff has same qualification – & fee you can afford.Near U.P. i.e. in Uttranchal "Sherwood" at Nanital is good.

I really want to go to boarding school next year when I go to Grade 8. The school I go to is horrible and the kids spread all these nasty rumors about me. I think that boarding school would be much better, I was thinking of going to Hawaii Preparatory Academy. Please help. I don’t want to tell me parents about the nasty rumors because they’ll just get involved and then the kids there will be really mad. They’re all rich kids whose parents don’t care what they do, so who knows what they’ll do to me?

Best advice I can give, is to not run away from your problems. Boarding school can be a great experience, but your parents won’t understand why you want to go, until they really understand what your goals are.

My daughter is applying to boarding herself next year, but she’s been pretty up-front why she wants to go: to get a better education. She found a blog and coincidentally the student and parent that are writing the blog, just wrote an article on convincing parents… You might find it helpful and relevant to your situation as well.

How do you know you’ve chosen a good boarding school? Is single sex or co-ed boarding schools better?

The pro’s of boarding school are quite obvious. The education is the best education you can get at any school. The individualized education and the dedicated teachers is why someone should really go to a private school. I went to boarding school for 3 years. I never got home sick and I lived 5 hours away. The cons of boarding school is boredom. The fact that the only time you can truly get off campus on the weekends, which really sucks. It is all worth it in the end when you get your high school diploma. I don’t think I should give a list for this one, it is only what you truly believe. The only real pro is that boarding school changes your life, in the best way possible.

I am writing a letter advising parents on how to prepare their child for the move to boarding school at a young age as part of my English AS coursework, and would really appreciate some feedback! thanks!

cruel. most cruel, as children are too young at this age. they need their parents’ love and guidance. If the children absolutely have to move, they will break down in most cases. 8 is a much too young age to consider boarding school. Let them grow up, learn to take care of themselves without their parents’ constant nagging, and then they’ll be ready for boarding school.

For your letter help, you could refer to the Bollywood movie, ‘Taare Zameen Par’. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taare_Zameen_Par . This focuses mainly on dyslexia, and also on the life of a boarding school and how it affects the child.

I am middle school. I go to boarding school and I hate it. I want to see my parents every day. I want them to be with me constantly. I hate boarding school and it’s not allowing me to concentrate on anything else. I’ve been crying every day for three weeks now. I really hate boarding school. I want to be with my parents everyday.

Oh honey, I understand how much it has to hurt you.

The only way to get rid of hate is to try to understand. I’m sure your parents are trying to do what they think is best. Parents make mistakes. They aren’t perfect. Have you told them how you feel? Maybe they don’t realize that a "good" school isn’t as important to your present or future as being with you is. Parents are under so much pressure to focus on "success" and they don’t stop to think that success is on the inside and not on outwardly things. Or maybe there are other circumstances that make them think this will be good for you.

The school is trying to do what’s best for you, also. I know you don’t want to be there, but don’t do it for them, do it for you. Struggles make you stronger and you can get through this. Don’t focus on what you don’t have. Focus on what you do have. You have parents who love you and you have a good education if you will allow it. Many children do not have nearly as much.

Make friends if you haven’t. Write your feelings down because you shouldn’t keep them inside. Hang in there. It will get easier to deal with.

I am going to boarding school next year for college and have applied for a few but I have not found one that I really like. Does anyone go to or know of any good boarding schools in england preferably with sailing or horse riding.

Also what is it like at boarding school and what do you do in your free time if the school is no where near a town?

I assume you are thinking of boarding just for the last two years? If so, entry is super competitive for the better schools as they boost their A’level results with their sixth form intake giving generous scholarships.

You don’t say if you want all girls or mixed and you don’t say whether you will be a weekly boarder or not. Many (maybe even most) boarding school children go home at the weekends. If you do, you will not have time for riding or sailing.

The Times publishes the ranking of the best private schools in the country. Not all offer boarding but most do. Some (Eton for instance) have no Sixth form intake at all. They also take only boys so forget that one.

For an amazing last two years, it would be hard to beat Westminster which is boys only till Sixth form and is located in the heart of central London. Very hard to get into. No sailing or riding.

If you want all girls, Wycombe Abbey or Cheltenham Ladies would be pretty good choices. Wycombe Abbey is in the centre of High Wycombe and walking distance from a 30 minute train journey to London so you won’t be bored. They have sailing but it is a joke because it is on a lake and the riding is not serious either.

I want to go to a boarding school SO BADLY. It costs around 28 grand a year and they say they dont have enough money. I know that with a financial aid they could be able to afford it. They havent even looked into it or aything. It makes me so upset and all i want to do is go to one. Any tips on convincing them?

You are right, financial aid IS available, so it’s unfortunate that your parents haven’t considered all the options. Do they have reason to believe that you’re not trustworthy? Poor grades? If not, then:

You might try finding local alumni of one or two of your favorite boarding schools (contact the school’s admissions office for nearest alumni), and once you do, ask your parents if they’d be willing to visit with them for another perspective. If they’re open enough to say yes, that alumni would be able to talk to your parents adult-to-adult, and give some good, useful insights.

Another option, if you have time before 9th grade (like if you’re in 7th grade or lower grade now), is to ask if you can try an academic summer school. Your parents may be so pleased (maybe a little surprised?) that you’d be willing to study over the summer, that they’d consider letting you "try out" one of the true academically challenging summer schools at one of the better boarding schools! (Choate, Andover, Exeter have great ones – probably there are others). There is sometimes financial aid even for the summer schools – so if you can get your parents far enough that they’ll let you at least try to apply, you and they might be pleasantly surprised about affordability and how much you’ll learn over the summer.

And, in a nod to their possible concerns, they’ll also get the chance to see if you really respond well to the independence of boarding over the summer. If you do well, it’ll help. If you ignore your classes during the summer – well, at least you’ll know that boarding might not be the best option. In either case, you’ll get the chance to work hard, and make a case for what really works best for you.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

p.s. I got most of this from our own personal experience (daughter is applying to boarding this year – after going to summer school at Choate this year), as well as a blog my daughter discovered from a girl who is a year older, and is in her first year of boarding school now.

I am planning to send my daughter to a boarding school like andover or choate or deerfield next year, and i have heard many positives and negatives.

I know these schools have great academic opportunities, but i wanted to know about some of the social challenges. Are people snobby? Is drug use rampent? Does money play a role in friendships?

This information is truly vital and answers are greatly appreciated.

1. Are people snobby?

Possibly, but I’ve heard that boarding schools endorse diversity and friendship. Especially in schools such as Andover… I’ve heard that if you’re heard talking bad about a fellow classmate you will be sent to the headmaster… if you do something worse, you’re expelled.

2. Is drug use rampant?

Just like any other school, drug use is common. This is an experimental stage and just because they are in boarding school does not mean they have no connections to drug dealers. I’ve heard drugs, drinking, and smoking are pretty common in boarding schools (some more than others) but you shouldn’t worry too much about that affecting your child. They do have supervision and teachers who check on them (advisors).

3. Does money play a role in friendships?

Yes, there are cliques based on money and popularity, but honestly what school isn’t?

I think sending your daughter to boarding school is a wonderful idea. I’m a sophomore and I was very close to going to boarding school (unfortunately I just did not have the money for it) and I regret never getting the chance. Andover seems wonderful. I have a few friends there who absolutely love it! (But of course there are those who do not enjoy the boarding school experience). Educationally it’s great, but make sure this is what you want to do. If you send your daughter, this is basically the last moments of her childhood that you get to spend together. (They do get lengthy breaks and such, but she’ll be off in boarding school, then college, then her own life.)

So I am writing a book and the main character is a sophomore in a boarding school. What should her classes and electives be? I already know one elective is French. She doesn’t know what she wants to be.

The same as at a public school. The only difference is that the students live on campus. If you want more details, google the names of boarding schools. Some of them are: Nobles & Greenough, Exeter, and Williston Northampton.

I’m currently an eight grader living overseas. Last year I visited Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and thought the campus was amazing, and even met a member of the faculty and various alumni. I’m really hoping to attend this boarding school for my sophomore year. What can I do to get accepted?

you will have to show that you are well-behaved and will adjust in the school, and fit in with their culture. be polite, enthusiastic. reasonable grades and a liking for sports etc will help too.