What is life like at a boarding (prep) school?

What is life at an academic boarding school like?

• If you have experienced boarding at a competitive school, highly academical, what was it like? How was your relationship with other students and teachers, what was your daily routine, and did it help you get into a good universtiy? Please name what school you went to as well!

• Answer:

  I went to Andover (let's just say a "number of years ago"). Daughter is applying to boarding school this year (looking at Andover, Exeter, Taft, Choate, Hotchkiss). All mentioned are academically challenging, and the only thing I can say, is that it was a wonderful experience for me - one that I feel had an influence in college and beyond. I got along well with other students, and teachers - I think it fair to say that in order to do really well, you have to be fully engaged and willing to tap into teachers after class for extra help, get together with fellow students to study and gain from different points of view... Daily routine (as I remember it :-) was getting up early (except when I had a open period early in the day), shower/breakfast, class until mid afternoon, athletics from about 3:30 til 5:30, dinner, and study hours until you got done (as late as midnight, but more typically 10:00 or so - maybe sooner if you took full advantage of breaks during the day). Crash, and repeat. Of course, there's time for social events; dances, trips to the mall, dorm competitions and the like, but school and sleep do take up the majority of most days. Help get into a good university? Yes, for me it did - but I can tell you that just going to a top tier school won't do it. You have to be fully engaged, curious enough to do more than the minimum required, and genuinely interested in the world around you. At least that's my perception of the people who made it into Harvard, Yale, and the other top colleges. You might check out the article that I've linked to below - from some college admissions officers (I've shared it with my daughter too). Also, I've included a link to a blog from a girl that went through this same process last year, and is in boarding school this fall - daughter and I have been reading it, and find it very helpful.