Is senior year too late to go to boarding school?

Question

I'm about to start my junior year at a public high school and am dying to transfer before the year starts. I'm very interested in attending an out-of-state boarding school for my last two years of high school, but most schools already had their admission deadline. Should I look for a school that has a 'rolling' application process and quickly try to convince my parents to let me go, or should I wait until the winter to apply to my #1 choice school? Basically I'm wondering if there's really any point of just going for my senior year, I mean will it even be enough time to get the full experience? Please give me any information you may have, any opinions at all would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

yes why do that??

Answer 2

Why would yuo want to do that?

Answer 3

After I completed my first year of boarding school it felt like a lifetime had passed. I made strong friendships, developed a love of my school so much that I considered the school as "home", and I learned a great deal. If I had gone to boarding school for just that one first year, it would have been enough to be one of the best experiences of my life. You would be surprised as to what you can achieve and experience in just one year.

Based on this, I would recommend waiting. Transferring to a boarding school any other time than the beginning of the academic year (August) is not a good idea for most. Before the end of this month, come up with your final list of top choices. Go over their pros and cons thoroughly. It is highly likely that you will have a clear favorite out of the group. While this desire is very important, it is also important to like (a lot!) you're alternatives, as one of these will be your home for the next year if you are not accepted to your top choice. It's also important to be realistic. Look at your grades and your extra curricular activities, see if they are good enough to be admitted into your top choices. For most boarding schools, the application deadlines for the coming year are anywhere from January to April. I wouldn't wait past October to apply. It's always important to get on their radar early on, and expressing your strong interest in attending their school. Most schools offer promotional material of some kind (pamphlets, DVDs, etc), sign up online to receive these now. Don't wait to find out more about your top choices.

Another piece of advice, however, is that your top choices should really be your only choices. Never settle for less. If you don't get accepted into any of the schools that you really like then you may find yourself in an uncomfortable situation with a deep sense of regret. Don't let this happen. It's always better to back away from boarding school than to go to one that you're not sure about. You seem like a dedicated person, so I doubt this will be an issue for you. You didn't mention which boarding schools you are interested in, but based on your desire for a more academic surrounding, I would guess that you are most interested in the established New England boarding schools. In general, and especially academically, these are the best in the country. In particular, the member boarding schools of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization. For the list of members go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Schools...

But, these are also the hardest to get into. The competition is fierce. Make sure the acceptance committees see your strong desire for a more academic environment and more importantly, what sets you apart from the rest. One year will be more than enough to have all of the experiences you could possibly imagine and to have close, lasting  friendships. Best of luck.