Month: October 2017

Why Boarding School?

By Tips for study
Why should you consider sending your child to boarding school? Wouldn’t she do just as well at day school? This is a common question for parents to ponder as they review their private school options. You have made the decision to send him to private school in principle. Now it is just a matter of working out the details.
There are many reasons to go to boarding school. The academics, the athletics and the extracurricular activities are just a few of the considerations. But there’s more. Much more. Here are the 10 top reasons why you should go to boarding school.
10. You will get great teachers who love to teach.
Boarding schools traditionally hire teachers with degrees in their subjects. As well a large number of these experienced teachers have advanced degrees in their field. Typically all are passionate about their subject and love to teach it to young people. Because discipline is rarely a problem in boarding school, these talented teachers get to teach without having to be traffic cops or paper pushers like their public school counterparts.
9. You will have great sports and sports facilities.
Most boarding schools have amazing sports facilities. The range of sports and teams is mind-boggling. You will find everything from squash to crew, hockey to basketball. Natatoria are common. So are equestrian facilities. Many boarding school fitness facilities make commercial fitness establishments look tame. The varsity teams travel regionally and globally to compete.
8. You will have great arts programs and arts facilities.
Theater, dance, music, fine arts, in short, anything and everything artistic is part of the opportunity which awaits you at most boarding schools. Several schools have magnificent performing arts centers and museums. Gorgeous chapels with fine pipe organs and choirs are still common. Chamber music, bands, orchestras and jazz ensembles will give you many opportunities to use your musical talents. The art galleries and museums many schools have acquired offer another serious enhancement for the artistically inclined.
7. You will get to live away from home.
It’s never easy to leave the nest. But, doesn’t it make more sense to make the move a few years before University? Of course it does. You will learn how to cope with life and all its many high and low points within a community of your peers who are going through the same things you are. All of this is happening under the watchful eye of your teachers who are mentors, not baby-sitters.
6. You will be stretched by the amount of academic work you have to do.
In a public school you might read one Shakespeare play in a year if you are lucky and it happens to be relevant to the test. In a private school you will read three or four Shakespeare plays and study them in detail. Teaching to the test is virtually unheard of because boarding schools only have to be concerned with getting you into an University. As a result the depth and breadth of the academic courses in most schools is remarkable. This applies to traditional and progressive high schools alike.
5. You will be surrounded by classmates who want to go to University.
Your classmates are in boarding school because they want to be there.  They want to learn. They want to be successful. The reason you go to private school is to learn. Most schools are rather selective about who they admit. Being willing to work hard in class and play hard on the playing field is all part of the Univesrity prep package boarding schools offer.
4. The libraries/media centers are well-stocked.
The older, more established schools have traditional library facilities which in many cases are better equipped than those at many colleges. Libraries have morphed over the years into media centers. The typical boarding school library will have the latest technology available, in addition to all the usual print materials. And they will have them in abundance.
3. You will learn to be responsible for yourself.
Taking a lot of little steps towards maturity is one of the intangibles of going to boarding school. You have to learn to get along with others because it is a community. You learn to be responsible for your actions because you are bound by an honor or discipline code of some kind. The lessons in life learned in boarding school will lay a solid foundation for adulthood.
You will make friends for life. Most boarding school graduates look back at their years in school as a time when lasting friendships were established. Coupled with that is the building of a network of friends and acquaintances who know you and care about you. Isn’t that what life is really all about? Being surrounded by people who understand you and care about you is affirming and encouraging. We all can do with a dose of encouragement now and then, can’t we?
2. The classes are small.
If you are in a public school with 30-40 students to a class, chances are that you will just be a number, unless you are very smart or very bad. You will probably get lots of attention either way. In a boarding school, on the other hand, classes typically are 10-15 students. You cannot hide in a class that small. You have to participate. You will get called upon for your response. You will never just be a number in a boarding school.
1. It’s cool to be smart.
This is probably the best reason to go to boarding school. In a public school the kids who really want to learn frequently end up being social outcasts. Not so in boarding school. It’s cool to be smart in boarding school. It’s also very cool to learn.
These are our top ten reasons to go to boarding school. You will doubtless think of others. One last bit of advice: don’t put off starting the process of choosing a boarding school to the last minute. You will need at least 18 months before the fall of the year in which you want your child to be in school.

8 Tips for Choosing the Right High School Classes

By Canadian Education, Courses selection

If success in the college admissions process is important, then your student needs to choose the right classes.

The high school transcript is almost always the most important document in a student’s application. Keep in mind, though, rarely would there ever be one particular class on a transcript that would determine the applicant’s outcome.

While there’s no 100% guaranteed future college admissions formula, there are some strong patterns for success.

Here are some tips to guide you:
1. Meet the high school requirements. High schools have a list of required credits that must be taken in order to graduate.  Most colleges (online and otherwise) require a high school diploma to enroll in any program that grants bachelor degrees.

2. Take a balanced set of classes.  Typically, a student should try to take courses each year in English, science, math, the social sciences, and foreign language.

3.  Choose a smart range of college-prep courses.  A student doesn’t need to take AP Everything to get into college, but course choice depends on the selectivity of the colleges a student wants to attend.   Demanding and challenging honors, accelerated, AP, International Baccalaureate (IB), and Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) courses make a student more desirable to a school. However, colleges recognize a student can only take advantage of accelerated courses if her high school provides them.  If AP courses or International Baccalaureate programs are not offered at a high school, colleges understand and only expect that a student will excel in the opportunities to which there is access. Colleges also understand different schools have different requirements that may restrict what courses a student can take.

4.  Show colleges a positive pattern.   Colleges like to see a high level (or an improving degree) of rigor and success throughout a student’s high school years. This includes the senior year. Have you heard this famous question: “Is it better to take a course where I know I can get an ‘A’ or should I take a harder course and risk getting a lower grade?” The answer is: “It’s best to get an ‘A’ in a harder course.”  For those who find this answer unacceptable, we advise students to take the higher course if the student thinks she can get a “B.” Normally “C” or below means that a student is simply in the wrong level. The key is that students need to seek challenge, not avoid it, and succeed in the challenges chosen.

5.  Know the admissions guidelines for top choice colleges.  Many colleges, especially the selective ones, have specific admissions requirements for entering students, for example, a foreign language requirement. It is best to research each school individually.  Make sure your student meets any and all minimum requirements.

6.  Pursue intellectual interests.  It’s OK to take courses of a personal interest like filmmaking or fashion, just make sure it is not at the expense of a schedule’s overall rigor. Honesty is very important when a student is deciding between different courses. Is he or she choosing drama because of a real excitement about it and the challenge it presents, or is the motivation powered by a desire to avoid a different (and perhaps difficult) academic subject?

7.  Consult with teachers, a high school counselor and/or an expert college advisor from International College Counselors on what courses are most appropriate. Some difficult decisions may also need to be made about which courses to take and how to balance schoolwork and extracurricular activities.

8.  Do not catch Senioritis! Many admissions offices will check an applicant’s senior year program and performance before offering admission. Additionally, schools may rescind an acceptance if a student performed poorly during the senior year.

Students who push themselves to excel all the way through high school, or show a trend of improvement are the type of student colleges welcome.  Colleges take “extra effort” to be a good sign that a student will do the same at their school.