The Boarding School Survival Guide

Introduction:

Why I Wrote The Boarding

School Survival Guide

Congratulations on purchasing The Boarding School Survival Guide ! If you are reading this, you are most likely a newcomer considering applying to a boarding school, a recently admitted student trying to decide which boarding school to attend, or a current member of a boarding school community. I’ve been in each of those positions, and during every step of the process, I wanted to hear the authentic experiences and tips from people who had ventured down the boarding school path ahead of me.

So I embarked on a mission to write this book because it is one that I wish had been available to me throughout the application, selection, and transitional processes. Three years ago, I was a nervous middle-schooler living in a region where the concept of boarding school generally garners no more than a perplexed facial expression. What’s more, nobody in my family had ever set foot on a boarding school campus before I thrust myself into this far-off realm. I can say with conviction that I definitely would have read every word of this book—if it had existed back then.

Since there was no good place to find answers to my incessant questions about boarding school, I instead had to find these answers myself. Though admission officers, viewbooks, and official school websites provided some informational help, I quickly realized that what I really needed was a student’s perspective. After all, a promotional brochure wasn’t going to tell me what to do when the dining hall serves subpar food or give me insight on navigating a dorm’s communal bathroom. So I started seeking real advice from real students, and by the time I made my decision to attend Andover, I had tracked down enough current students and asked them more than enough questions to satisfy my thirst for information about boarding school (more on that in Chapter 1). Looking back, this required more effort than it should have. Until now, there has been a void of easily accessible, unsolicited information about boarding school life. But The Boarding School Survival Guide promises, if nothing else, anecdotal advice and useful tips about the many aspects of boarding school life from current and recently graduated students.

That said, I don’t claim to be an expert on every aspect of boarding school. It’s not possible, since I’ve only attended one boarding school and haven’t even graduated yet. So I knew from the start that I needed more than just my voice to make this book successful. When I was fortunate enough to secure a publisher that believed in my project (thank you, Peterson’s!), my search for other contributors began. I contacted numerous heads of English departments, sought out countless editors of school newspapers, and posted incredibly frequently on Facebook and other social media sites. I appreciate the opportunity to have edited the selected students’ words while striving to maintain their voices, integrity, and honesty, but I sincerely thank the hundreds of students who took the time to share their stories with me. This enthusiastic response has provided—both in terms of writers and the schools they attend—a diverse book, one composed of a wide variety of opinions and experiences that, I hope, collectively paints an accurate and truthful picture of boarding school life. This was a labor of love for my fellow contributors and me, and I hope you are able to take from it as much as we put into it. Wherever you are in the boarding school process, I wish you much success.

SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST

I didn’t realize it when I was applying, but I now have a better understanding of the economic challenges of attending boarding school. For me, boarding school has been amazingly valuable in so many ways, so I want to help someone else defray the cost of this life-changing experience. I am awarding two $1,000 scholarships for deserving students to put toward their boarding school tuition. I’m delighted to be giving two lucky readers the opportunity to earn these scholarships. Please refer to the submission guidelines in the back of the book for entry instructions.

Justin Ross Muchnick

Phillips Academy Andover, Class of 2016

[email protected]

April, 2014

Chapter 1

Boarding School:

Why I Chose This Path

and You Might, Too

My seventh-grade literature class changed my life. To be more exact, Mr. Rogers, my seventh-grade literature teacher, changed my life. Only a temporary substitute teacher (the regular faculty member took the year off for maternity leave), Mr. Rogers entered the classroom on the first day of school and did something remarkable: he asked his students to have a conversation about a book we had read over the summer. My school’s traditional raise your hand and wait to be called on style of learning had left me completely unprepared for a teacher who wanted me to talk. Nevertheless, I relished the opportunity to learn in this interesting and dynamic classroom environment, and I certainly jumped at a chance to voice my opinions without fear of being chastised for speaking out of turn.

Within a few weeks, active participation had fully cemented its reputation as the primary way of learning in Mr. Rogers’s class. Instead of employing a standard row-and-column classroom seating pattern, Mr. Rogers positioned our seats in a large circle. This Harkness Method encouraged free-flowing conversations in which Mr. Rogers would serve only as a mediator and participant. Rather than writing bland responses to even blander study questions, my class honed its public speaking skills by participating in spur-of-the-moment debates about these topics. Mr. Rogers’s classroom, reminiscent of a scene out of Dead Poets Society, allowed the act of learning to intellectually stretch and stimulate me.

As Mr. Rogers became my friend and mentor as well as my teacher, I learned that he had previously worked as the Writer in Residence at Phillips Exeter Academy, a boarding school in New England. At that time, I thought that boarding school was a place where disobedient children were sent to resolve their behavioral issues. Mr. Rogers, though, spoke glowingly of the East Coast boarding school system and told me that schools like Exeter utilize an active, discussion-based, Mr. Rogers-esque style of teaching. Soon, I started dreaming of a school full of teachers like Mr. Rogers, intellectually curious students, and eager learners. I did some research about Exeter and other New England schools, and in the spring of my seventh-grade year, I presented the boarding school idea to my mom and dad.

At first, my parents commended me on the excellent joke I had pulled on them; however, they quickly realized that I was serious. They began to think that I wanted to get away from them or that I disliked my family. But after extensive negotiations, I was able to convince them that this was not the case, and by midway through the summer after seventh grade, they fully backed my decision. Once my family agreed that I was in fact going to pursue the boarding school idea, we made it our mission to select the schools to which I would apply. I devised a list of qualities I was looking for in a boarding school. At this point in the application process, you, too, should create a list of criteria; you can save yourself the wasted time and effort of applying to the wrong schools by knowing what kinds of schools best suit you. Though your personal list may be very different, mine was as follows:

Size: I tried to find a relatively big school. At my primary school, the average grade size was about 50 students, and as time wore on, my desire to expand beyond my small group of classmates grew stronger. By applying to larger schools, I felt that I could both broaden my social experience and avoid another small school burnout.

Uniform policy: My former school enforced a strict dress code. Since collared shirts and I never really hit if off, I decided I had definitely worn a uniform for long enough. I did not want to spend my high school years wearing a blazer and slacks.

Single-sex or coed: I didn’t really want to spend my high school years at an all-boys school.

Location: For me, the East Coast seemed like the best place to find a boarding school. After all, that’s what Mr. Rogers had recommended.

Academics: I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I did not wish to dehydrate myself at a school with a less-than-excellent academic reputation.

Proximity to an airport: My mom thought of this one. She suggested that I should apply to schools located near a major airport that offered nonstop flights from Los Angeles. Cross-country flights are tough enough; complicating matters with a connecting flight seemed unnecessary.

Here are some other things that you might want to consider:

Religious affiliation: Do you want religion to play a large part in your high school experience, or would you rather go to a nondenominational school?

Specialty schools: Do you want to apply to schools that focus on a specific aspect or method of learning? Are you particularly talented in a certain field? If so, look into arts, math and sciences, or military schools.

Athletics: If you play a sport, you might try to look for schools with strong teams and adequate athletic facilities. One good way to do this is to contact a school’s coach or athletic director. As both a soccer player and a wrestler, I talked to many coaches from a number of different boarding schools to get a sense of each school’s athletic program.

Cost/Financial aid policy: Obviously, some schools are more expensive than others. In addition to looking at the tuition, you may want to find out which schools offer need-based financial aid or any merit-based scholarships.

By comparing various schools to my personal list of attributes, I was able to find four schools that really matched my requirements. I sent applications to Choate Rosemary Hall, The Lawrenceville School, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Phillips Academy Andover, and I was fortunate enough to have been accepted by all four. After taking the SSAT®, writing applications, and interviewing with admission officers, little did I realize that I would have one last, equally significant hurdle to jump. The choice that I was about to make would directly impact the next four years of my life, so my parents and I did everything in our power to ensure that my decision was the correct one. By obtaining contact information from admission offices as well as school counselors and friends of friends, we sought out current students who lived locally and attended each of the schools. We scheduled face-to-face meetings with as many of them as we could, during which we grilled them on the pros and cons of their schools. We spent hours reading websites, blogs, and Facebook pages in hopes of getting students’ unsolicited perspectives of their schools (and just as many hours searching for a book like this!). Most importantly, however, we attended the revisit days for each of the schools. For those at this stage of the boarding school process, I would highly recommend going to the admitted students events if you have the financial means and your schedule permits. At any given revisit day, I was truly able to get a feel for the campus and environment and see if I could envision myself as a student at that school next year—sometimes my gut instinct would tell me yes, and other times it would tell me no. While on campus, I also had the opportunity to ask countless current students about their high school experiences. Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions. By doing so, you can better understand the general campus vibe. After the revisit days, I was able to make my decision with confidence. I was going to Andover!

You might choose to apply to boarding schools for different reasons than I did. No two cases are exactly alike, but many applicants fall into these categories.

Ready to leave home: Whether it’s a desire for independence, friction within the household, or any other reason, waiting until college to live on your own isn’t the best option for you.

Family tradition: As a baby, you wore a boarding school bib around your neck. Your favorite shirt is one emblazoned with a particular school’s emblem. A few older family members have paved the way, or, perhaps generations of relatives have attended. Boarding school is in your blood.

Searching for diversity: You have grown up in a homogenous community, or you yearn for difference, in both tradition and mindset. Today’s boarding schools afford you interaction with peers of all racial, financial, geographical, and religious backgrounds—conducive to a multicultural educational experience.

Love of learning: Is your nose perpetually stuck in a book? Do you stay after class to delve deeper into a conversation with your teacher? Is your idea of a fun weekend activity reading up on political affairs or the latest scientific breakthrough? Do you love learning for learning’s sake? If so, boarding school is undoubtedly worth exploring.

For me, the process of applying to and selecting boarding schools was fueled by my innate passion for learning: I simply wanted to find a place where it was cool to be smart. When I look back at this initial notion, I realize that it was certainly idealistic and a bit naïve, but Andover has come about as close as possible. Though busy work and uninteresting conversations bog me down from time to time, they are more than made up for by engaging writing prompts, stimulating discussions, and inspirational teachers who would make even Mr. Rogers proud.

About Justin Muchnick

At Phillips Academy Andover, I am captain of the varsity wrestling team, play soccer, participate in the chess club, and work as a campus tour guide. I am the co-author of Straight-A Study Skills (Adams Media, January, 2013) and had an essay about boarding school published in Peterson’s 2014–15 Private Secondary Schools guide. I am also a journalist for The Bootleg (www.scout.com), Stanford University’s sports news website, where I publish articles about college football. Recently I became the youngest charter content creator for Yoursports.com, a social publishing platform for sports. My academic interests include reading, writing, Latin, and modern American history. When I am not at boarding school, I live with my three younger siblings (Jacob, Ross, and Ally) and my parents. I’m an avid fan of Star Wars and Rocky, and I recently became addicted to the P90X workout DVDs.

Chapter 2

Applying to Boarding School:

Essays, Interviews, and More

Applying to boarding school can be quite intimidating. It is definitely nerve-wracking for an eighth grader to take the SSAT®, write application essays, visit schools, and perform well in an interview. But these tips can make the application process much less stressful.

MAKING YOUR LIST OF SCHOOLS

First, decide which schools you are going to apply to. Here’s how I started. I printed out a list of all the boarding schools in the country along with their location, attendance by gender, and size. I started by crossing off the ones that were too far away (distance from home was important to my mom and me). Next, I went through and eliminated schools because of their attendance by gender; I wanted to go to a coed school, so that ruled out schools that were single-sex. Then, I eliminated schools based on their size, since I didn’t want a school that was too small or too large for my liking. You might have other athletic, academic, or social wants and needs. Whittle down your list accordingly.

TAKING STANDARDIZED TESTS

The next step after making a list of boarding schools that fit your preferences is to take the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT). I was very nervous about taking the SSAT, since I knew that a bad score could be highly detrimental. In fact, I was so anxious that I studied and did practice tests over the summer and on all of my weekends and breaks leading up to the test date. I utilized online practice tests, but the most helpful tool I used was a book called The Princeton Review’s Cracking the SSAT & ISEE. Of course, there are other test-prep books that you can order online or check out at the library, and any will do a good job of preparing you for the test. Some of my friends have used tutors or test-prep classes to help prepare for the SSAT. As long as you are practicing in some way, you are preparing for the test.

On the day of the SSAT, I entered the room with several other students. I had brought a couple of sharpened #2 pencils, a water bottle, and a few snacks. I sat in my seat confidently and waited for the writing sample booklet to be passed out. For me, this was the hardest section of the test, not because I don’t like writing or that I’m not good at it, but mainly because I am a slow writer. After the 25 minutes of writing, I finished the rest of the test—2 hours and 35 minutes of math, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. When I finished, I left the room confident that I had done well.

Later, when my SSAT scores arrived, I found out I didn’t do as well as I had expected. If this happens to you, don’t despair! There will probably be another test in your area sometime soon; just sign up for that one and be ready to ace it! Luckily for me, another test was being held a few months later. I continued studying and tried to learn from my errors on the last test. I did everything just like I had before, but this time with a little more knowledge and extra preparation. When I received my second SSAT scores, I was happy to see that I had done much better.

Another test that many boarding schools accept in lieu of (or in addition to)