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My son and his friends would use the grill at his dorm parents' apartment and hang out with the family. It was truly a "home away from home" and I felt the boarders got lots of attention from the house parents. Not much got by them!
Not all boarding schools are created equal. My son attended one for a couple of years that I felt was negligent in its supervision of the boarders. It also had too small of a boarding population with respect to day students. Rules were enforced arbitrarily. The kids were out of control. Some of the dorms were in bad condition and dust filtered in like you were in a sandstorm.
On the other hand, the school my son graduated from AND Interlochen, where my daughter graduated, were the most amazing places. The residential, academic and athletic/music faculty were attentive, nurturing and realistic. Faculty homes were open to students- my son could spend the night in a spare bedroom at his advisor's house if he needed a break from the dorm or a good night's sleep before a big race. There were many checks and balances and a lot of safety nets for the kids. Academics were hard, but the kids didn't compete harshly against each other. College counseling was aimed at finding the right fit for each student- not at making the school look good with acceptances to highly selective schools.
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