<p>How hard is it to really develop your passions at a boarding school? I feel like it would be hard to branch out and build on your interests. For example, if you wanted to participate in research at a university, you would not be able to get to one. Or, if there was one nearby, you would be competing with all your other bright classmates for a research position.</p>
<p>As far as college admissions, I feel like it would be hard to stand out among your classmates because you have all been exposed to the same things and taken most of the same opportunities. I know there are obviously differences between each student, but I’ve found at boarding schools that there are many groups of people that all participate in the same activities. I was just thinking about the things that would be listed on a college app and from what I’ve observed, for many students from a certain boarding school, what they have listed in the EC box might be identical to some of their classmates. So is it hard to separate yourself from the crowd and distinguish yourself?</p>
<p>Yeahh so I’m going to pathetically bump this. Heh.</p>
<p>As a rising senior I feel I can honestly answer this effectively. I’ve been at my school since my sophomore year and it was here that I was able to develop my individual passions to the fullest extent. I’m interested in film and being here I have taken film classes, participated in contests, created and shown videos for events, and even acquired a film internship at a museum nearby (history/film internship). I know for a fact I’m the only student in my grade this passionate about film, and that’s just because we are all so different! Some people are interested in science and have research internships, others are interested in sports and compete nationally. In my opinion boarding school is really a place to find your passion.</p>
<p>The class above me has been going through the college process and it’s really interesting to see all the different areas they plan to study and the multitude of schools they’ll be attending next fall. For example, just this year we had three acceptances to Cornell, all very different students to the same school. Clearly they made it possible to distinguish themselves from their competitors even within their school. </p>
<p>I hope this somewhat answered your question?</p>
<p>Yes, it answers my question and is very helpful! Thank you. Now that I think about it, I kind of overlooked the obvious fact that these kids who graduate go to fantastic schools, so they must have been able to stand out in some way!</p>