<p>Do you think that a student having two moms or two dads might be frowned upon by admissions at the top schools? Would honesty or discretion be the best parental path?</p>
<p>Honesty. Contrary to popular belief, many of the baording school administrators are quite liberal. Many boarding schools have gay staff members. Concord Academy was the first to have openly gay dorm parents many years ago. NMH, Putney also have openly gay staff with partners. It’s probably not the big deal you think. In fact, I’ll go on record as saying that having 2 moms or 2 dads would be an enormous PLUS in boarding school admissions.</p>
<p>As ny22 said, it would probably be a benefit.</p>
<p>I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal to most people…kind of a non-issue, so I would treat it as such. They could be introduced simply as parents. I live in a small town (K-12 has 1100 students) and my first grader has a friend in his class with two moms and a boy in my daughter’s Sunday school class has two moms. The only time it’s ever even come up was when one of the boys asked me to call his mom and I had to ask him which one. We all had a good laugh over it. As long as the student is comfortable with it, I don’t see why the adcom wouldn’t be.</p>
<p>Furthermore, if a school “frowned upon” something like that, it’s not the kind of school I would want my child to go to so I would definately mention it in the interview, just to get a feel for the reaction.</p>
<p>I think admissions would not care
Now students might act differently
At 2 boarding schools which I’m not going to name
Serious discrimination took place on election day
In both schools the majority of people looked away
I think most likely it won’t make a difference but the child might take the heat at one point or another</p>
<p>honestly, I think marital status of parents has nothing to do with admissions. i have friends whose parents are divorced, some still in “healthy” contact with each other (they only have one child, after all), some who never talk to each other. they got into pretty impossible schools, and it’s not like they were geniuses or extra-curricular addicts. </p>
<p>to put it short, don’t worry :D</p>
<p>I don’t think it will be an issue. In fact, I believe one of our frequent posters can give you some firsthand information on this topic. (I think it’s Brooklynguy- but I’m old and befuddled, and my memory is not what it once was, so if I’ve misidentified the poster apologies all around.)</p>
<p>(actually, my previous post had nothing to do with this topic. oops. sidetracked. </p>
<p>well. take the divorce example as a “non-norm” marriage example, which would include gay marriages. bleh. personally i don’t get why anyone bothers to care if someone’s gay. just no pda, please. i hate pda from any and every couple alive :D)</p>
<p>Definitely a non-issue. Be honest; be who you are.</p>
<p>The concensus is in… It is completely accepted. My tour guide was gay actually, he openly admitted to it when I asked him why he picked his school over all the other T1 schools he was accepted to(He got accept into A/E/SPS/DF/Groton I believe… A/E he specifically mentioned as a tough choice). </p>
<p>My dad was impressed by his candid nature aswell.</p>
<p>Nope, definitely not frowned upon! You should definitely be honest, because a student raised by gay parents has something unique going for him/her, and while I know that many teenagers try to blend in, I think that being different is a plus for boarding school admissions!</p>
<p>Filling out forms for admission can be tricky. For the ones that say mother/father, you can just cross out those titles and put Parent 1/Parent 2. But, I am sure that won’t be the first time that your family will need to adapt life’s many standard forms. Also, if you are applying for financial aid, and both parents support you, even if one is only your legal guardian, then they will both probably have to fill out forms. Be sure to check with the financial aid office of the schools to which you are applying.</p>
<p>My partner and I are gay almost-parents (long story, not necessary for public posting) with a student who is in her first year at Andover. All of the people there have been extremely warm and welcoming to our family. Everyone has been really great from our first visit last spring, to drop off day, to Parents’ weekend, etc. (Please note that I would expect the same treatment at many schools, so this is not meant as a negative comment on any other schools).</p>
<p>Also, I agree with Neato…you don’t want to be somewhere that your family wouldn’t feel welcome for four years.</p>
<p>Some responses have mentioned gay students at boarding schools, which is a different issue from what the original poster wanted to know.</p>
<p>Good luck on your school search and applications!</p>
<p>PS: SwissChard - after I wrote all of the above, I realized that you are an adult, not the applicant. My apologies if I came off sounding snooty. So, in my post, please change “you” to “your daughter” as needed. Sorry. :)</p>
<p>Thanks everybody. I’m a California/Arizoner and sometimes I feel that the east coast is another world entirely…that I do not know what to expect in terms of open-mindedness and general attitudes. I should look to politics to reassure me that the populations of those small, cold states are some of the truest progressives in this country. My fears have been relieved, thanks.</p>
<p>Also, although I know diversity is a big plus in bs applications, I worry about too much of a good thing :). BrooklynGuy, thanks for the adult’s eye view of Andover. I had a friend who came out while going to school there and said it was a very positive, supportive atmosphere. That was the kid’s eye view, though. </p>
<p>Be who we are. Yes, I know. Somehow when it comes to the kids, I am more deliberate and thoughtful about how “me” I am being around people in the kids’ lives. You know, simple things… like I don’t sing and dance while cooking as emphatically when the preteen friends are over. I have the same feeling about my daughter applying for school. Just like choosing what to wear for the interview… How do I present myself? Candidly, I suppose.</p>
<p>Hey ItalianBorder what school did you tour guide go to ?</p>
<p>I’m a California/Arizoner and sometimes I feel that the east coast is another world entirely…</p>
<p>^ OMG OMG OMG OMG
high five!
I never knew swiss chard. i thought you’d be like, a Boston-resident XD
east coast is another world… but west coast has it goood</p>
<p>which school was it, itallianboarder?</p>
<p>Yeah, westcoast, your provenance is no secret. I, also, assume everyone on here is of the easterly sort unless otherwise noted. And for some inane reason, I also assume that everyone is older than I, wealthier, and more conservative…though I know that is not the case.</p>
<p>Swiss Chard-In answer to your assumptions mine would be:</p>
<p>probably yes, probably not, probably yes! 
</p>
<p>And I’m a lifelong northeasterner…yes, northeast is WAY different from east coast! And, northeast to a New Englander ONLY includes New England!</p>
<p>In the Boston area there is a weird cafeteria-style mix of conservative and liberal viewpoints in lifestyles, customs, religion and politics. Think Kennedy democrat and you’ll get what I mean. (unless a Kennedy democrat is an outdated Massachusetts anomaly, in which case no one will get what I mean!)</p>
<p>Remember that Massachusetts is WAY ahead of California in respecting the civil rights of gay people, and we’ve got some great schools here also, so it should be a very nice place for your family! (I’m proud of my state, and some of the other New England states also).</p>
<p>Yes… but here is a question that deals with other issues as well. How much are New England boarding schools representative of the larger state politics? Or even, the larger state populus. Are they little islands of thoughts and beliefs, or are the states/localities and the schools on the same wavelengths?</p>