Private School to Boarding School

GMTplus7
Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:40:00 +0000

@CanadaDad,

To address your issue about the int’l broadening potential of attending an American BS, here are some thoughts:

As your C’s school is academically rigorous, u will no doubt want to apply to schools that are at least as rigorous. In contrast to BS in Switerland, at American BS there is an inverse relationship between school selectivity and the percentage of int’l students. Int’l students are typically full pay students, so the most selective schools which are also the richest schools do not “need” them to balance their budgets.

At the schools w greater percentages of int’l students, there are generally not more countries represented but simply more kids from the same few countries. The reputable schools try to limit the number of schools from any particular country. The schools realize that int’l students want to experience a new culture and not just see their countrymen. And when there is a critical mass of a nationality, those students often socially self-segregate.

I say this as a parent who lives overseas and whose kids have attended int’l schools in different countries: American kids & Canadian kids are not that culturally dissimilar. You will probably be disappointed if you are expecting a significant cultural broadening experience from being around American kids.

All that said, there is opportunity for OTHER kinds of broadening by attending a BS in the U.S.