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As the schools are keen to have a diverse student body, hailing from an under-represented state is a positive. Coming from, say Mississippi, will not guarantee admission, it but may get the application a second or third look. The applicant still has to be qualified. </p>
<p>Under-represented states are generally those that are far away from the school’s home state and have small populations. Because California is such a populous state, there are a lot of CA kids in the east coast boarding schools. So despite the distance from the east coast, CA is generally not under-represented. </p>
<p>We are int’l, so were willing to let child got to school VERY far away.</p>
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Quite a few families bring younger siblings along on tours. Just be aware that the WHOLE family is being observed, so it is important for all to be on best behavior. A BS tour would not be a good time to yell at younger child for having a hissy fit. The advantage of having both parents visit is that it demonstrates to the school that both parents are supportive of the idea of BS. </p>
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My perception is that among the top schools, the higher the percentage of full-pay kids, the greater the likelihood for the the student body to lean to the right (i.e. think children of affluent investment bankers, CEO’s, doctors, etc). At my S’s east coast school, the mock presidential election among the students yielded a 50:50 Obama:Romney split. Keep in mind that that the teachers will generally lean to the left.</p>