I do camp for a month up in the Rockies and actually wrote about that in some essays. They seemed to like that for sure…
@Nico.campbell <<be yourself.="" do="" not="" change="" for="" any="" (and="" i="" mean="" any)="" school,="" including="" the="" “worshipped”="" andover="">>
Choate (and other highly selective schools) are worshipped too.
My only additional input to the OP’s original post is around sports. Make sure you are choosing a team sport. For the most part, these BSs are about team sports. i.e. Gymnastics or other sports where its more singular than team are not found at BS.
My advice…be the best you you can be. No matter what the area, strive to be the best you in that area. That’s not just a boarding school lesson…that’s a life-lesson!!! As @Nico.campbell said “don’t add on activities for the sake of being a better fit. If you have to change to be a fit, then why the heck do you think you’re a good fit?”. AOs want to know that you are comfortable and confident in yourself and are passionate about the things you do. And don’t rely on any one thing as a “hook”. Nico does have a lot of incredible insight and OP has good points, too. So, anyone reading…take it all in but stay true to you.
^^This sounds like both Shakespeare (Hamlet), “To thine own self be true.” and Milton’s motto, “Dare to be true.”
Agreed
@preppedparent If you are playing a sport for anyone or anything but yourself, you are doing it for the wrong reason. Unless you are a difference maker/recruit-able athlete it really isn’t going to make a difference anyway.
^^well that’s my point. Lots of kids are very athletic like my own. Rather than do gymnastics, if I had it to do all over again, I’d have encouraged more team sports that the BSs have and therefore have need for. It’s one more door that may open for you if you have skill in that area.
You mean, like track, swimming, tennis, squash, golf, fencing, etc., aren’t found in BS? 
Regardless, the kid should choose a sport s/he likes. Doing it to impress others or as a box to be checked off is just folly.
@skieurope Track scores are which school wins over all (in the end) which makes it kinda team like – same with swimming. Also, with Tennis there are different bracket types all over the world that includes teams – and you could play doubles. Golf, squash, fencing, sometimes even yoga are kind of more for kids that need to take a sport and don’t work well with a team or just like those better. Of course there is always going to be nonathletic kids at each school it just might help your “chances” for getting into boarding school to play a team sport.
Lots of twisting going on. Yes, like track, swimming, tennis etc. There are many more true team sports than those. Yes, you should always pick a sport you like, but so many of our kids are good at many sports. If Andover or Exeter don’t have a gymnastics team, well you’re just out of luck aren’t you? But same student may instead of doing year round gymnastics also like to do field hockey, volleyball and crew and be good at all them, widening their value to BSs. Just a thought. I thought this board was to vet lots of opinions, mine included. It may help someone else just starting out.
@preppedparent I think your concept is really important to do something (not only for the sake of getting into boarding school) that will help improve the school. They’re going to picks students who fit the school, so don’t make yourself fit, but it might help if you fit the school pretty well besides athletics and you REALLY want to go to that school.
@preppedparent I totally agree that all of the GLADCHEMMS schools can be worshipped, but A/E definitely get the most attention, and many people who aren’t familiar with the bs world automatically fall in love with those two before looking at any others. Far more kids apply to only Andover or Exeter or both rather than kids who only apply to Choate and DA alone. They’ve successfully built a very good and public image that most other schools don’t have yet. This is just my opinion, and I feel like I’ve definitely observed some of these things.
Gymnastics is both an individual sport and a team sport, as tennis, skiing, golf, etc. can be. The thing with gymnastics is that very, very few boarding schools (any these days?) have a gymnastics team so you could be the best gymnast in the country but if the school doesn’t need that skill, it isn’t going to carry much or any weight in your application. You’re not filling a hole the school needs to fill.
@doschicos VERY. Few gymnastics programs…which buuznkid2 has been concerned about as that is their primary sport. Luckily, kid2 is passionate about other ECs and hopes those will be the fit a school is looking for…and that the gymnastics will show grit and perseverance. Because you are right…it is not a hole the school will need to fill
There are still benefits because it shows that the student has commitment, can receive criticism and make corrections, and is a joiner, to name a few. There are life lessons and skills learned from gymnastics that are applicable in boarding school. Sometimes it can be helpful, in essays or elsewhere on the application, to make those connections for the admissions committee.
(By virtue of their sheer size, A/E also have more alumni singing their praises)
I think kids go to boarding schools for different reason. Some have no opportunity to go to a good school near therm, some want to get away from their parents or environment, some think they are ready for some thing new, some read Harry Potter and have a fantasy of what boarding school will be like, some have been on the boarding school track since birth, etc. I think it is dangerous for you guys to answer and give opinions in absolutes when when it can be unclear what circumstance(s) the questioner could be in…just a thought from reading some of your posts…I think most here have limited qualifications/experiences to justify their comments…sorry dont mean to be direct or mean but I think it was worth stating.
@preppedparent Some people may live their lives in anticipation of their kid going to boarding school or a particular boarding school, and make life decisions in pursuit of that goal. For them, sports may be a means to end.
For what I suspect are many, many more kids, they live their lives loving a sport or sports, and in looking for an opportunity to advance, the sports lead them to a boarding school.
In all likelihood, unless they absolutely love the sport they aren’t going to devote enough time to it to become good enough to be a recruited athlete anyway.And as we agreed before, if you aren’t an impact player your mere participation in a sport is of limit value in admissions.
Actually, no. Many gymnasts successfully transition into diving, which many schools have and few schools have enough divers. Again, though, don’t choose a sport solely with an eye toward BS.
Yes! BS love gymnasst who want to dive! I know of a few that have made that transition as well as synchronized swimmers who join the swim team.
And divers are similarly very desirable to colleges with swim and dive programs.
DC took diving lessons a few years back until I pulled the plugged. It’s scary how close those heads seem to come to the boards… but maybe I should’ve been less of a worry-wart mama!