<p>I’ve already been accepted and have agreed to go to a boarding school back east (Saint Andrews), and while I’m 99% positive I’m going to end up going there next year, I’m still kind of nervous. My friends mom, (who went to Saint Paul) felt like she grew up too quickly at the school, and kind of missed out on being a free spirited highschool teen. Although she loved the school, she felt that when she went to college, she was the only person who didnt feel like it was a big adjustment. I love Saint Andrews, and I think it will be a fantastic experiece, but I just want to make sure that I’m not going to rush into adulthood prematurely. I’m not ready to leave my childhood behind me. Will boarding school make me grow up to fast?</p>
<p>Yes, but no. I don’t think you should look at it as “growing up too fast” but more like “maturing faster than your peers”. Growing up can be a good thing, rite? Boarding school is different, and has its cons, but for a lot of people, the pros of going to an amazing school out weigh the cons. :)</p>
<p>Here’s my opinion (rant): the whole carefree teen thing is wildly overrated and really a very recent and, I think, not so healthy phenomenon. We take young adults who are at the height of their energy, promise, and idealism, full of physical vigor, with brains growing a mile a minute and hungry to be fed–but with their judgment centers NOT yet developed…</p>
<p>We take the people most in need of rich fertilizer and water, and we stunt their growth by dumbing down curriculum and calling it AP; by making it clear through the media that popularity with peers and romantic, usually sexual, relationships are the ultimate goal; by putting way too much pressure on athletes to feed our own parental egos; and generally by containing you all in a meaningless bubble that we call “carefree teen” years. And, in reality, of course, many, many kids–who aren’t smart or pretty or athletic or popular enough-- suffer greatly because of this “ideal.”</p>
<p>What teenagers really need, I think are days full of good, challenging, meaningful, sometimes exhausting work and play. And they need to know that what they’re doing matters to more than just their peers and parents–that they are getting what they need to make a difference in the near future. </p>
<p>Boarding school is not the only way to do that, of course–and they’re not immune from all the negative stuff above–but good boarding schools like SAS are after something better. They won’t make you grow up too fast, but they won’t hold you back from growing up either–from growing fully into yourself.</p>
<p>Boarding school is such a great opportunity…growing up too fast doesn’t apply when you’re surrounded by kids in the same predicament. At Saint Andrews, you will be with so many other kids that will be carrying the same academic challenge as you. I think that you would mature faster, which means that you can become a well-developed, capable person who knows their limits. Boarding school is really a journey about discovering who you are, and I’d certainly regret it if I didn’t take that opportunity. As lexie said, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Once you get on the BS road, you won’t look back.</p>
<p>You may fast occasionally, and for various reasons, but most humans need sustanance to(o) survive so fif expects you to have a long and happy life.</p>
<p>darn it!! FiF beat me to it!!!</p>
<p>Wow. And I even replicated the fast, if not the to, in my response. Writing too…er…quickly I guess.</p>
<p>It is the beginning of Holy Week, after all. What better time to fast?</p>
<p>hatedecisions, while the whole “carefree youth” thing may be appealing, it is also outdated. The truth is that being laissez faire about your future may be developmentally appropriate, but it is probably not realistic given the global economy and cuts to public schools. Modern technology has made my child’s transition to the east much easier. And remember, cold feet are normal :)</p>
<p>Hatedecisions, I don’t see many “free spirited high school teens” in this generation, whether they attend public or private schools. The college admissions process has made it very rare for a college-bound kid to be without worries. </p>
<p>I think there may be a bit of “the grass is always greener” in your mother’s impressions of her time at St. Paul’s. It’s impossible to know what might have been. If you attend boarding school, you will have less freedom, but more responsibility. If you stay home, living away from home for the first time in college will be exciting. If you go to boarding school, it will be old hat. Make the choice which is best for you.</p>
<p>Aren’t we all free spirited by nature?</p>