<p>I am interested to hear that all the big name schools in America are academically selective, something almost unheard of where I live. In my country (due mainly to the economic downturn) most well-known private schools (day/boarding/day and boarding) don’t select student based on academic ability. If you can pay you can come. </p>
<p>So, assuming that all kids on this forum of CC are academically able, would you consider a school that doesn’t select based on academic ability but still charges high fees? My school’s academic results are some of the best in my country, but we don’t stream/set classes and every class is a mix of genius, clever, average, “at least they try” and “how are they still breathing?” </p>
<p>Really what I’m asking is, is academic selectivity something you look for in a school, or just a reality in the current market?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t. We live in a decent school district, so when it comes to DD’s future boarding school apps, we’re going big or staying home.</p>
<p>Academic selectivity is a huge factor when considering what schools are at the top. I only applied to schools which were very selective, since these schools also have various course offerings. IMO I wouldn’t go to a boarding school halfway across the country if it weren’t academically selective.</p>
<p>There are different reasons a family may choose boarding school. It’s not just academics:
[Types</a> of Boarding Schools | BoardingSchoolReview.com](<a href=“Types of Boarding Schools”>Types of Boarding Schools)</p>
<ul>
<li>College-Preparatory (i.e. “Prep Schools”): the type of school most discussed here</li>
<li>Military: emphasis on military discipline/structure</li>
<li>Pre-professional arts: training for artists/dancers/musicians
<ul>
<li>Religious: emphasis on spiritual growth </li>
</ul></li>
<li>Therapeutic: for “struggling” teens</li>
</ul>
<p>Here’s an article about families from China that did not get the type of BS they expected in the U.S.
<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?;
<p>GMT, that article about the Chinese families… wow. </p>
<p>Also, I guess I meant college-prep schools (or at least, not specialised towards therapy, learning disabilities, etc, which obviously are not academically selective in the conventional sense), but thanks for pointing out that there is more to the BS world than just Prep schools.</p>
<p>I suppose what I’m surprised at is that the general feeling I’ve experienced (not just with CC, but with most international families) is that you need all new students to be on a high starting platform in order to graduate with good grades.</p>
<p>FutureExonian: did you mean only the selective schools offered the courses you wanted? </p>
<p>I definitely understand wanting to go to, or send your child to, an academically selective school though. I’m in the process of applying myself.</p>
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<p>Other posters point out that there are kids with lower than average stats who are admitted into very academically selective schools. And these kids in the “stretch” school end up doing just fine. </p>
<p>My feeling on this as a int’l parent sitting an ocean apart from the school, is that I would not put my child in a school I thought was a “stretch”, no matter how prestigious the name. As it is not logistically feasible for int’l parents to come to the school every weekend to address “issues”, the child should be in an environment where there is a high likelihood the child will thrive emotionally/socially and excel academically, and not simply get by. </p>
<p>The child will need good grades to jump through the hoops in the university admissions circus.</p>
<p>Aniseed Lollies: Yeah, that’s what I meant. Schools like HADES and GLADCHEMMS have a variety of classes (Capitalism and its Critics, Modern India, etc…) that I found really interesting. I haven’t done much research on non-selective schools that might have these courses…so this is just my opinion :)</p>
<p>I most likely wouldn’t. That’s because I’m applying to boarding schools for many reasons, one of them being the academics. Since that’s the main reason for applying, if a school doesn’t offer an extensive course selection and challenging classes, then I wouldn’t apply. I feel like I would then be able to receive the same thing at my local high school without my parents having to pay the expensive tuition and boarding fee.</p>
<p>All good points, and I agree with where you’re coming from, GMTplus7, that makes a lot of sense. </p>
<p>So the general consensus is that if a prep school is not academically selective, the education you’ll receive is not as academically challenging as at a selective prep school?</p>
<p>@AniseedLollies,</p>
<p>I forgot to mention another dimension that may steer int’l parents from a selective BS: English. </p>
<p>Some parents simply want to improve their child’s English proficiency. In my S’s previous int’l school, it was not uncommon for parents to enroll their child for a couple of years to improve English, then send child back to home country to graduate.</p>
<p>People have very different definitions of “academically selective”, For a lot of people on CC, everything else besides Andover & Exeter is not academically selective…</p>
<p><a href=“http://matriculationstats.org/boarding-school-stats[/url]”>http://matriculationstats.org/boarding-school-stats</a>
All the school on this list are academically selective and probably have much more impressive college matriculation stats than the schools the applicants presently attend.</p>
<p>There are many excellent boarding schools in the US. Any of the top 50 in Boarding School Review will have advanced/AP/IB tracks. It would not be a bad thing to be a top student in these schools, be able to enjoy extracurriculars and find leadership roles. Consultants recommend picking a school where you be a top 1/3 student, so you will have a very strong college application. I know several families whose children were accepted to Andover and Exeter but chose somewhat less competitive schools like Kent, Loomis or Mercersburg, and are EXTREMELY HAPPY there.</p>
<p>For particular interests (equestrian, fencing, dancing come to mind) you could easily expand your interest to schools outside the top 50. </p>
<p>I will share the story of my daughter’s first year roommate at a HADES school, who was from an Asian country. The adjustment to US life, away from family, with very rigorous academics in English, was extremely difficult for her. She is a smart girl. She got Ds in many classes. This was extremely demoralizing for everyone. Those grades can never be removed from her transcript.</p>
<p>Do not underestimate the academic and social pressure at boarding prep schools.</p>
<p>Well, if you’re accepted, you’re expected to be able to do the work. Which leads me into thinking those Ds are the result of her slacking off and/or psychological shock of some sorts. That is NOT to say students at BS don’t get bad grades; getting Ds, however, is a rarity. Most students, if qualified enough academically to be accepted, will manage to get at least Bs if they work reasonably hard.</p>
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<p>Grade “compression” is a real problem in the elite schools. When hardly anyone gets below a B, getting a B vs. a B+ will dramatically impact class ranking and could mean the difference between being in the mid-third vs. being in the lower third of the class.</p>
<p>^^I think it’s a total fudge to say kids don’t get Ds at prep schools. Of COURSE they do, they just don’t get those grades and stay. The question of attrition is a real one, and schools are very cagey about answering it openly, sometimes because it’s disciplinary issues, but also sometimes because their AO made a bad choice, and sometimes because kids and their families realized they were in the bottom quartile at the school and decided the money and grind weren’t worth it. If you look at the low-end schools on HADES acceptance lists and begin to see that your child is headed there…well, that may change your mind about the investment.</p>
<p>I never said kids don’t get Ds at prep schools. It’s just rare.</p>
<p>Agree Ds are rare, and usually lead to “not invited to return” unless turned around in the next term. </p>
<p>Usually a poor grade is a clear message to dig in to the work, and may be highly effective. </p>
<p>Help for the academic struggling student in boarding school is impressive, ranging from peer tutoring to extra help from teachers, to rigorous tutoring and counseling. There are study skills and time management classes, and active interventions from advisors and the dean of academics, including structured quiet study time. </p>
<p>Those students who cannot bring up their grades despite the resources available are probably better off in another school setting.</p>