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The Pivotal Decision
Jill Rachlin Marbaix
05/03/2004
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TOP VIEW
Few factors affect the future happiness and well being of our
children as does the school in which they absorb knowledge, values and social
mores. Finding the school that can cultivate the type of person we want our
child to become, and gaining their admission to it, is among our most crucial
goals as parents. To ascertain whether the match is the right one, we must first
understand our child’s individual needs. |
However,
children eager to spread their wings may thrive in a boarding-school
environment. “Boarding schools are more diverse and less conservative places
than people think,” says Javier Colayo, a graduate of Northfield Mount Hermon
and founder of BoardingSchoolReview.com, a Web site that offers information
about all types of boarding schools. “They’re not closed, oppressive societies.
I found that most boarding school kids are happier than public school kids—it
lets you explore new things.” Also, in this age of e-mail and cell phones, no
student has to feel as if his parents have shipped him off to the ends of the
earth.
Admitting Challenges
With our list of top choices in hand, our next
challenge is to navigate the admissions process. Phyllis Myers, an education
consultant in Winnetka, Ill., suggests using the “two, two, and two” approach
that many families employ for college applications. She recommends we apply to
two schools we believe will accept our child, two that we are fairly sure he or
she will get into, and two that are on our wish list. Once we have received
acceptance letters, we should re-examine the list and our criteria, and then
choose our favorite.
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