Boarding Schools

[borut16]

Hey,

my best friend may be going to a boarding school for 2 years and coming home in the holidays but she's not sure what to expect or anything.

So, I'm asking you all now if any of you have ever gone to a boarding school?
What's it like?
What to expect?

I bet she'll be thankful for any help, so please reply if any of you know anything!

Love,
Borut

[dhs]

I went to one, but experiences vary from school to school. I bitched and moaned the whole way through as your life is planned down to the minute each day between class, sports, formal meals etc - just very structured. However, once I graduated I recognized that it was a fantastic experience. Its a tough grind do to the structure, many don't make it through and many end up dropping out of college after there first year as going from complete structure to complete freedom tends to make one go a bit nuts on the partying.

[dspiel]

For some, it's like a small college...total freedom, independence, etc. For others it can be tough. Many boarding schools are very small. It means you really can't escape from people, everything is public knowledge, you can't hope to lose someone in a crowd of a few thousand other students.
Some boarding schools really make things feel like family... small houses as residences so people bond really closely. Other places it's dorms. It all depends on the school. Boarding school can be really good, but it has to be what you want, you want a good fit to your academic and social interests.
It also depends where you are from... for some people, boarding school is essentially their only shot at a good education.