Choosing to board, and afterthoughts

Hey everybody, so today I’m going to be doing a post on why I chose to go to boarding school, and my feelings about it now.

The main reason I chose to go to boarding school was for the qualification I could take. In the British system, in the last two years of school you either do A levels or the International Baccalaureate. With A levels you get to choose the (usually 4) subjects you want to take, and it is much more specific and tailored to your interests if you are certain of what you want to do later on. With IB on the other hand, you have to take 6 subjects, 3 at higher level and 3 at standard level, within specific categories: first language, second language, maths, a science, a humanity and another. This offers a very broad curriculum but doesn’t allow you to focus on what you are best at and really enjoy.

As I want to study medicine, I had realised a while back that A levels were definitely the better option for me, as I could focus on the sciences and have a better chance of getting accepted into university. The problem was that in Geneva where I live almost all of the schools only offer IB. there is one school that offers A levels but it is very new, and was originally a language school so is not very science-oriented. I visited it and was disappointed by the very poor careers system and academic level so we had to rule it out. Which left only one option: boarding school in England.

In year 10 I went to England twice to visit schools, and saw 6 in total. We had chosen them based on academics mainly, as well as location, and they all happened to be single-sex. Two were immediately ruled out, mainly because I didn’t feel like I would thrive and fit in in the environment there, and because they seemed like it was excessively controlling and strict. This left four to choose from and I narrowed them down to two on the basis of academic level, friendliness of the school, etc. Out of the two, my favourite in terms of ‘feeling’ was the one which was slightly more laid back, relaxed but had slightly lower academic results and not as good a career service.

The other school was much more competitive to get into, with better exam results and an excellent careers service. I liked both very much so applied to them and then started the procedure to try to get accepted. The first school only interviewed; there were no written exams, but they had my previous report cards, and predicted grades for my IGCSEs. In fact, I met with the head of the subjects I wanted to study at A level, and talked with them whilst my mum was present, so it was very informal! Then I had a more formal interview with the headmistress, alone, where she just asked me about myself, my plans etc. They all went very well and a few days later I got an email saying I had been accepted! The real challenge was yet to come though…

For the second school I was also applying for a scholarship (as it is very expensive), so I had to take an exam and do an interview in each subject I was taking, as well as doing a general paper and having an interview with the principal. The two days in which all of this was packed in were tiring and stressful, especially as there were hundreds of girls competing for only 20-30 places available. I didn’t think I’d done well in the maths paper, and was disappointed about that because it’s usually my best subject, but felt I had done reasonably well in the rest. The interviews were also challenging, especially maths as there were 3 of us girls in the room with the teacher, but they were bearable.

With the headmistress, she had given us a list of topics beforehand which we could choose from to talk about, so I had a discussion with her about the imminent American elections and something else I can’t remember. She also asked a bit about me, my hobbies, my future plans etc. and overall the conversation went quite well. Months later, I finally received the results and found out that I had been accepted with a 5% scholarship! I was over the moon, and eventually decided to choose that school as it really set me up better for my future, as it had such an excellent careers service, high academic standards and a good reputation.

So that was it, how I decided to go to boarding school. Although it will be my first time living completely away from my parents, I’ve been all over the world for weeks at a time without them – 2 weeks in Canada several times, 2 weeks in India, 4 weeks in the USA etc. I’m generally a very independent person so I’m not overly worried about being alone although of course I’m sure I’ll feel homesick at some point and miss them.

But do I regret my decision? On the whole, definitely not. I’m going to have much better opportunities academically in England than I could ever have in Geneva, and for that I’m delighted. I love the fact that I’ll be in a house with a bunch of girls my age, hopefully making lots of friends and having loads of fun. However, there are a few downsides. Firstly, my main concern are the restrictions that will be placed on me and all of us girls: when we’re allowed out of the house especially, but the dress code (we have a horrible uniform – another downside) and the ‘no make-up’ rule as well.

It’s really the lack of freedom that bothers me (although in the sixth form students are given more freedom than in the rest of the school), as I fear that everything will be controlled and I won’t be able to make decisions for my own life. Also, I’m worried that as it’s a single-sex school I’ll be bored after 4 years of being in a mixed school, and that socially I won’t really get the whole ‘teenage experience’. I guess this probably sounds superficial but they’re things that worry me – I don’t want to end up at university acting completely socially awkward.

Aside from that though, I’m definitely excited to go, and discover what boarding school is all about. My friends in Geneva tease me that I’m going to ‘finishing school’ and will come back all posh, drinking tea with my pinkie up (I reminded them I don’t like tea) but I’ll do my best to stay the same!

I’m leaving early this Saturday morning, and there’s a two day induction organised for new students on Sunday and Monday, and then lessons start on Tuesday, so I’ll keep you updated as to how it goes!