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!