My Boarding School Blog

The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) showed in their recent post that 8 percent of U.S. Rhodes Scholar recipients are graduates of boarding schools. In the last five years it has reflected that the chances of getting a scholarship in college from a boarding school skyrockets to 3,000%.

Every year the Rhodes Trust awards 82 scholarships and 32 of those goes to Americans. The Rhodes scholarship is a prestigious one that it screens highly qualified applicants that attains exemplary scholastic achievements.

The highly competitive curriculum that most boarding schools offer is the key factor that contributes to the high percentage of scholarships granted to students who had prepared for college through boarding school education. Boarding schools promote an exclusive environment that caters to mold an individual to be ready for college life. With its highly demanding academic curriculum to its highly qualified professors who take part in the learning of students and the overall feel of independency of living away from home and making it on your own has greatly influenced boarding school graduates to their advantage. With this more parents are feeling that they have made the right decision in investing in a boarding school education even with its high price tag.

An important factor to consider as one of the qualification of the Rhodes scholarship is its requirement that an applicant should be truthful, courageous and has a moral force of character that is potential for leading his or her fellow students. Most boarding schools are equipped with the necessary trainings and workshops on instilling camaraderie, leadership and moral responsibility in its students. Aside from teaching academics they are immersed into the values of being responsible, independent, and reliable in their various extracurricular activities.

A graduate from The Hill School in Pennsylvania, who is a recipient of the 2010 Rhodes scholarship, attested that he owes much of what he has to his boarding school experience. Not only did it prepared him for the vast academic curriculum he will be facing in college but rather more of a preparation into the person he needs to become to survive college. The ability to be able to interact closely and work together with colleagues, teachers, staff and administrators and be able to adapt to different cultures, beliefs and values of everyone else without sacrificing individuality is the best lesson in life.

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In these trying times of economic downfall parents have cringed on the thought of boarding schools for their children. Thought of as the school for kids of the rich and famous, boarding schools have become a prestige that only caters to the higher class of the society. You can rub elbows with daughters of prime ministers or sons of the royal family in a high class boarding school.

Many would wonder why some not so rich parents choose to send their kids to boarding school even if this will cost them both an arm and a leg. Perhaps there is more to it than what money can afford.

There are a couple of things to consider when choosing a boarding school that is right for your child. Some things to consider are the following:

Class Size – most boarding schools have smaller classes which enable teachers to fully focus on each student’s strengths and weaknesses. In a smaller class students are encouraged to participate and this foster a bond among classmates. In a public school most classes are cramped and student teacher relationship is not very evident which cause some students to lag behind.

Faculty – Boarding schools take pride in their faculty and staff. They employ the best educators and professors who hold MBAs from prestigious universities.

Renowned facilities – perhaps the most known fact about boarding schools is their state of the art facilities. Cozy dormitories, sports facilities equipped for leisure activities. Vast school grounds where one can get attuned with nature and get motivated to study. Some boarding schools even have in house cafes and restaurants that serve delicacies and delicious cuisines. Truly you get what you pay for.

Academic Curriculum – obviously the very most important consideration among parents and students alike is the competitive academic curriculum that boarding schools offer. They are regarded as ideal preparation for college.

Counseling – Boarding schools offer intensive college counseling in preparation to college application and requirements. Guidance and in depth advise on how to get into the most prestigious universities and colleges will be given.

With all these in mind you can weigh your options on whether you would pursue to enroll in boarding school. You can check The Association of Boarding Schools for further resources on advantages of boarding schools. It is always good to be informed to help you with choices that can determine your child’s success in getting into a good college especially in these trying times.

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American College Testing, most commonly known as ACT is a test designed to measure your capability to take on higher learning. It is characterized as aptitude tests used for screening purposes by most colleges and universities in the United States. The ACT gauges your knowledge and understanding in four areas namely English, Math, Reading and Science. Most colleges will require a good ACT score for admission to their institution.

The goal of taking an ACT exam is to assess a student’s readiness for college. Although ACT scores are sometimes used by the state to measure a school’s performance making it compulsory to all graduating students including those who does not plan on pursuing a college education. The student is tested on four subjects and there is an optional test which focuses on writing.

Scores will range from 1 being the lowest and 36 the highest in every subject. The English exam totals to 75 questions and students are given 45 minutes to complete the section. Questions are divided into two categories, 40 questions pertaining to usage and grammar of the English language while the remaining 35 questions are geared towards the rhetorical skills of the students. Mathematics comprises of 60 questions and given a total of 60 minutes to finish the section. The mathematics section is divided among Elementary Algebra (24 questions), Intermediate Algebra (18 questions) and combination of Trigonometry and Geometry (18 questions). Reading is allotted 35 minutes for 40 questions. Sciences and Social Studies cover 20 questions, and the remaining 20 evolves around Arts and Literature. Science covers 40 questions with only 35 minutes to answer.

What scores does a student need in order to gain admission to a prestigious college or university may depend on the standards of a particular educational institution. The highest score for ACT is 36 which can be very hard to achieve. Most universities consider an ACT score of 27 as satisfactory but other factors come into play such as:

• The national rank of other students who took the test showing where a student ranks among other test takers. An ACT score of 27 will not be sufficient enough if there are many of students who got the same average out of the whole population who took the exam.
• Scores on individual subjects are also evaluated to determine a student’s areas of improvement and which subjects they are more likely to excel in.
• High school records and school extracurricular activities.

ACT scores can also help in qualification for a scholarship grant that can be hard to achieve especially if there are many qualified applicants. ACT score is not the only ticket you’ll need to get into a good college you will still have to work on everything else to be rightfully given the chance to pursue higher education in a prestigious and renowned college or university.

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After high school graduation and all the partying has subsided and the time comes for you to take on the next level you find yourself a bit lost on the path you are headed to. Most American students face the same feeling right after graduating from high school, well for those who didn’t prepare thoroughly at least, finding the right college or university can be difficult when you are unprepared.

In the United States there are a lot of colleges and universities to choose from but not everyone can gain easy admission especially for the most prestigious ones like Harvard University, Yale and Princeton University. These top notch educational institutions are very selective and only highly qualified students are admitted.

It would be best to list a number of choices to be able to have a back up if in case you don’t get to the first few ones on top of your list. Prepare this list way before you graduate preferably a year from your graduation because the usual processing time for college applications take around 10 to 15 months.

The most important thing to assess before going through the process of selecting the right college or university for you is to choose what career or type of degree you want to take. Higher education is the key principle that will most likely determine what you are going to be as an independent adult. Higher education or a college degree is very useful in landing a job that can pay for the lifestyle you want to achieve in the future whether you plan on becoming a successful entrepreneur or a family man capable of providing for a family. A college degree will also add to your market value when you decide to become employed and join top ranking companies worldwide. Knowing your desired course or degree will be helpful in choosing the right school for you that can offer the best learning experience in the subject matter that you would want.

The next steps would be to assess the different factors that can contribute to your school selection like costs, location, environment, housing arrangements and school curriculum. These are all important factors to evaluate in choosing the right college or university. Are you thinking of living in a dorm? Are you comfortable in a sub urban community or do you want hustle and bustle of the city? Try to narrow your list down to those colleges and universities that best suits your needs and most of your wants because once you’ve made a decision you’ll be spending almost 4 to 5 years of your life there. It would be nice to have pleasant memories of your college experience to tell to your kids when you grow old.

Gather resources and inquire among friends regarding their experiences in their own college and university to gain enough knowledge on what it will feel like. You can go online and check out websites like Petersons, National Center for Education Statistics and University of North Texas.

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Technology has certainly changed the way the world works. It has greatly influenced the various aspects of life and redefined our day to day living. Without a doubt, technology plays a critical role in our lives. Thanks to technology, many tedious tasks have become easily performed through automation. A lot of complex and critical processes can now be performed with ease and efficiency. The fields of education and industry are no exception. They have undergone a major change and surely have changed for the better.

Technology, particularly the arrival of personal computers and the Internet have revolutionized education. It has made it easier for the teachers to supply knowledge and for the students to understand it.

Computers have interactive audio-visual media. PowerPoint presentations and animation software programs can be utilized to render information. These result in inviting a larger attention from the students. These software programs can also serve as visual aids to the teachers. These audio-visual teaching techniques have brought about significant improvements in student attendance and concentration. Interactive media have proven to be helpful in enhancing the concentration of students.

The Internet is a huge information base. This could be one of the most effective tools in acquiring knowledge. All the students need to have is a search engine where they can type in their search queries. There are loads of different websites and web directories that offer information on a wide variety of subjects.

Today, computer education is a part of our school and college curricula. The wide range of different applications and computer programs has made it necessary for almost all of the students to become knowledgeable about these programs. Considering the advantages, it’s critical that every student at least have the basic knowledge in operating the Internet and different computer programs.

Technology has also given birth to online education and distance learning. Today, students do not necessarily require being physically present in classrooms. Many educational organizations offer online courses. Majority of the schools and colleges have online facilities where the students can perform and submit their assignments. There are universities that have programs that allow students and teachers interact with one another and access different reference materials via the Internet.

The importance of the computer and Internet technology in education cannot be stressed enough. The introduction of computer technology and the Internet in the educational field has made the process of learning and teaching an interactive and exciting activity. Computer and the Internet technology is indeed two of the most greatest inventions of mankind.

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