private school, or public school??

Question

I have been accepted at a private bording school (high school), that is 3 hours away from where i live, It costs 38,000$ to go but i have been offered scholarships on the basis of hockey and acedemics that have drastically reduced the cost. So my parents can afford to send me but i was wondering what other people thought about public schools vs private bording schools?... also i'm only 14 and moving away from home would be a huge step for me... should i do it? If you play on their hockey team almost every player gets a full ride scholarship to an american university(which would get me closer to my dream of playing in the olympics) am i sacraficing too much for my hockey career? .. also are kids at private schools alot smarter than kids at public schools? will the work be harder?

Answer 1

I think you're asking very specific questions here, that can really only be answered by doing a few things. I have 2 children, 1 is in an independent private school (day only), the other attends our local public school. Both children do very well in their school environments. My daughter HATED public school with a passion--she's very quick minded, learns very quickly, and got so bored with public school that she was aquiring some very bad habits. So, we found a college prep private school that is known to be academically rigorous--it's a perfect fit for her. Her class sizes are small (8-10 students usually max), she knows her teachers very well, and they know her very well. She's going to be a senior in HS this year--and has been there since 7th grade. The students at her school are, by and large, fairly bright kids--this school attracts the kids who learn quickly (class material is taught at an accelerated pace), and who score quite well on national standardized tests. Each year, the senior class usually has at least 1 student who receives perfect scores on the SAT or ACT--the rest obviously do very well as well. My son loves his school as well, he's going in 7th grade. He participates in band (which my daughter's school doesn't even offer), he enjoys many different classes that my daughter's school doesn't offer (because of the smaller student body), he has many friends all of whom live close by (my daughter's friends are spread out all over our metro area).

Private schools each target a certain population that they want attending there, and will hand pick the students they want--they can do that--that's why they're private. Some will focus on academics, others on performing arts, and others on athletics. I'm not saying that the schools that focus on things other than academics will be an inferior education adademically--some may, some may not. The only way for you to know if the student body is "smarter" and the classwork is harder is for you to visit the school yourself--during a school day and actually attend classes. Most private schools all but require a visit before they will admit a new student.

Whether or not you should move away from home at such a young age is a decision that should be made by you, and your parents. None of us here can help you with that one. Same goes for the question of are you sacrificing too much for hockey--if it's something you love, and playing in the olympics is a goal you have, then you're going to have to make some sacrifices to achieve that goal. People don't get to that level in any field by not sacrificing--usually their free time. If you're willing to do that, and it's not a sacrifice to you, then by all means go for it! But know that it's going to be hard, hard work, and you won't have your parents around for backup. You will get homesick. I know I couldn't have moved away from home at 14, nor could either of my children. Heck, my husband and I are worried about our daughter going to college next year, and she'll be 18!

Best of luck to you in making this decision. The best advise I can give you is to listen to your gut--what your gut tells you is right is usually right on. Rarely have I gotten in trouble when I followed my intuition, it's when I ignore what my gut and mind are telling me that I usually find my self regretting my decision.

Answer 2

Can I just say something...I went to private school for 8 years. I hated every year of it. The teachers weren't even teachers. They were rude and mean. I'm not speaking for all private schools, do realize. But after I went to public my grades went up so much. Last year, my GPA was over 3.5. But if you are serious about going to a private school, check the school's website. Find out about their academics and see if there is any feedback about the school. But at 14, I think you should stick with public. Save the private stuff for college.

Answer 3

I've been going to a private school my whole life. It's a much better environment. Going to a public school raises the chance of drugs, abuse, sex, violence, etc... I don't think a boarding school is so great though. You live far away from family, and the environment changes. People that go to private schools are sometimes smarter, but it depends on how hard the kid works to be smart. But it's your decision...

Answer 4

the kids at private schools arent necessarily smarter but they are more stuck up. We have a huge private school in my area (hotchkiss) and my friend was forced to transfer from public to private by her mom. She hates it, they put limitations on you. The only plus is that she thinks she'll get into a better college but lately, there have been articles about colleges accepting more public schools then private. Honestly, I would go for private, not only do you get more freedom but its the same education , if not better because private school teachers arnt required to get their masters where public school teachers are.

Answer 5

You are fourteen and your parents are willing to let YOU decide if you go to the private school?

GO and do what you are told.

I went to private boarding school and was very glad of the lessons I learned there. Lessons that were both academic (super high standards of teaching and of learning), and 'life lessons' (integrity in all matters, aiming high in order to achieve, stuff like that.)

You should certainly shoot for the private education. You will not regret it, whether you 'enjoy' the years or not. Must enjoyment be our ruler these days? I hope not.

Answer 6

I think you would have some wonderful memories and it would be a great opportunity for you. I went to a private Christian school and a lot of the kids were very judgmental, just to warn you.

Answer 7

I was exactly the same age when I was sent to boarding school, only mine was 1500 miles away from home...you're lucky, since you can have weekends at home. I only got to go home at Christmas...and spent T'giving with my ancient great-aunt/uncle down state. As I recall, the classes were a lot smaller than in my public highschool--more attention is paid to you and the work you do, you'll be amazed at the difference. Our "house rules" were pretty weird by today's standards--had to dress for dinner, had to sign out and sign in if you left campus after school to go to the shops or a movie, mandatory chapel every morning, and mandatory church attendance ["church parade" it was called] on Sundays. I was horrible at all sports, so became a scorekeeper, equipment 'manager', etc. Thanks to the older brother of one of my chums, I was able to smuggle beer in once in a while. In those days smoking was considered cool, so we used to smoke out on the roof by climbing the fire-escape ladders. We had dances with partners from another private school [they came in on their schoolbus, lots of giggling] and were taken to Cultural Improvement stuff like opera, concerts, museums and the like. In OUR schoolbus, and the driver let us smoke in the back of the bus. Don't ask about the food, OK? Have no idea to this day where the cooks found those elderly hens they used to fix for Sunday dinners...to say nothing of the all-cardboard piecrusts, overboiled brussels sprouts and watery potatoes. Arrrgh.

Bottom line: it will be a super experience, quite different from public school and will 'round you out' as far as your future academic plans might be. Lucky you with your sports skills; you can build from there...along with Super Grades, right?

Answer 8

I think that you should go with the private school. Of course, you won't experience the things that you would in a public school, but you will most likely learn more than you would in a public school!Also, it would be a good oppertunity. However, its not my choice... it's yours; but thats just my opinion!