How College Admissions Officers View Boarding School Applicants

College admissions officers won’t go on record as preferring one school over another in the competitive college admissions process, but take a look at what boarding schools have going for them and the advantage seems clear.

Pre-Qualified Applicants

Students who demonstrated they had the academic record, test scores, teacher recommendations and outside interests impressive enough to gain admittance to a competitive boarding school are likely to have similar results when they apply to college, assuming they continue to perform well. In effect, boarding schools help identify students most likely to succeed - anywhere, making the admissions process less of a nail-biter for many boarding school stars.

Long-Standing Relationships with College Admissions Departments

Boarding schools responsible for training many of the nation’s past and current leaders often have collegial, if not downright friendly, relationships with top colleges. They know each other, respect each other and recognize the standards required to succeed at both types of institutions are quite similar. Which is why it is often common for Ivy league colleges to accept a large percentage of qualified boarding school graduates.

Excellent College Counseling Departments

Another advantage that boarding school students have is access to veteran college counselors, who are employed by the school to assist them with the admissions process. Not only do they help students identify colleges that are a good fit with their record of achievement, but they will lobby admissions officers on behalf of a particular student. Couple access to knowledgeable college counselors with the backing of the teachers in the close-knit community boarding schools are known for and you have a student with an excellent shot at nearly any college he or she wants to attend.

Strong Reputation

Even at boarding schools without the centuries-old ties to top colleges there is still a level of prestige that college admissions teams can’t ignore. The experience of living away from home, assuming personal responsibility for studying and time management and achieving top grades frequently earns the respect of college admissions departments. It also sets boarding school students apart from traditional day students at public and private schools who are still living at home.

Earning admission to boarding school sets students on a path to some of the nation’s most elite colleges. And while there is no guarantee of admission, it is quite common for boarding school graduates to continue on to colleges and universities of equal caliber.

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