The Foreign Service Journal, December 2014

84 DECEMBER 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT His point of view is an interesting one, but not that unique: he loves the personal independence he has found in boarding school, but at the same time he misses some of the freedoms of life at home. “My days are structured and busy,” he notes, “but in my free time, I can hang out with my friends, work out in the tness center, go on weekend shopping trips and to dances at other schools.” In an exhaustive study of boarding school students, graduates and their parents, TABS found that 87 percent of boarding school alumni report being “very well prepared” for college. In addition, the study found that boarding school students spent twice as much time outside of class with teachers and coaches than did students in public schools. Special Features and Services Not surprisingly, 86 percent of board- ing school students report being “very satis ed” with their family lives, even though they did not live at home. Clearly, the sense of community, the academic rigor and the dedication of the adults in boarding schools are all valuable. Schools that are primarily board- ing institutions will tend to o er more features and services for students whose parents live far away. An international student o ce, or a dean charged with boarding student management, is deci- sive in creating and maintaining pro- grams that are important to a boarder. Weekend activities, health care, supervision, dormitory and food all head the list of topics of interest for board- ing students, but especially for those for whom the campus is their home away from home. When Samantha arrived at board- ing school, she was uncertain about how—and even whether—the “day” students (those who live locally, and do