In The Pandemic: Parents' Concerns About Boarding School

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned all of our lives upside down. This is especially true when it comes to international students planning to attend private school in the United States for academic year 2020-2021 and 2021-2022.

What is different about obtaining student visas in 2020?

In normal times, the admissions process for international students contained many steps and was complicated by the additional requirement of obtaining a student visa. Here is what the Department of State has to say about student visas:

Student Acceptance at a SEVP Approved School

The first step is to apply to a SEVP-approved school in the United States. After the SEVP-approved school accepts your enrollment, you will be registered for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and must pay the SEVIS I-901 fee. The SEVP-approved school will issue you a Form I-20. After you receive the Form I-20 and register in SEVIS, you may apply at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate for a student (F or M) visa. You must present the Form I-20 to the consular officer when you attend your visa interview.

What about traveling to the United States?

What's causing problems for families planning for academic year 2020-2021 is travel. Depending on the country your child is coming from, he can expect to be quarantined, and possibly even denied admission. If I were a foreign national sending my child to the United States, I would not send him alone. I would

When we sent our daughters off to boarding school in the 80s, our biggest concern was whether they would be homesick and unhappy. We had carefully chosen the schools that they attended. We were confident that they were well-run schools where our girls would be safe and receive an excellent education. Fast-forward to the summer of 2020. If I were sending my children off to boarding school during the COVID-19 pandemic, I would be asking many questions. So, let's you and I look at some of the issues that should concern us as parents during this dreadful pandemic. Because the pandemic is so dynamic, be prepared for frequent updates and last-minute changes to previously-announced protocols and instructions.

How will the school communicate with us?

If you paid your deposit in April and your child is scheduled to begin classes in September, expect the school to be sending you regular updates about its plans for reopening. Most schools will explain in great detail how they propose to reopen in accordance with federal, state, and local guidelines and directives. You must understand that the situation is fluid. The school can only open when it complies with all the directives authorities have put in place. For example, if there is a surge in local infections, the opening of school may be postponed until the local infections subside to a safe level.

In addition to parents' emails, most schools will use their websites to describe the measures they are taking to

Curious about boarding schools for younger students, i.e., students in middle school, as opposed to high-school-aged children? Then, explore the possibilities which junior boarding schools offer. Junior boarding schools come in two flavors: schools that have no upper or high school and those which provide both an upper school and a residential component for students in the middle school years.

Wondering whether a junior boarding school right for your child? Honestly, it probably is. But you will never know until you explore the idea thoroughly. Tune out the negative things you have read about boarding schools. After all, the media tends to focus on sensational stories that hardly show boarding schools as they really are. Go and see for yourself. A quick call or an email is all it takes to make an appointment for a visit.

The other consideration that keeps many parents from even considering a boarding school education is the cost. Most schools have very generous financial aid programs. The admissions staff at any boarding school will be only too happy to explain how financial aid works. Read Why Consider Boarding School for more information about other suggestions as to why a boarding school education might be the right solution for your child.

https://www.boardingschoolreview.com/blog/why-consider-boarding-school

These schools in New England that are members of the Junior Boarding School Association offer only the lower grades:

1. The Bement School
2. Cardigan Mountain School
3. Eaglebrook School
4. Fay School

Many students from countries outside the United States want to attend American boarding schools. According to The Association of Boarding Schools, international students make up about 15% of the student population in American boarding schools. It is essential to know that international students applying to an American boarding school deal with several additional steps in the admissions process.

Because many applicants live far from the schools they would like to visit, American boarding schools have devised ways to let parents and potential students experience the schools, their communities, and their programs. For example, if you live in Asia or Europe, visiting American schools in person is not always financially or logistically possible. So, what alternatives exist for those situations? There are several. Off-campus, school visits come in a couple of flavors. Since boarding school admissions staff have years of experience recruiting and admitting students from countries outside the United States, you will be able to get answers to all your questions and concerns. Decades of experience back up those answers. With that in mind, let's see how the overseas recruiting and admissions process to American boarding schools works.

Admissions Staff Visits Overseas

Many boarding schools send their admissions staff overseas to major cities in countries where they have a substantial applicant pool. Ask for details of visits in your area. While you will have to rely on school videos and web presentations of school life and activities, at