Congratulations! So you have officially been accepted to the boarding school of your choice. You are likely feeling all kinds of emotions: proud, excited, maybe a little nervous. You might not know what to expect or know how to prepare yourself for this new experience… but luckily, I have some tips to help you with the transition to your new boarding school.
This first set of tips is all about what you can do over the summer to get ready.
Get to know other incoming students
- If you can, contact your future roommate. This is a perfect opportunity to make a first friend, and you’ll have someone to talk to about how excited you are.
- If you haven’t been assigned a roommate yet, you may know some other incoming freshman/new students from tour weekends. You can also keep in contact with them. You also might not know anyone—that’s totally fine too!
Get ready for the big move-in day
- Moving in to your new dorm at boarding school can be a lot like moving to college. This will be a little different from your room at home. Your dorm room will probably be smaller (which means you can’t take everything), you’ll most likely have at least one roommate, and there are likely restrictions on what you can or cannot bring (candles, microwaves, etc. your school will provide you with this info).
- Here’s a link to a previous post I made that includes a sample packing list you can use to guide you (Link). This is a very basic list, but good to reference. My advice is that if your parents are in contact with other parents who have children who already attend the school, they can ask them what students “actually need to bring”.
Prepare for new classes
- Register for your new classes and take the necessary placement tests. Be honest on those placement tests! Even if you may want to be in a higher level math class, for example, you may not be ready for that material—and the last thing you want is to be struggling your first semester because you were placed in the wrong class. Your boarding school’s curriculum will not be like your old school, so there’s a chance you may have to re-take certain classes, while other classes you may be able to skip ahead.
Enjoy your last few months at home
- Have a fun summer with your friends! Even if you aren’t the type to get “homesick”, there will probably be a few things you’ll miss about your hometown. Go to your favorite restaurants, spend time with your family… you’ll have great memories to look back on when you’re away from home!
- Get all necessary contact information from your friends & family. Phone numbers, emails, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, whatever you need to be able to keep in touch. You’ll be leaving home to have an amazing one-of-a-kind experience… but you don’t want to forget home either :)
