美国寄宿高中申请指导-新东方前途出国

北野山中学：我们想看到同学们最真实的一面，他们的兴趣爱好，以及1- 2个有深度的课外活动。我们想了解同学们的追求，以及他们在校面临过哪些挑战，以及他们如何克服这些挑战。

泰博学院：我们大约会面试1000多个学生。如果那些面试答案听起来像排练过的，那么我们就很难真正的了解这个学生。我们想看到有个性的学生，而不是给出一些迎合我们招生官喜好的回答。

卢米斯查菲学校：有一次我跟一位五年级的学生聊天，我问他，“你的爱好是什么？”他说自己喜欢计算机，的确我听到很多次“计算机”，但是我却没有从中感受到他具体做了哪些与这份爱好相关的事情。但当我问他课余时间喜欢做什么事情的时候，他说自己喜欢看书，他告诉我为什么喜欢《阿特米斯》，克莱夫·斯特普尔斯·刘易斯，《指环王》等，这是一次令人记忆深刻的对话。

波特女子高中：同学们需要弄清楚自己选择这所学校的原因。面试的时候，他们需要说明自己为什么适合这个学校。

 

家长参与面试是否可以给面试加分？家长一定要参加面试吗？

布莱尔学院：至少需要有一位家长在场，最好爸爸妈妈都能在。学生和家长的面试会分开进行。

泰博学院：我们也会给家长面试，因为我想通过家长更多地了解申请者，毕竟他们是最了解孩子的。还有很重要的一点是，让家长也了解我们，从而放心的把孩子交给我们。

波特女子高中：我们想了解申请者的家庭关系以及教育模式，之后我们也可以尽量以相同的方法教育他们，这对学校的发展十分重要。

 

学生是否有必要寻找顾问帮助自己申请？

北野山中学：我们认为顾问在其中扮演的角色非常重要。申请寄宿高中的过程相当复杂，顾问可以在其中给予非常大的帮助。跟升学指导顾问维持长期良好的关系对于我们的录取工作也十分有意义。我们也想知道这些申请者到底是跟哪些机构进行合作的。这样我们可以联系这些机构，以便更加全面地了解申请人和他们的家庭，甄选出最适合我们学校的学生，也可以把其他学生推荐给别的更适合他们的寄宿高中。

卢米斯查菲学校：如果你对寄宿高中还一知半解，甚至完全不知道申请过程，那么这些机构可以帮到你，省去你很多麻烦。

康科德学院：这当然不是必须的。但是，找一家专业的升学指导机构合作，对你的申请一定大有帮助，因为美国有那么多学校，他们知道这些学校的特点分别是什么，他们也了解你，了解你的家庭，了解你的兴趣，他们可以帮助你们选择更加适合自己的学校。我们作为美国寄宿高中的代表十分清楚中国哪些教育机构是靠谱的。找一家值得信赖的教育机构十分重要。

 

中国家长看重美高的排名，你们怎么看待学校排名这个问题？

泰博学院：目前寄宿高中的排名都不是很全面。

布莱尔学院：当你看排名的时候，你需要了解哪些排名的参考因素是什么。如果你仅仅是想知道有多少学生进入常春藤等名校的话，这很简单。但是两个学校一定要比谁更好的话，这真的很难。会给寄宿高中排名的那些人通常只是想挣钱而已。

 

中国家长选择美高，有一部分意在爬藤，你们学校会帮助学生实现这个愿望吗？

 

布莱尔学院：常春藤学校就像是运动会，所有的学校都被分在一组相互竞争。但事实上，这里有很多非常春藤学校也很不错。同学们在选择学校的时候，可以看看这些学校的毕业生最后都去了哪些研究生院。顶尖的研究生院招收的学生来自各个学校，远远不止常春藤的毕业生。

波特女子高中：我们的目标不应该是进入常春藤学校，而是选择最适合自己的学校。排名不是全部，适合自己的才是最好的。

卢米斯查菲学校：我们一般会帮这类想进入常春藤学校的学生做两件事情。第一，我们会打击他们；第二，我们帮助他们克服这些困难，打造一份极具竞争力的申请简历。

 

回想一下，10年前，有多少中国学生在美国留学？

 

人数一定会比现在低很多。我和我夫人最后都拒绝了常春藤的录取。随着中国家庭越来越了解美国的教育体制，他们对美国的精英院校一定会有新的认识，所以这类就排名论的观念终会消亡。

布莱尔学院：今年，我们这儿最棒的一位中国学生最终选择了美国顶尖的文理学院，史瓦兹摩尔，但那些稍逊色于他的学生却去了哥大和康奈尔。

北野山中学：常春藤意味着“精选”。史瓦兹摩尔是一个，安姆赫斯特学院、威廉姆斯学院、芝加哥大学都是。随着中国家庭越来越了解美国的教育形式，他们会开始重新审视“精选”的意思。GPA和标化考试成绩没法保证你一定可以被斯坦福或者常春藤录取。所以，还是要选择适合自己的学校，这也是我们希望每一位学生在选校的时候时刻记住的原则。

泰博学院：我们今年有4个学生拒绝了常春藤的录取，而是选择了别的学校。因为这些学校更加适合他们，尽管他们也清楚会面临很多挑战，但是会在那里过得非常开心。

康科德学院：我是一位美籍华人。在我小时候，爸妈也总想我念寄宿高中，然后去哈佛。当我告诉他们我决定不申请常春藤学校的时候，我们家进行了几次非常严肃的家庭会议。我没有申请哈佛，但是在我整个申请过程中，我跟我的父母，升学指导顾问认真讨论了选校名单，深入研究了每一所学校。我最后去了韦尔斯利学院。我很高兴，但是很显然我的父母并不理解。家长们总是想让自己的孩子去那些广受大家认可的学校，但是随着越来越多的中国学生来美留学，他们会对美国教育有更加全面而深刻的认识。

 

中国学生低龄留学，你们学校怎么帮助学生克服恋家情绪或者不适应期或者不自觉期？

泰博学院：不仅仅中国学生有这个问题，所有的学生都会有文化冲击。我们的目标就是让同学们多交友、出去玩。有时候，家长往往比孩子更容易接受文化冲击。家长总是习惯自己的孩子常伴左右，孩子碰到困难也总是第一个向父母求助。有一些不好的事情发生了，他们机会找家长诉苦以抒发心里的委屈。然后家长就会十分担忧地来找我们，但其实那个时候他们的孩子已经完全没事了。

巴克夏中学：我明天回家的时候，就要考虑8月份如何欢迎即将来到我们学校念书的100多名新同学。

卢米斯查菲学校：基本上我们会这么做。首先，他们会提前两天来到我们学校参加国际学生欢迎会。如果他们很想家，每个寝室都有生活委员帮助他们。他们也可以找学生公寓家长，通常每个公寓都有3- 4名公寓家长。除此之外，还有经过专门培训的同龄人辅导员，他们善于倾听，能分辨他们是否需要专门的老师进行心理辅导。我们学校的学生都十分开放，也乐于互相帮助。

 

你们学校需要中国学生的赞助吗？

巴克夏中学：我们每年度都有一次赞助活动。

布莱尔学院：不管学生来自哪里，只要你在我们学校，都是需要赞助的，付学费也是一部分，不是吗？

卢米斯查菲学校：每个学校的学生背景都十分多样，有些同学的确是捐款进入的。每年我们会提供930万美金的助学金。我们每年大概会收到300万的募捐，大部分来自于学生家长和校友。这些赞助使得我们学校的学生遍布美国各大州以及40多个国家。我们学校的跑道甚至比新英格兰地区很多大学的跑道都要好。

北野山中学：这个问题可以换个角度：我作为家长该怎么融入美高？最简单的答案就是除了学费之外，在经济上多些贡献。我们会询问是否有国内以及国外的家庭愿意接待新同学，并且分享他们的孩子在我校学习生活的故事。我们十分重视学校的口碑。接待新同学或者别的市场活动对我们真的非常重要。

泰博学院：有时候我们会带一群学生来北京或者上海旅行，如果当地的家庭愿意招待这些学生，请他们吃晚饭，我们将十分感激！

 

 Our Distinguished Guest Speakers answered some tough questions about boarding school admissions and the Chinese landscape. No holds were barred in this exclusive media interview. Our speakers bristled at the Chinese focus on rankings and the Ivy Leagues while also speaking honestly about donations in regards to Chinese students and boarding schools.  Our host started with some easy questions before diving into some sticky questions that represented the most common questions from Chinese parents that are often left unasked. What are your testing requirements?

NMH: 95+ for TOEFL; for 10th graders 105+

Tabor: We do not have a set minimum; average is 105. We do look at students in the mid-90s, but this is a case by case basis.

Concord: We do not have a minimum SSAT or TOEFL; our average TOEFL is 105; we do not offer any formal English Language support. For the SSAT, an 84th percentile is our average, but it is generally higher for Chinese students.

Miss Porters: The average TOEFL is 105 and the average SSAT is between 75 and 80, but the average for Chinese students is much higher.

Are there are advantages for Chinese students studying in American middle schools versus remaining in China?

Berkshire: The advantage for students studying in US junior boarding schools is that they come with an understanding of the challenges they face. staying away for a year

Tabor: The admission office is able to know that the student can handle the entire spectrum of boarding school life for those who come from junior boarding schools. However, the advantages are not so great that a student coming from mainland without the junior boarding experience does not have a shot at our schools.

Concord: We know that there are so many different types of schools and there are schools like Nanjing Foreign Language that offer a community like Concord and we have support systems in place to help support them. We know that students coming out of these environments can do just as well as students receiving an education in a US middle school.

Loomis: The American boarding schools teach in same pedagogical style as universities do. I was talking to students today who said that their classes are 59 students. That doesn’t happen at US boarding schools. Our biology classes have about 14 students at most. Students are expected to bring a lot more to the class. In American colleges, you need to produce things – they are asking for your opinions and perspectives. After college you need to make decisions. We do a lot of critical thinking work in US boarding schools so that students feel comfortable and can make good decisions in college and beyond.

What makes a student stand out in your eyes as someone you want to bring to your school? 

NMH: We want to make sure students are bringing their true selves; I want to see what you are passionate about. I want to see 1-2 things you’ve taken and gone deeply into. It’s about understanding what the student wants and describing to us the challenges they face in their school and how they have overcome those challenges.

Tabor: We interview 1000 students or more. Answers that sound rehearsed or practiced make it difficult for us to get to know who the child is and if the student can be a student at the school. We want to see who the child is not what they think we want to hear

Loomis: I was talking to a student in 5th grade. When I asked him about what kinds of things he liked to do outside of class, he talked about computers – all I could get was ‘computers’ and I couldn’t get a sense of what he liked to do with them.

When I asked about what he liked to do in his free time, he started talking about books and he was able to explain that he likes Artemis Fowl and CS Lewis and Lord of the Rings. When we got off script we had a great conversation.

Miss Porter’s: Students need to have some sense of why this school is the school for them. The student needs to be able to articulate that at some level when they come to our interview.

Can the parents’ interview help the students? Is it necessary for parents to attend the interviews?

Blair: It’s really important for at least one of the parents to be there. It is more helpful for both to be there. We interview the parents separately from the students.

Tabor: We want to help understand the child through the parents. For introverted kids, we try to get to know the kids through the parents. We want to know who that kids is and can be.

Miss Porter’s: Once the student comes to the school, the relationship with the family becomes one of the most important aspects of that student’s experience there. We want to have an understanding of their family relationship and help us to connect with the student in the same way that the parents do. It is important for the future of the school.

Is it necessary for students to find a consulting firm to help I their applications?

NMH: I think the consultants are a huge part of it. They can play a big role in helping students navigate a very complicated process. Developing the relationship with the consultants is very important for us in admissions. It is important for us to know who these students are working with. Us knowing the company is very important so that I can contact them to learn more about the student and the family because it is about finding the best fit for a student and that way I can refer students to other schools as well.

Loomis: The consultants are best for those who feel unfamiliar with the territory. Consultants can help to narrow things down.

Concord: We don’t require consultants in order to apply. That said, it can be to your advantage because there are so many great schools out there and the consultant gets to know your child, your family, their interests, your interests and they can select schools for your child and that is invaluable. We know which partners are trusted in international education. There are ones we like and ones we don’t like.

As you know, Chinese parents value rankings very much.  What do you think of the ranking of your school?

Tabor: The boarding school rankings are not that great right now. At the boarding school level there still isn’t much of a strong ranking.

Blair: When you look at the rankings, you need to know who is making the rankings. Look at what they are measuring – if all you care about is how many students get into Ivy league colleges then that’s easy, but to say one school is better than the other, I don’t know that anyone can really defend that. We don’t know exactly what they are measuring –someone is usually trying to make money.

Chinese parents hope their children will get into Ivy League schools? What can you do to help at boarding schools?

Blair: The Ivy League is an athletic conference; all those schools are grouped together because they play sports against each other. There are many schools not in the Ivy league that are the equal or better. You should look at where students are going for graduate schools. Top graduate schools are taking students from a much wider range than just Ivy Leagues.

Miss Porter’s: The goal is not to get into Ivy League schools. It is to prepare students to succeed in their best fit college. It’s not about ranking, but about fit.

Loomis: We do two things for students who want to pursue a school of that level: we challenge them and we will give them the support to master that challenge to create a profile that an elite school would seek. If you think about 10 years ago how many students were studying in the US, it was much lower; My wife and I both choose to go to a non-Ivy and turned down acceptances from Ivy Leagues. As the Chinese population becomes more knowledgeable about all elite schools in the US, this perspective of Ivy League or bust will go away.

Blair: The best Chinese student we have this year is going to Swarthmore and that is his choice.  Students below him are going to Columbia and Cornell.

NMH: The term Ivy League means selectivity. Swarthmore is a very selective school; Amherst, Williams, UChicago. As Chinese families become more knowledgeable, they start to ask themselves about the selectivity. These Ivy Leagues are going to select whoever they want whenever they want. A certain GPA and test score does not get you into a selective school. We can’t guarantee a Stanford or an Ivy League. It goes back to fit and that is what we aim to establish and accomplish with each of our students.

Tabor: This year we had 4 students turn down Ivy League schools to go to other schools – these kids know they will be challenged, happy, and having a transformative experience – it’s about success.

Concord: I’m Chinese American and my parents wanted me to go to boarding school and then Harvard. When I told them that I refused to apply to Ivy League colleges, it led to some tough conversations. I didn't even apply to Harvard, but as I was going through my college counseling process, I worked with my parents and college counselor to come up with a list. I went to Wellesley. I was so happy while it wasn’t even on my parents’ radar. Parents want students to go to schools that other parents will recognize. Parents will start to recognize more and more names as more Chinese students attend schools in the US.

How can boarding schools help young Chinese students acclimate and overcome culture shock?

Tabor: It’s not young Chinese students who have culture shock. It’s all students.  It’s our goal to help students make friends, go out and have fun.

Berkshire: When I go home tomorrow, my thoughts are on August and how I can welcome the 100 new students we will have coming to campus.

Loomis: Pragmatically, this is how we help Chinese students acclimate.  A Chinese student comes to Loomis two days early for an international orientation. In the fall of their first year, new students are required to be on a team (they don’t have to be great athletes), but it gives them another group. If kids are struggling with homesickness, we have student leaders in the dorm they can go to; kids can also go to a dorm parent (3-4 faculty parents in each dorm). Students can go to the apartment and pet the dog. There are peer counselors – other students trained to be good listeners. They can identify if the student needs an adult counselor. We have international coordinators. At my school, the kids are really open and so aware of when others’ are struggling, and they try to step in and help.

Tabor: sometimes the homesickness is more difficult for the parents than for the students. Parents are so used to having the kids around and the mystery is nerve-wracking. Parents are their child’s first go to for support. If anything bad happens, a child needs to talk to their parents to get it out. After the conversation, the kid is fine and the trouble is gone, but then the parents call me and are so worried. They tell me the kid is struggling so much and please go check on him and so I got out and check on the kid and he is as happy as can be - watching TV, playing games in the dorm. Some of it is the parents learning how to manage not having their kids around.

Some people think parents should be there for the students during important periods. It could be considered irresponsible to send them so far away – what are your thoughts?

Loomis: It depends on the student and what they need. My wife’s sister has 3 daughters and the oldest went to Loomis – the other two wouldn’t have left home no matter what, but the oldest was done with her hometown at 15. For her, that was the absolute right move. I think it would be irresponsible for a parent to force the child to go somewhere if they don't want to. That is not a good choice, but it’s not right to say in the abstract that sending any child away at 14 is irresponsible.

Blair: I have 3 siblings. I went to a small private day school. Two of my siblings went to a big public high school. Once of my siblings went to Choate. We all wound up at Cornell. My parents knew that we all needed different schools and experiences.

Miss Porter’s: My 12 year old is already asking to go away. All kids have a different level of connection to their families. My son is already ready to go whereas my daughter would not be willing to leave.

If the student is studying in your school, do the parents need to donate?Berkshire: We have an annual fund and fundraisers all the time.Blair: Regardless of from China or anywhere else, if your student is at school we will ask for money.Loomis: When you think about the diversity of schools, part of that comes from the largesse of those who donate. We give out 9.3 million dollars a year in financial aid. We do raise 3 million dollars a year in annual funds – money given to the school; a lot of it given by parents and alums. Money allows us to have kids from 40 countries and all the states. My track is better than half the colleges in New England. It’s an 8-lane super-highway.NMH: The question that we want all parents to ask and answer for themselves is: how can I as a parent be involved? The easy answer is to contribute financially outside of tuition, but we ask both domestic and international families to help host receptions for new students. The word of mouth within countries and cities is huge. Providing story lines for how their kids are doing is very important for us because we value our reputation. Holding receptions and other kinds of marketing is really important for us.Tabor: we will take a group of kids and travel in Beijing and Shanghai and sometimes a local family will host those students for a dinner and that is a huge help for us.