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Finding a school that is the right fit is rarely an easy task for students as they are trying to find their own identity at a young age. For some, boarding school presents an appealing next step to one’s educational career. Our guest on today’s podcast, Lisa Spengler, shares with us her experience working with students who are considering boarding schools. She helps them identify goals and navigate expectations, while also emphasizing that finding the right fit is the key to thriving.
Key Takeaways:
- For students and parents, it is important to identity your goals and expectations when you are looking for the right fit in a boarding school
- Preparing for the application process is not about figuring out the right answers to questions that are asked. Rather, it is about teaching students how to answer in a way that reflects their authentic selves
- When you are applying to boarding school, interviewing is a required part of the admissions process
- If you are interested in a particular boarding school, interact with the people on campus and try to visit multiple times on different occasions to get a true feel for the school
- The goal for finding the right fit is to engage with the campus during the admission season. Besides going on an “official visit”, you can also get involved by attending sports events, communicating with alumni, and participating in summer events
- It is important to tune out the noise and look past the brand of the school because the right choice to make for your student’s education should not be subject to public opinion
- What matters the most is that the student attends a boarding school that makes sense for their education and overall well-being
- Taking the time to focus on getting the right high school experience that is good for your student makes the college search process a lot easier
Important Resources and Links:
Lisa Spengler Educational Consulting
Meet Lisa Spengler
With over thirty years of experience in schools, from the admission office to secondary
school placement counseling and the classroom, Lisa Spengler brings an extraordinary amount of experience and expertise to her work as an educational consultant.
Lisa spent her last ten years in San Francisco at Katherine Delmar Burke School, a K-8
girls school. While she wore many hats at Burke’s, her work centered on high school
placement counseling. It was a deeply rewarding experience, guiding the girls and their
families through the high school admission process, supporting them in finding right-fit
day schools as well as boarding schools throughout North America.
Most recently, Lisa served as Director of Admission at Cate School in Carpinteria, California. During her time at Cate, Lisa enjoyed working with amazing students from around the US and the world and loved being a dorm parent.
In her educational consulting practice, Lisa supports students looking for high school or middle school, including boarding schools throughout the US or day schools in select regions.
Thank you Lisa for taking the time to share advice about looking for the right fit when it comes to considering boarding school as an option. Your tips on interacting with the campus through different means solidified the importance of knowing the type of environment a student would thrive in. At the end of the day, your student’s goals and drive are important factors to consider in order to ensure that boarding school is the right fit for them.
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