Boarding School Admissions: Why must we disclose everything, and what happens if we don’t?

I’ve worked in the Admissions world for a long time, and if there’s one thing I don’t love about this work, it’s the anxiety that people feel around ‘getting in’. It causes candidates/families to want to hold back information that they believe could make them an undesirable candidate in the eyes of an admissions officer. The problem with this approach is that it often backfires.

Boarding Schools are unique in that they need to know the full scope of your child’s background for one simple reason: they need to know if they can support your child academically, socially, and emotionally. If your child has a learning difference, they need to know what type, whether he/she/they are taking medication for it, what type of supports have worked or not worked in the past. If your child has had behavioral issues at other schools, admissions need to know what occurred so that they can determine fit, not just for your child, but for the safety of all the other kids on their campus. They also need to know the context of any social emotional challenges your child faces due to struggles occurring at home or their current school. Simply put, if you want your child to thrive, tell them everything they need to know. They are, after all, going to be the people helping your child transition into their school and seeing them through a multitude of obstacles in the coming years. Being transparent with them up front will allow them to assemble all of the tools they need to help your child thrive.

Know that with boarding school admissions directors, they don’t want this information as a way to weed your child out. They want it so that they can be 100% certain they can do the job they love to do: serve your child.