Visit Then Decide: Is Boarding School Right for Your Child?

Visit Then Decide: Is Boarding School Right for Your Child? | The Red Pen

Boarding schools provide students with the unique opportunity to receive a holistic education. However, choosing the perfect boarding school for your child can be difficult. If international boarding schools are on your list, make the transition easier for you and your child by visiting some of the schools as a family.

Here are a few points to keep in mind when you’re on campus:

1) Take a student-led tour:

In this tour, a current school student will take you around the campus. A student-led tour not only allows you to see the school from a different perspective but also helps you learn what current students enjoy and what changes they would like to see. When one of our counsellors went on a campus tour at Charterhouse in the UK, he was greeted by a tour guide who happened to be an Indian student in his final year at the school. Listening to and learning more about his transition from India to the UK allowed our counsellor to understand the school and the resources it provides for students. At every location on campus, he shared personal anecdotes of his experiences. This highly personal tour can help your child feel a deeper connection to campus and give you a taste of the student experience.

2) Meet with the admissions officer:

Most boarding schools will not have a group information session, but if you plan your visit in advance, one of the admissions officers will sit with your family and go through the admissions process and answer your questions. Ask questions related to the admission process and the resources they have in place to ease the transition for international students. For example, some schools, such as Charterhouse, have exeat weekends when students can leave campus and stay with a host family in London or visit their own families, making the adjustment easier.

3) Ask about extracurricular activities:

A campus visit is also a great time to ask about the resources and opportunities available to students outside the classroom that will contribute to your child’s holistic education. At the Phillip’s Exeter Academy in the US, for example, students have a host of activities to choose from including performances by Grammy Award-winners, slam poetry events and sessions with Pulitzer Prize-winning speakers. In the UK, King’s College Saint Michaels provides an array of extracurricular activities, ranging from sports and fitness such as yoga and boot camp to student societies, such as English-speaking classes, Japanese club, Chinese club and more, giving everyone a chance to spend their time productively.

4) Talk to a teacher or faculty member:

To get a better sense of the academic challenges, your child will have to face and the style of learning, speak to a teacher or a faculty member. A faculty member can also give you insights into the class size and how they can cater to your child’s abilities. At San Domenico School in the US, small class sizes of 15-16 students and designated staff tutors to every pupil, ensure focused individual attention. Students in the upper school also get help with their college preparations and applications.

5) Get a taste of campus life:

Many schools will not allow students to stay the night at a student boarding house, but if the one you visit offers this, you should certainly consider it. Also, while you’re there, try and get a meal in the dining hall to get a better idea of the food options available.

6) Check the location and weather:

Finally, it is imperative that you check if your child is comfortable with the weather where the school is located. After all, this will be their new home in the coming years. Also, walk through the surrounding town and get a good sense of what your child can experience outside the campus.

The most important thing to look out for during your visit to a school is to see how your child feels about it. If you are still looking for more information about boarding schools, read about why it is a great option for parents seeking holistic education. If you need help in selecting where to send your child, then get in touch with us.

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Anusha Bhagat

Chief Operating Officer

PGDM, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad;
B.A in Economics, Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University

Anusha Bhagat is a growth strategist and operations expert with 15 years of
securities-industry leadership
across Hong Kong, India and Singapore.
At UBS she served as Chief Operating Officer – Equities & Investment Banking, India,
transforming an at-risk equities franchise with legacy infrastructure into a
robust, growth-ready platform and rolling out new products under enhanced
governance.

She has launched cash-equity, equity-derivatives and prime-broking businesses in
multiple Asian markets and sat on the deal-closing teams for UBS’s
acquisition of ABN Amro’s global F&O business (2006) and the GS-JB Were
Australia joint venture (2003).
Her track record spans in-house M&A, technology turnarounds,
process re-engineering and enterprise-wide risk remediation
.

Known for a collaborative, cross-functional working style, Anusha combines
front-office product insight with settlement, control, technology and
regulatory frameworks to deliver end-to-end solutions. She derives energy from
tackling challenging build-outs and supporting teams in achieving
their growth and career goals.

If Anusha weren’t a COO, she would be …
helping early-stage founders scale up as a full-time venture advisor.

The question she’s asked most often …
“How do we turn this legacy process into a competitive advantage?”

Kavita Sonawala

Chief Marketing Officer

Shikha Dhar

Associate Director, Institutional Services

Nainika Ajani

Associate Director, Partner Relations

Aneri Shah

Manager, Boarding School Admissions

Mehnaz Jaffer

Associate Director, Sales, Business Development and Marketing, Undergraduate Applications and Preparation

Aarti Anand

Associate Director, Client Servicing, Undergraduate Preparation

Sheetal Vora

Associate Director, Client Servicing, Undergraduate Applications

Tripti Singh

Associate Director, Postgraduate Services

Natasha Mankikar

Manager, MBA services

Neil Maheshwari

CFO & COO, U.S. News
& World Report,

MBA in Finance, Illinois State University;
Chartered Accountant; CPA; Bachelor’s in Accounting

Neil Maheshwari is CFO & COO of the U.S. News & World Report, L.P. He has overall responsibility for financial strategy, capital allocation, business operations and strategic investments.

He has over 30 years of experience in the media business, especially related to corporate finance, business operations, taxes and digital strategy. He was a key member of the team that led the digital transformation of U.S. News in 2010.

Neil’s career began at the New York Daily News in 1993, following its acquisition by Mort Zuckerman. Over the years his responsibilities have encompassed budgeting, contract negotiations, tax management and IT operations for the New York Daily News, U.S. News & World Report and other media entities under the family’s ownership.

As a member of the executive committee, Neil participates in crucial business-strategy decisions and their implementation. He is also deeply involved in evaluating all potential acquisition and divestiture opportunities for the media companies owned by Mort Zuckerman. His prior experience includes leading the sale of Fast Company to G & J in December 2000, as well as the sales of Atlantic Monthly, Radar magazine, Applied Printing Technologies and, most recently, the New York Daily News to Tribune Publishing in 2017.

Before joining the Daily News and U.S. News, Neil spent over four years with a mid-town CPA firm, specialising in audits and mergers & acquisitions for publishing clients. He also gained experience at the India offices of Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young.

Namita Mehta

President

Dr. Kimberly Dixit

CEO & Co-founder of
The Red Pen