The #1 U.S. Boarding School is very welcoming for International Students – Even Financially…

Recently, one of our middle school clients was inquiring, “What are the differences between the Top Boarding schools?”

It was a great question and one which has many answers.  Obviously, each student will have a different experience and depending on their background, their abilities and many more circumstances, the schools can offer different elements to different students.  We’ll try our best to share what we’ve found about all of them here in a later series.   At the same time, we’ve been graced with the fact that many members in our past student bodies have attended them and even members of our education advising team.  One of our Boarding School Consultants kindly shared his thoughts about what we feel is the #1 U.S. Boarding School despite what the Business Insider says.  His goal was to provide the “inside perspective” that hopefully helps students realize what are the potential benefits of attending Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachussetts.  

The three years I spent at Andover were the best three years of my life.

But I didn’t love Andover because of the Ivy League statistics and picturesque greens of the Great Lawn. It also wasn’t the laundry list of prominent graduates that had sat where I had sat in history class or lay where I laid in Bartlett Hall. It wasn’t the endless choices in classes or the overqualified and passionate instructors that came to teach them. Of course, these are all of the things that make Andover great, but what made the place special for me is simple: the people.

There are many statistics that the Andover website touts: 45 states represented, 9% international student representation, amongst others. But these statistics fail to even begin to describe the caliber and distinctiveness of the student body. I had the great fortune to start my experience with the international student orientation, held a week before the other students arrived on campus. It was entirely student-run and the enthusiasm and warmth of the organizers were infectious and comforting to the thirty-odd international students thousands of miles away from home. The ice-breakers are still vividly lodged into my memory: the various accomplishments of our fellow classmates were read aloud. There were Olympic-caliber athletes, music prodigies that had performed in the world’s greatest concert halls, and published literary authors…all at the age of no more than fifteen. The talent that filled the halls of Andover was astounding and yet I am continuously amazed at how humble and thirsty for knowledge and personal advancement the students were. Andover’s strength was in its ability to develop and nurture potential.

Without the resources that Andover commands, the school would not be able to attract the student population that it does. One of the country’s largest endowments of any secondary school, state of the art facilities, and an unequivocal dedication to financial aid are just a few examples. In fact Andover’s financial aid program, dollar-for-dollar, is more impressive than many top universities. Andover offers need-blind aid in the form of 100% grants (no loans) to all applicants, even international ones. Duke, my collegiate alma mater, with an endowment of $7 billion, does not. Now, whether you need the aid is besides the fact, but I believe nothing proves a school’s dedication to bring in the best students like the sort of financial commitment that Andover has.

Some of my closest friends today are people that I met at Andover. They are some of the most talented, loyal and intelligent people that I know. I think it goes without saying that any of the top boarding schools would provide a top-notch and well-rounded education. An exceptional school goes beyond that.

I’ve only said good things so far about my alma mater and all of it is true, but boarding school life at Andover is not for everyone. I’m not qualified to speak for the other boarding schools, but Andover demands, and even expects success from every one of their students. Most students that arrive on campus are used to being the very best at what they do. The first week of classes is a rude awakening for many students. I remember walking out of my first chemistry exam with a score of 20-something out of 100 and doubting if I belonged here (20 turned out to be around the average). Of course, success comes in many forms, not just letter grades. Outside of classes, students participate in a plethora of athletic, artistic, musical, leadership and other extracurricular activities. Andover is not for someone who is one-dimensional or satisfied with who they are. It is difficult to generalize and condense the “typical” Andover student into a few sentences, but the types of people that I saw thrive at Andover were all intellectually curious, extremely driven and multi-faceted. That being said, everyone brought their own unique backgrounds, talents and points of view. When a boarder lives on campus 24/7 and is interacting constantly with world-class faculty and the diverse student body, the learning never stops.

This, in a nutshell, is what makes Andover unique.

~Tim Wong, U.S. Boarding School Consultant, SanLi Education, Andover Class of 2009, Duke Class of 2013