The International Experience (of a lifetime!)

The decision to send your child to an international boarding school is a weighty one that comes with great risks and rewards. The opportunities that come from studying abroad at a young age prepare students for a rich, diverse academic and professional life, beginning in their earliest years.

Well-rounded individuals

Students who attend boarding schools gain exposure to cultures and ways of thinking that will prepare them for university and professional careers abroad. These students emerge from international boarding schools as well-rounded individuals, with a strong understanding of not only mathematics, science and fine arts, but also of intercultural exchange and a broad worldview.

Boarding school students tend to be better prepared for college life, avoiding the pitfalls of waywardness and flailing through the first few years of freedom. Having already become accustomed to living on campus and being responsible for attending classes and organizing their schedules without a parent overseeing the process, students mature and find their own rhythm well before they begin their first semester of university.

 

The Japan Center displayed The Tale of Genji (源氏物語), a classic work of Japanese literature. #asij #tatamituesday #japan #japanese #japaneseculture #school

A photo posted by The American School in Japan (@asij_official) on Nov 9, 2015 at 11:19pm PST

High quality learning environment

Instructors at international boarding schools tend to be of the highest caliber, meaning that students are being taught by exceptionally well-qualified individuals.

Boarding school educations are designed with all elements of a child’s development in mind: their academic learning as well as the personal and social aspects of their character. In addition to their course offerings, most boarding schools also provide students with numerous opportunities for extracurricular activities.

According to The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), students who attend these private institutions spend significantly more hours on their schoolwork and on sports and creative activities than students of the same age at public schools.

Bright futures

TABS has quoted 80 percent of boarding school graduates as saying they were well prepared overall for college life, including when it comes to socializing and maintaining their personal routines and lives.

Career prospects are also bright for boarding school graduates, according to TABS. It has noted that up to 60 percent of former boarding school students achieve prominent management positions midway through their careers. The comprehensive scope of such a non-traditional education may also contribute to why these graduates are also more likely than others to give toward philanthropic causes.

 

Students are pinning their hometown on the world map ahead of tonight’s #CultuRama performances at #UWCSEA_East.

A photo posted by UWCSEA East (@uwcsea_east) on Nov 28, 2013 at 8:02pm PST

Global experience

International boarding schools provide all of the benefits of in-country private schools, as well as the added bonus of global experience. No amount of studying and hours spent playing sports with classmates compares with the invaluable time spent forging friendships and learning to navigate society abroad. To live outside one’s home country and spend even a portion of his or her adolescence in a foreign place provides life experience that will inform their interests and career choices throughout their life.

These opportunities, when combined, offer a convincing argument for the case of an international boarding school. It’s not just an education, but the multitude of opportunities that are presented that make boarding such a worthwhile and important experience – not just during the time at school, but throughout the rest of a student’s life!

Main image via Phuket International Academy