an insider's guide to boarding school, manhattan, and hoboken

[otempora01]

Google and wikipedia are great and everything, but I need help on three subjects. I've done as much research as I can about boarding schools, how they work, things like that, but I still don't feel I can write convincingly enough about them. Ditty Manhattan (New York) and Hoboken (New Jersey). What I need is an insider's view of boarding school

Comments

[kutsuwamushi]

Where is your boarding school located? And what kind of boarding school is it? This will change the answers a lot. Prefects, for example--not a part of all boarding schools, and the impression that I've gotten is that they're more a British thing than an American one.

I went to boarding school in Ohio and there weren't any prefects.

[otempora01]

It's a boarding school in Upper New York for grades nine to twelve.

[staticlights]

If it's in NY, you might want to consider the origins of your school as well; Lawrenceville (NJ) has a more British-like system, using forms and houses (I don't know about prefects, though). Some other NE schools (I know Hotchkiss, I think Exeter and Andover?) have weird systems for naming their grades;
Prep=9th grader
Lower-mid=10th grader
Upper-mid=11th grader
Senior=12th grader

[kutsuwamushi]

I think you might not realize the variety of boarding schools available.

Is it religious or secular? Is it college prep? Is it for troubled teens who need to get away from home? What kind of families does it cater to: wealthy, poor, middle class? How big is it?

[funwithrage]

My boarding school, for context, was large and liberal

[otempora01]

Oh, thank you. I thought the time between arrival and the beginning of classes was shorter than that, but now that I think on it, that makes a lot more sense.

[staticlights]

My recommendation for boarding school info is to go to one of their webpages, and download the student hand book. New students will likely have similar questions about campus life, and they'll be explained there.

What I need to know is things like what do the prefects do?
I'd say that depends on the school. My mother was a prefect and she did things like managing/chaperoning school social events or keeping order in Mass.

Do you get to meet your roommate beforehand or do you meet them when they/you/both of you show up? What happens when you first enroll?If it's your first year, they generally have you fill out some sort of questionnaire; musical interests, neat vs. slob, favourite movies, introvert/extrovert to try and match you with a good room-mate. A friends school gave their name, so they could get in contact via phone or email (to just learn about each other or to work out room logistics such a decorations and mini-fridges

[otempora01]

Good idea about the handbook! I'll go try that right now. If boarding school's like private school, that'll make it easier for me since I've gone to one (private, not boarding) my whole life. Thanks for the help.

[in_excelsis_dea]

I was at a boarding school and it was completely different than what's been described here. Of course, my boarding school was in Germany and catered to both boaring students as well as students who just lived in the town and it was small (134 boarding students and a little over 500 "normal" students) for US standards but a decent sized school for German standards

[run_away_to_sea]

And the majority of students in the boarding school program were in it because they lived on islands in the North Sea without a Gymnasium.Oh! Were they the islands between Borkum and Wangerooge? I've never been to Germany but I went on a ship to Delfzijl last year, and the pilot gave me the impression that nobody really lived on Borkum, it was just a holiday place. I suppose I should have known better, because of where I'm from

[wordsofastory]

It's hard to list "good places to eat" in Manhattan, because there's so many of them. There's a saying that even if you want to a different restaurant every day, it would take longer than the average lifetime to go to every place in Manhattan. Also, "good place" will differ for average poor student than average rich socialite. I recommend checking out http://www.yelp.com It hosts reviews by average people, so you can search for restaurants in the right price range, type of food (Mexican? Pizza? Sushi?), and part of the city

[ap_aelfwine]

Hobos are also really common in subway stations, but most of those are playing an instrument, signing, or dancing for money, instead of just begging.

Not all buskers are homeless. Most, in fact, aren't. You get all kinds, from students with some performing skill out to while away a few hours and pick up a bit of change to professionals who enjoy the challenge of winning over an audience in an informal setting.

http://www.buskercentral.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busking

[wordsofastory]

Oh, very true. But does 'hobo' necessarily imply homelessness? I just took the OP to mean anyone attempting to make money on a street corner- I'd have included the guys who sell purses/DVDs/sunglasses/jewelry/etc if I'd go on about the topic, and certainly they all seem to have homes somewhere too.

[ap_aelfwine]

Fair enough.

To me, 'hobo' does imply homelessness, but maybe that's not the current usage. Truth to tell, I've not often seen it used in a contemporary context like this.