In the United States, there are around 35,000 boarding school students. A boarding school is one where students stay and live either on campus or in close proximity. They don’t go home after class. Instead, they return to their living quarters, which has several key benefits.
Here are some of the benefits of being a boarding school student.
Academic Performance
In a recent study, it was determined that 78% of boarding school students felt prepared for college. Compare this to the national average, where around 38% of students feel prepared. This is a clear difference, but how does being in a boarding school make such a large impact?
The basis for this difference comes down to academics. In a boarding school, academics are focused on, and they become a larger part of a student’s life. They spend their time with schoolmates, not with friends or family that are not a part of their academic life.
With Accelerated Prep, our focus on academics is second to none. Using Accelerated Schools allows us to harness the potential of a student-athlete by personalizing their curriculum. We focus on what they need to be ready to face college and the rest of their life.
Social Environment
In the case of a boarding school, the social environment plays an important role. While socializing and interacting with friends is always important, at a boarding school, they are all a student has. This builds an environment where academic achievement and social interaction go hand in hand.
When that social environment is reinforced with Judeo-Christian values, the results are incredible. Hard work, perseverance, kindness, and camaraderie are all brought out to their fullest. All of these values are incorporated into the social fabric of Accelerated Prep.
Being around other, like-minded individuals is also a benefit. It allows the social consciousness of the students to focus on improving themselves and the people around them. Contrast this to a regular school, where there’s very little interaction between most student-athletes except at practice.
Focus on Athletics
Another major benefit of being at a boarding school is that the environment is controlled and dictated by the goal of the students. This means that athletics takes a center stage and even exists alongside academics. The lessons learned in basketball are applied to every aspect of life.
In a normal school, there are a lot of external pressures that interfere with preparation. This is true for athletics and academics. In a boarding school, many of those external pressures are removed, and this allows the student to focus on learning skills and gaining knowledge.
Accelerated Prep and Student-Athletes
Accelerated Prep benefits student-athletes even more than the standard boarding school because of the culture we promote. This prepares our students to face anything that life throws at them by giving them skills and principles upon which they can stand.
A public school can never instill these values because they do not focus on each individual as a unique, independent person. This personalized detail will ensure that every student-athlete we work with is ready to face their future while Standing FAST.