Selecting the right school after Peck for your son or daughter is an important task that requires much energy on everyone's part. As you and your child begin to think about future school plans, try to determine as early as possible some specific parameters: independent, public, day or boarding, coed or single gender, urban or rural, large or small? Do you want your child to stay at home? If so, do you want a small or large independent school or would you prefer your town high school? If you are choosing a boarding school, will you need financial aid? Do you want a school with a religious affiliation? Do you have a legacy or connection with the school you might consider? Do you want a school that is close to home? Using the guidelines and time line in this manual will help in sorting out all the details and getting the process rolling.
The process of placing students in secondary schools requires planning, consultation, cooperation, and sensitivity. Secondary schools vary in academic rigor, size, structure, program, and geographic location. So, too, are the educational abilities, talents, and priorities different for each student and for each family. Our intent is to consider these many variables and to work effectively in guiding students and families to school choices that will best meet individual needs in the years after Peck. Ultimately, however, the responsibility for the selection of an appropriate secondary school program falls to the students and their families.
It is important to be realistic in your search. We have found over the years that schools can be categorized for each student. Reaches, safe schools, and those that fall in between create the necessary breadth of schools to be considered. Visiting two schools in each category can give a family a large selection and breathing room. Sometimes, one can narrow the search very easily to three or perhaps four. Visiting too many schools can muddy the water and be very exhausting to the student as well as the entire family. Keep all of this in mind as you piece together the early selection process.
From the beginning both parent and student need to be aware of peer pressure. It increases as the process progresses. It appears to hit highs and lows at the most inopportune times. Just when you think you are headed in the right direction, your child comes home disgruntled and feeling removed from you, the school, and her/his friends. Peer influence has worked its "magic". This is why it is especially important to work closely with the Upper School Head in deciding which school is correct for your child. Discussion with the Upper School Head will provide the objectivity that parents and their children, many times, lose in this process. In addition, be careful to guide your child to apply only to schools that meet your families needs and standards. Experience has shown that it is very difficult to dissuade a fourteen year old from attending the school of his/her choice.
The many months of the application year are filled with anticipation, excitement, and occasional frustration. Students are bound to feel the pressure of coming to terms with not only the complex process of secondary school applications but also with themselves. During the long wait there will be periods of tremendous elation, enthusiasm, and optimism. These will alternate with periods of anxiety, fed by natural self-doubts, and the unavoidable speculations about the whole process. Talking over questions and anxieties is often an excellent antidote to frustration and unnecessary worry. Students and parents will find the staff and faculty at Peck all supportive and helpful in aiding with plans.