Three Important Factors to Consider When Evaluating Private Schools
If you are currently in the process of evaluating potential schools for your child, you may find that private institutions have much to offer your child. But evaluating private institutions can be rather difficult for parents, because there are so many factors to consider. Here are three of the most important factors and considerations that they need to evaluate.
Extracurricular Options
A key advantage of private schools is that they will usually be able to offer their students a wider range of extracurricular activities. While this may not seem like it would be a major factor to consider, these activities can be invaluable to helping your child to learn and grow as a person. Furthermore, many competitive college programs will closely review the extracurricular activities of applicants, and having activities that are interesting and stimulating for your child can help them to stand out on this part of their application. For this reason, you should discuss with each potential school the extracurricular activities that are available. Don't forget to discuss the available activities with your child, too. This will allow them to give you input on the offerings that are the most appealing to them.
Student to Faculty Ratio
It is inevitable that your child will eventually encounter a lesson or entire subject that gives them difficulty. When this happens it is important for your child to have access to an experienced teacher that will be able to give your child the support and attention that he or she needs to master these difficult concepts. For this reason, you should consider the ratio of students to teachers. A school with a low ratio may be better able to ensure that your child is able to get the needed attention to overcome these difficulties.
College Preparation Courses
The process of applying to college can be extremely complicated and time-consuming. In addition to completing a host of forms, students will also need to take tests, write sample essays, and perform numerous other tasks to demonstrate their ability to succeed in the program. Mistakes during this process can severely compromise a child's chances of being admitted into some programs. Fortunately, many private schools have specific resources designed to help students prepare for this process. By utilizing these the student may learn effective tactics for taking college admission tests as well as effective essay writing habits. Lastly, these resources will also often provide students with information about finding and applying for scholarships or other forms of financial assistance.
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