Starting boarding school, help and advice!

Right, basically I am going to boarding school in September to do my A Levels, and I am so uninformed about every aspect of it, it's actually starting to worry me.
So, ex- and current boarders, here is a list of everything that I am confused about, any help, tips, advice, general 'get-a-grip's would be amazing:
Moving in:
How do I do it? Cardboard boxes, suitcases, Tesco carrier bags? What is best?
Do parents/old friends usually come and help you 'set up'? Or is it a case of "here you are, see you in three months..."?
Do you tend to make friends with your room-mate quite quickly, or is it a good week or so of awkward-ness?
Stuff to take:
Should I take a quilt and pillows, or are they usually supplied?
What sort of clothes? I obviously don't want any sarcastic 'Jack Wills and Ralph Lauren and you will fit in fine...' advice. I mean, would I be better off packing more 'slob-out' clothes, like jogging bottoms and stuff I would laze around the house in, rather than skirts and nice 'going-out' tops?
Books and DVDs? Yes or no?
How much should I stock up on things like shampoo and conditioner? Take twenty of each every term, or just nip out and buy more on a regular basis?
My school has a 'smart clothes' dress code for lessons, so skirts and blazers. Anyone who has had a similar dress code, how many skirts/shirts etc did you find you needed?

As a general sixth-form question, do you usually get exercise books, or should I bring loads of notebooks with me?

Also any other general advice on surviving a (mixed) boarding school, would be amazing :smile:

.
Thankyou!

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Reply 1

rachelcee

a quilt and a pillow are usually supplied unless otherwise stated.
at my school which is all girls...everyone is pretty relaxed about what they wear. of course...even 'slob-out' clothes do not look cheap though.
dvds will be very popular..your boarding house might even have a selection for you to borrow. by all means bring books..
depends on where your school is located but i'd say bring what you need for 2 weeks and nip out to buy more.

Reply 2

e-lover

Hey, congrats in getting into the school.

It's up to you how you transport your luggage. Practically, it's best to bring all your clothes in a suitcase and all your little things in a cardboard box and Tesco carrier bags. There should be a storage room in your house so don't worry about where to put your suitcase etc etc

I can't see any problems in having your parents coming in, when I moved in I had my mom with me until she couldn't be there anymore lol. And no, it's not a case of "see you in three months! lol", also you'll find that you'll make friends really really quick and you'll forget to phone your parents!

Yeah, you'll make friends real quick. I know there's stereotypes and awful stories about boarding but you'll find everyone wants to live with one another in harmony and if you have any problems you can easily visit your housemaster/matron.

Yep, quilt and pillows. School one's maybe naff. There should be a list of things to take, try and inquire from your school.

It's up to you what clothes you take. Wear what you feel comfortable in. I wore school hoody and jeans for the majority of time and then jogging bottoms for lounging about in the weekends etc etc. Also, yeah make sure you have a good few outfits for socials and dinner evenings etc etc

Books? Yep! DVD's? If you want! I doubt you'll have time to watch DVD's with all the extra stuff within the house you'll want to do.

Bulk-buying is good. Take some for storage and then when you need more phone mom/dad to drop you some more.

I'm a guy so I know naff all about skirts lol :P. But the girls in my school usually where like a pantsuit sort of thing, keep like 3?? (d'know!)

They should have plenty of paper so don't worry, keep a few pads. Ensure you have lots of folders etc etc for notes and highlighter pens etc etc

My biggest advise would be: never say never. Get in there and make your mark. You will be rewarded for all your hard work academically and within your house!

Good luck!

Reply 3

prettylittlerichgirl

Oooh, thankyou for the replies, :biggrin:

.
Some more questions for you:
Laundry. DIY or are there ... laundry staff? I know about labelling everything incase it gets lost, etc, but is it generally because someone else does your chores for you?
In your room, do cleaners hoover and dust or do you have to do that yourself?
Hanging pictures? Can you just mish off and ask a caretaker to put a couple of picture hooks in, or are they generally pretty anti-hammering-nails-into-walls? Do walls usually have picture hooks for this purpose?
If not, would it be seriously lame if I took a load of stand-up pictures?
Bit of a loser of a question, but: teddy bears?
Haha, I really am sorry about this barrage of questions, but it is an entirely new experience for me.

Reply 4

e-lover

lol

We have laundry staff, once again this is all dependent on your school.

Don't do things like hammering nails into walls WITHOUT the matron's/housemaster's approval, that's all I can say about that lol.

Since it's a girls boarding house, I can imagine cute teddy bears are the norm lol.

Reply 5

InnocentEyes

you're sixth form right? we did our own laundry then but it depends on the school. maybe get a laundry bag? you'll have to carry your laundry down to the machines probably. and I know some people used those little bags for their underwear/socks etc so they didn't get lost.
cleaners usually do hover afaik but it's generally your responsibility to keep your room tidy enough so that can happen. cleaners tend to complain if you're really messy or you leave food around your room etc.
I've never heard of walls having picture hooks. but lots of people bring crazy amounts of pictures.
oh yeah and definitely bring lots of casual clothes.
good luck!

Reply 6

Vampyrcorn

Suitcases generally, but you might find boxes to keep your books and things in quite useful.

Do parents/old friends usually come and help you 'set up'? Or is it a case of "here you are, see you in three months..."?

Yep, your parents won't be hurried out the door as soon as you arrive. They can help you unpack and suchlike. I don't think it's normal for your friends to go with you on your first but whatever suits you best really. :smile:

Do you tend to make friends with your room-mate quite quickly, or is it a good week or so of awkward-ness?

Lol. Well that depends on your room-mate! I'm sure you'll be fine, unless you're a really weird or annoying person then I expect you'll get along ok. You're starting in sixth form, I take it, but your room-mate will have (most probably) been boarding since age 13 at the latest, possibly age 11 or younger. They'll be quite adept living with other girls their own age. I would advise not being too loud and overtly confident on your first few days though. I remember there was an attitude at my school which meant that 'new girls' were expected to be submissive and shy until they had been accepted... but your school may not be like that, and you may not want to be fake in order to fit in. :smile:

Stuff to take:
Should I take a quilt and pillows, or are they usually supplied?

I suspect you'll be given one pillow, but you'll have to bring any other pillows you want and your own duvet (which you might like to carry in a black bin bag). I'm sure they'll give you a list of things to bring though.

What sort of clothes? I obviously don't want any sarcastic 'Jack Wills and Ralph Lauren and you will fit in fine...' advice. I mean, would I be better off packing more 'slob-out' clothes, like jogging bottoms and stuff I would laze around the house in, rather than skirts and nice 'going-out' tops?

You'll be there for 3 months - take all your clothes! If your school is anything like mine it'll be freezing in winter time so warm hoodies will be useful. But seriously, I generally just took everything to school with me. You'll need a variety.

Books and DVDs? Yes or no?

YES. Definately. :smile:

How much should I stock up on things like shampoo and conditioner? Take twenty of each every term, or just nip out and buy more on a regular basis?

Take quite a few.. but 20 is a bit excessive unless you're Rupunzel. :s-smilie:

Our matron had a small supply of things like that which you could buy off her, I'm sure yours will have the same. But you may as well stock up.. i always did because I felt embarrassed about buying them off my matron (not entirely sure why that was though, now I think about it. :s-smilie:

)

My school has a 'smart clothes' dress code for lessons, so skirts and blazers. Anyone who has had a similar dress code, how many skirts/shirts etc did you find you needed?

sorry can't help with that, but I'm absolutely sure your school will give you some indication in a letter at some point.

As a general sixth-form question, do you usually get exercise books, or should I bring loads of notebooks with me?

We used files, like at university. I think it's probably something specific to your particular school though.. i don't think i can help with that either.

Also any other general advice on surviving a (mixed) boarding school, would be amazing :smile:

.
Thankyou!

Don't worry, be happy. :biggrin:

Reply 7

megan90

Suitcases then boxes for things like books, dvds etc. I keep my suitcase under by bed but there is also an attic in our house where we can keep them. I only go to weekly boarding school so I see my parents every week anyway, but loads of people had parents help set up their rooms before they left.

I was sharing with someone who when I first saw then they looked like a complete geek/little miss perfect...but turns out I couldn't have been more wrong! The first couple of days was a bit awkward with getting dressed and burping and the usual bodily functions (haha) etc but seriously after the first couple of weeks we were really comfortable with each other. The fact that you are with each other so much of the time means you get the know the person SO quickly. We laugh about it now how awkward our first couple of days were.

My school supplied special fireproof duvets and covers! But I took my own pillows as I am really fussy about them. I also took a fleecy blanket which has been really useful...curling up on the sofa, sunbathing blanket for the garden!

I would say trackies, hoodies, t-shirts and other tops.I havn't worn jeans once since being here (2years) but if you are termly boarding then they would obviously be useful for weekends etc. Also I wear my P.E. kit loads of the time.

Loads of DVD's but make sure you name them (the actual discs) because otherwise it can be a nightmare if you leave them somewhere. We have endless sex and the city sessions in the evenings.

I have one skirt but probably should have 2, Zara, New Look, Topshop are good for relatively cheap ones.

My school provides paper and folders so you might want to phone them and ask just because otherwise you are going to have spent loads of money on folders you dont need or end up having no where to put your stuff. Also take loads of felt tips/pens - they always go missing/lose down radiators/borrowed.

Advice for when you are there:
- get involved with as much as you can
- sport clubs/teams are a really good way to make friends
- try to talk to as many people as possible in the first couple of weeks
- if they have like a sixth form common room where everyone goes at break/lunch ...GO rather than back to your house
- Dont be shy to speak out and talk in lessons - people will notice you and you wont fade into the background
- If you are in lessons with other new girls try not to just stick with them and talk/sit next to some of the girls/boys that have been there for a while

Good Luck!

Reply 8

blondeontheinside

at my school people generally bring jeans n casual tops n skirts in the summer for casual clothes
they are fine with pictures being blue tacked to walls if ur ok with them not in frames

Reply 9

Vampyrcorn

prettylittlerichgirl

Oooh, thankyou for the replies, :biggrin:

We did the laundry ourselves, but there were cleaners for the hoovering. You won't be allowed to hammer nails into your wall, (or at least i'll be very surprised if you are), but you might be given a poster board which you can stick pins in. You can use this for your pictures and postcards etc. It won't be lame to take photos and teddy bears, don't worry . :biggrin:

Reply 10

prettylittlerichgirl

Wow, thankyou guys :smile:

OOH, I repped you Vampyrcorn and completely forgot to say it was me. Hah, how thick of me. But it was me. Unless I pressed neg by accident, in which case it wasn't me at all... :rolleyes:

One more question...
(I'm so sorry, I'm treating you all like Q&As)
Driving lessons? I'll have my 17th birthday fairly early on in the term (October) and was quite hoping I would be driving fairly soon. Do boarding schools generally have good relationships with local driving schools?

Reply 11

InnocentEyes

prettylittlerichgirl

Driving lessons? I'll have my 17th birthday fairly early on in the term (October) and was quite hoping I would be driving fairly soon. Do boarding schools generally have good relationships with local driving schools?

mine were great, my instructor picked me up from school too.
it is hard learning while at school though, cause you can't practice. I made far more progress in Easter and Summer. but it's good to make sure you don't completely forget how to drive!

Reply 12

Hedgehunter

Well my school has a shop so you can buy extra shampoo there, also your parents can come to help you unpack etc. Also how far is your school away from your home? You can always go home at weekends, so its not that long away from your parents..if thats what your worried about...

Edit: We have cleaners that come every day..but that could just be the type of school i go to...

Reply 13

prettylittlerichgirl

Haha, no I'm not worried about being away from my parents. But it's only an hour or so away.

Reply 14

Mokert23

Don't worry - you'll probably end up having the time of your life and meeting loads of really great friends. I boarded for three years and that was true for me and all my friends that boarded.

Also if you only live an hour away, don't bring that much stuff in the first week, you can always have a look at what others have brough with them and if your lacking anything (or bring too much stuff) you can always ask your parents the following week to bring/take stuff back, i presume.

Reply 15

Colourspinner

Just want to add a few tips:
- If you have to do your own laundry, bring a laundry basket and label all your boxes and bottles of washing powder/tablets/fabric softener/laundry basket/nets etc. In my school it isn't the clothes that go missing, it's always the aforementioned stuff that people take and never return.
- We all have loads of soft toys (I'm in an all girls school) and are proud of our collection :smile:

- Label all food that belong to you, especially luxuries like Ben & Jerry's, yoghurt, any frozen meals, cartons of juice, Philadelphia cream cheese spread etc. And finish them ASAP otherwise you'll never see them again!
- Bring a good alarm clock
- Bring a few mugs. They're extra useful when it comes to socialising in the common room or just chatting to friends in your room
- If you're a light sleeper, consider bringing an eyeshade and earplugs. It can be really noisy at night when you're trying to sleep.
- Be prepared that the shower might be like a giant tap stuck on the wall. In my school when you use certain showers it feels more like being in the rain than in the shower.

You'll have a great time! I've had so much fun and never been homesick, I'm sure you will too :smile:

Reply 16

Cat-x

I'm starting a new 6th form and will be boarding in September too! Caaaan't wait, but as you are, slightly confused over wha to take etc... this thread has been really helpful though! thanks :smile:

Reply 17

tashhh

I think everything's basically already been said, but I just wanted to say -
where I used board, you put your laundry out and it was taken and washed and returned. However, people used to make the mistake of thinking it would come back immediately. Well, it often took a while, and the people who put all their laundry in at once would have no clothes for ages!
So, take as many shirts and underwear and stuff as is physically possible. Not only does it mean you'll always have some clean, but it also helps in a worse case scenario (three of your shirts spontaneously set alight, someone borrows something without asking, the laundry's back very, very late...etc, etc). Primark, New Look, and any supermarket will have tons of shirts in different colours, and they'll be fairly cheap.
Our school's theoretically got a 'smart' dress code for sixth-formers, but most of the girls just wear any dark/checked/striped skirt they have with a jacket and t-shirt/polo shirt/blouse. For the rest of the time, take whatever you're comfortable in. It really depends on the school how often you'll have formal-ish events, but you probably won't need much in the way of 'dressy' clothes.
And I know you said not to say it...but Jack Wills and Abercrombie always go down well (:
Ask if the school has its own shop, or has one on campus, or that you're allowed to go without needing to beg for permission. My school has a little village shop down the road that has literally everything (including toiletries etc), but there's no ATM for about 1000000 miles, so make sure you've always got cash if you think you might need to buy stuff. Also, some people at my school (I don't board, but some people do) have things like kettles in their rooms. No idea if you'll be allowed one, but it's the sort of thing you'll want to sort out with your room-mate.
Have fun! Boarding really is awesome, although you'll appreciate going home, sleeping in a non-cramped bed and using a shower with decent water pressure!

Reply 18

Vampyrcorn

hannahbananah

I start boarding school in September and now I am really nervous and wish I hadnt chosen it. I am only going weekly to start with but we arent allowed home the first weekend. I am only 11. My parents say I dont have to stay if I dont like it. What is the most important thing you should take to boarding school ?

Hello.

That's how old I was when I started at boarding school. On my first night I went to bed and cried all night long. :redface:

I was termly boarding though, not weekly.. we weren't allowed to even phone home for the first 3 weeks of term. :frown:

But it's not that bad at all. Everyone is in the same situation, everyone will be nervous. I know they say you aren't allowed to go home for the first weekend, but I can guarentee that if you're really hating it that much and your parents make enough of a fuss then you will be allowed to see your parents. Still, you probably won't need to! There will be a lot of new things to get used to and it'll probably be a bit overwhelming at first, but I'm sure you'll cope fine. You'll be surprised at how quickly you will settle in and grow accustomed to the environment. You'll have staff around all the time and a matron, if you have any problems you can ask them. They aren't going to be nasty to you on your first couple of weeks! The staff there will be used to 11 yr olds starting at boarding school, being homesick, forgetting to bring things to school, getting lost around the school all the time. They'll have seen it all before and they'll be able to look after you properly. They want you to be happy, and they'll be doing what they can to make you settle in easily. The other girls in your boarding house will be nervous too and wanting to make friends. I'm sure you'll be fine.

You may be really nervous about starting, but you really don't need to be. Like your parents said, if you don't like it then just leave. If you have any questions then do ask them here... we can help. :smile:

The most important thing is your school uniform! and normal clothes for the weekend, books, a duvet, pyjamas, teddy bear if you want one! etc. I think your school will give you a list of the essentials though so don't worry. :smile:

And I'm sure if you forget anything major then your parents will be able to drive up and drop it off!
I managed to forget my school shoes when I started. :rolleyes:

Edited to add: It's probably worth adding that starting at boarding school, particularly when you're 11, should not be considered too daunting because everything you do will be so structured. You'll be told exactly where you're supposed to be and what you're supposed to be doing. If you accidently do something wrong nobody will get too upset because you're new and away from home for the first time.. you'll be let off. Of course, if you're naughty you'll get in trouble. But so long as you don't go out of your way to cause trouble then there really is nothing to worry about.

Reply 19

tashhh

hannahbananah

Don't worry (: I boarded when I was six/seven, and was absolutely terrified at first. I assume you're going to a prep school that runs up to Common Entrance, so finishes at Year 8? If so, remember, there'll be people older and younger than you, and plenty of them will be new as well. Everyone gets scared, but within a couple of weeks you'll have no idea why, cause it really is so much fun - basically like a week-long sleepover but with lessons (:

You'll probably have a matron or housemistress around, and they'll be the ones who look after you - if you feel upset, or miss home, or don't feel like you're fitting in at first, make sure you tell them, because they'll do everything in their power to help.

Like Vampyrcorn said, you'll probably have a list of things you need, but on top of that you can probably take anything you like (within reason!). I had a massive carrier-bag of cuddly toys, and I thought I'd look really stupid, but everyone brought teddy bears and things (:

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