International students perspective on boarding

Boarding school – a concept most parents threaten their kids with, but in our case we chose to go. Woodlands academy is a day school, but also has a boarding program. About 30 out of the 150 girls at this school live in the boarding school, and out of the 30 girls about 10 are international students. In this article, I asked the girls what their opinions on boarding are. 

First, Claudia. Claudia is an international student from Spain. She is a sophomore and started at Woodlands this year. Claudia has thoroughly enjoyed her time at Woodlands so far. She participates in weekend activities such as skiing, movie theater trips, city trips, and many more. Claudia has reported that skiing was her favorite trip. She enjoys her time here because there are 2 other girls who are also from Spain. Claudia says that she does miss her hometown though. She misses her family, her friends, and the food. “The food here doesn’t compare to real Spanish food” she said. Overall, Claudia highly enjoys her time as a boarder. 

Next, Masha. Masha is an international student originally from Ukraine, but is now living in Turkey. She is a senior and this is her second year of attending Woodlands. Although she recently stopped boarding and is staying with a host family, I asked what her opinions on boarding school were. Masha spends more time with friends on weekends than going on boarding school trips, so she didn’t have much to say about weekends. Masha enjoys her time at Woodlands because she has made amazing friends who she spends most of her time with. Masha also said that she prefers to be in America than in Turkey. She does miss Ukraine though. She has everything she needs here, and is going to come back to America after the summer for college. 

In conclusion, international students highly enjoy their time here at Woodlands boarding. They’re open to many new opportunities and learning experiences. Both Claudia and Masha are extremely grateful to be here.