Finding the Right Fit

Who Will Help You Get to the Next Level?

Geneva and Orelia Jonathan
NMH Students

Neither Orelia nor Geneva Jonathan was convinced they wanted to go to boarding school. In fact, on their first visit, they didn’t want to get out of the car. Their parents would place viewbooks strategically around their rooms, but the twins resisted. Nevertheless, the lure was strong once they found the right fit. Here’s how they found their home away from home:

Orelia Jonathan: I was happy at home with my friends, but it was important for me to be able to have piano lessons, play sports [soccer, skiing, track], and be involved in the school newspaper. I didn’t want a big school. I wanted to know people’s faces, even if I didn’t know them. I wanted a place that felt like family and a community.

Geneva Jonathan: I wanted a place where there were students of more than one kind. Coming from a town where most of the people are white, I wanted a place where there was a little bit of everything. When we found the place we wanted, we gave each other the eye.

OJ: At bigger schools, the facilities were nice, but we didn’t get a sense of community. You couldn’t be yourself; you had to fit into the same slot as everyone else. I was not comfortable with that.

GJ: We visited more than a dozen schools and applied to five Northeast boarding schools. Admission counselors would hook us up with coaches, and we’d play on the fields, get to know the players.

OJ: I wanted to make sure that a team was an actual team, that people got along and acted as a team. We attended different games at different schools. When we knew we were at the school we loved, we spent the night in the dorm with the girls on the soccer team. It was really fun.

GJ: We also visited classes. I wanted to see if students were interested and had something to say, even the quiet kids in the back. The relationship with the teacher was important for me, as well. Specifically, I wanted a teacher who could push me in piano. I began playing when I was 6 or 7. I learn well by myself, but I’m not well trained. I taught myself a lot, but I wanted to be disciplined. I wanted a teacher who could push me to do things I wasn’t able to do. I also wanted to continue with languages. I speak French and hope to pick up Latin or Chinese. I’m hoping to study abroad and was looking for trips where you really learn something, where travel is intertwined with academics. I’m eyeing New Zealand and France.

OJ: When you’re looking at schools, don’t second guess yourself. Don’t try to force something that isn’t really you.

GJ: But keep an open mind, that way you can absorb all the school has to offer.

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