I know that you are inclined to send your kid to a boarding school. Perhaps that you won’t give up this idea. In fact I’m sure that you have got a certain impression of what a typical boarding school is like. It goes without saying that your impression is mainly driven by certain books you’ve already read. For example I can point out to this well known “Catcher in the Rye” and so on. Now many people are exposed to a great number of myths associated with boarding schools. So it’s high time to get acquainted with them all.

So the first myth tells that you should be wealthy to send your kid to a boarding school. I should say that currently about one third of all boarding school students get financial aid. In fact these financial grants appear to be a really considerable portion of tuition and of course it depends on a particular school and certainly your family’s situation. These days more and more boarding school students come from traditional schools. In general these boarding schools succeed in making their programs rather accessible to your family. Certainly they do this with the help of some financial aid grants, merit awards and scholarships and of course loan programs. By the way you need to take into consideration so called K-12 private school loans. It’s obvious that these loans have just made these boarding schools more accessible. I should stress that those families sending their children to boarding school currently differ much in demographic and geographic aspects.

The second myth is that a lot of guys are assured that such a thing as diversity is rather rare at boarding schools. I should say that even more than a quarter of all these boarding students are students of color and certainly international students. I should say boarding schools are usually more diverse than these traditional public schools. In this case guys are drawn from many geographic areas while local schooling options are mostly dependent on these neighborhood living patterns where populations relate to some ethnic or socio-economic lines. By the way boarding schools give more opportunities for different students. So they can interact with each other. They will enjoy more space for communication in this case. For example they can communicate in their dorms, their classrooms and they can have a lot of fun in playing fields. They will be surrounded by a rather diverse population and of course they will make many new friends.

And finally I’d like to illustrate the third myth which points out that children can’t have fun when obtaining education at boarding schools. It’s obvious that rules will be an essential part of their life at any boarding school and it’s quite natural. But it doesn’t mean that kids won’t be entertained properly there. Of course you can ask boarding school students about this and I don’t doubt that they will tell you that they really like to spend all their time there.

School is a very important thing in life of any teenager. If you notice your son or daughter likes art, then you might consider taking them to a boarding school. Yes, boarding high schools still exist. Moreover, if you would like a single sex school for any reason you can select boarding schools for girls or boys boarding schools. There is misunderstanding that art boarding schools concentrate on arts only – it is not true, academics are equally important. So, should this be interesting to you, use the Internet, compare different boarding schools and choose the best one.

If you are returning or heading for school for the first time, you are not on your own. Scores of retirees are returning to school and studying the books. They have decided it’s never too late to learn.

While you may not feel that you blend in with your 18 -year-old fellow students, it all adds to the educational experience. Many grown-up students have returned, not to necessarily earn a degree, but to learn more and keep their minds sharp.

Many schools are providing seniors low-priced or free tuition because they have unfilled spaces in the classroom. So students don’t have to spend their pensions in order to improve their knowledge. Also, older students can still go and participate in the class but they aren’t responsible for taking any exams.

Schools have come to realize that there are benefits in having a full class. Plus, seniors add different perspectives and diversity that contribute to an even better educational experience.

For seniors that are interested in earning a college degree, there are many options that can help you pay for it. There are even grants from your state that are exclusively for seniors. You can also verify your eligibility for a scholarship with USA funds.

Seniors also have the option to take online classes that allows them to stay at home and learn. They don’t have to worry about cold weather or getting to campus. They can be taught, turn in assignments, and chat with teachers but they will miss out on the personal interaction they would have with students and teachers on campus.

If older students are worried about returning to school after being gone so long, many colleges offer remedial classes, tutoring, and university counseling which can help students with their transition back to school. Although you may feel uncomfortable and confused at first, there are options out there that can help you. Lily Allen, 72 returned to the classroom after 50 years and acquired a B.S. in Gerontology.

While education in the classroom is a good fit for some, study abroad fits others better. Many seniors over 55 can take an Elderhostel trip. While many may not get college credit for it, they are able to visit, discover, and experience the world.

If you aren’t quite that daring and wish to remain within the U.S. or your neighborhood, there are programs that can give you a cultural experience, without leaving your comfort zone. These programs can last anytime from a day to several weeks, and the costs differgreatly.

If seniors want to come back to the classroom, there are many options out there. That’s awesome that schools want to fill the classroom and will let older students return for free of charge or low-price tuition. It’s a great way for seniors to expand their knowledge and really understand and associate with another generation.

In my college experience, I had older students in my classes and I really enjoyed it because they brought up different perspectives. It made the class new and interesting. They presented relevant facts, ideas, or even life experiences that I may not have recognized or even thought about. Older students really helped improve the classroom and I valued what they added to the classroom.

Diane Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Utah. She likes to write about the news, politics, college degrees, online colleges, and the college experience.