An international student’s perspective of the boarding house experience
by Juliette D.
For international students like me, this phrase is synonymous with the feeling of living in a boarding house with entire oceans between us and our families. When I first started boarding at 13, I was both overwhelmed by the unfamiliar environment, and struck by the freedom that came with living away from my family. These feelings highlight the vital role of boarding houses, as they are key to ensuring students are supported by the school while still allowing room for personal growth. During my first term, when I was struggling with homesickness, my older roommates who also lived abroad helped me overcome it. Drawing from their own experiences, they encouraged me to participate in house events to stay busy and make friends. Their support showed me the importance of the house community, especially for international students.
The community feeling within houses is further emphasised by house colours and mascots, which are a source of strong pride and identity (even with more unconventional colours like brown!). Yet nothing compares to the exhilaration of sharing house achievements and winning competitions alongside your housemates. Post-victory celebrations often create unforgettable memories that last a lifetime. For me, however, it’s the house traditions that are the most memorable. The best ones feel like shared secrets passed down through the generations, linking us not only to each other but to those who came before. Some will remain secret, but moments like Christmas dinners and carved names on windowsills are timeless classics that we continued during my time there.
In my opinion, boarding houses are perhaps the most defining aspect of the boarding school experience. Although some of my friends felt that it was the friendships, rather than the act of boarding itself, that influenced our overall experience, we eventually realised that the two are inseparable. Friendships and boarding life go hand in hand to shape the core understanding of what boarding school is and what it means to us personally.
Every boarding house is randomly allocated and thus different and unique, each with its own distinct characters and dynamics. This is both advantageous and disadvantageous; young adults are bound to clash when living in such close proximity. Most issues stemmed from small, inconsiderate things like making noise when one was trying to sleep. As someone who cherishes their sleep, I was particularly bothered by late-night disturbances. While I initially fought with my roommates about this, we soon learned that resolving these issues asked for patience and communication. Part of the charm of boarding is living with other teenagers, and this requires having respect for others and their boundaries, making the most of the experience.
For five out of seven years at my school, we lived in mixed-age rooms called “dorms” with the eldest girl as “head of dorm” to keep the younger girls in check. I fondly remember receiving, and also passing down valuable (and sometimes questionable) advice and gossip, carrying on the stories and traditions of those before us. When I think back to what I miss most about my boarding house, this would be it. My most treasured memories were the smaller, more intimate moments that cemented my boarding house as “home”. It was playing Mario Kart for hours with my girls (who are now my best friends) and the cookies we burned together in the kitchen oven. It was the late-night sneaking around, trying not to get caught by Matron, and the deep, meaningful chats that bonded us in ways only possible between girls living together and sharing their most vulnerable moments.
In my final year, our year group moved out of mixed-age houses into smaller boarding houses with each other, which mimicked university life. Together, we learned how to cook, accidentally shrank our clothes in the laundry, and helped each other prepare for the world beyond school. Now, having finished my first year of university, it is clear to me that boarding has smoothened my transition to university. I found an instant connection with other boarding school graduates because our similar experiences created a natural bond, even if we came from different schools. In contrast, many of my friends from day schools struggled with hurdles that I had to overcome years ago – like homesickness and even folding sheets (sometimes I still struggle with this!).
Looking back, I realise that these life skills were ones that I had picked up simply by living in my boarding house and interacting with a diverse spectrum of people from different backgrounds. It shapes the relationships you form and hones your confidence for the future. For international students like me, the boarding house wasn’t just where we stayed. It truly became our “home away from home” – a place where we found comfort, belonging, and the space to grow into ourselves.