Borja Pérez-Mínguez | Travel blog
In one of our latest trips to the United States, we visited and selected the best private boarding schools for academic year programs in Texas, on the richest states in North America thanks to it’s strong economy, fuelled by the success of their business, industry and oil sector.
There is a saying in USA: Everything is bigger in Texas, and we verified they are not wrong!
Texas is undoubtedly one of the less known states for Europeans and the idea most people have about it has nothing to do with the reality since during the entire week we spent visiting the best schools in the state, we never shaw citizens with cowboy hats, horses or any kind of weapon like you could imagine by it’s reputation on movies. It’s important to keep in mind that Texas is one of the biggest states in North America, and it’s size is bigger than most European countries. Most of their schools are considered the safest in the USA and every single Texan citizen we met were by far the most polite Americans we have seen in a long time.
Another common feature they all share is being deeply respectful since at the time we spent in Texas, the former first lady Barbara Bush, wife of President George H.W. Bush (1989-1933) had recently passed away and all the schools had the American flag hanging half mast as a sign of mourning.
In every school we were lucky enough to meet international students from all over the world (China, Brazil, Ukraine, Korea, Switzerland, Japan, Spain), and they were all very happy and having a great experience and of course recommended it to any potential candidate interested in studying an academic year in Texas.
Among the schools we visited we could find all types of centers: catholic schools, secular schools, military schools (for students looking for a more disciplined environment), mixed schools, single sex schools or located in rural areas or urban environments close to major cities like Dallas, Austin, San Antonio or Houston.
For weekend activities the students get to choose among many different options like trips to major cities, going to the movies, shopping, restaurants, museums and all kind of sports events like NBA games, (Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs), American Football, (Dallas Cowboys), soccer games of the MLS, ice hockey options with top teams of the NHL, or even Formula 1 or Moto GP races.
One of the principal features all schools shared was the reduced class sizes of around 10-15 students so the attention studentes receive is much personalized, with a very practical academic system and a very close relation between teachers and alumns so they can all achieve their full potential.
The academic results the students earn at these schools are exceptional and allow them to secure places at the best universities in the USA. Just as all the other private boarding schools we promote at International Academic Programs, every boarding school in Texas is a College Prep center and therefore offers specialized guidence to their students by their College Counselors to guide them through the entire process of universitiy selection and applications according to the students academic results.
Every school also had state of the art facilities and each one had their own espectacular campus with cutting edge classes, labs, music and art programs with some of the best sport fields we have seen in the States: soccer, football, golf, swimming, tennis, basketball, or lacrosse programs with very good results every year at regional and even national championships.
Finally we have to mention the warm weather the state offers when we compare it to the cold winters of the east coast states so it becomes a great choice for students without ski or snowboarding interests.
At the following link you will find all the details of the program: https://www.internationalacademicprograms.es/en/usa-boarding/
