Tag Archive for: private school

How to Make Private School More Affordable

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Private school can seem pretty expensive, and it is, but there are ways to make it more affordable. We rounded up our favorite suggestions, ones we offer new families in our own school. Here they are!

Scholarships

One way private school can be more affordable is by applying for scholarships within and outside of your school of choice. Many schools provide scholarships for things like exceptional creativity, specialized interest, or need-based scholarships. Inquire with the admissions director of your school to pursue these options.

Outside of your school, many companies partner with schools to provide scholarships. One scholarship program we suggest to our students is Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarship, tuition assistance, and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Awards are granted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, age, gender, disability, or national origin. One scholarship from Land’s End and Scholarship America is available here. 

Financial Aid from the School

Many schools offer income-based tuition on a sliding scale. When applying for schools, it is best to ask the admissions counselor about the tuition structure and financial aid options available to you through the school. Some schools may not offer a sliding scale tuition, and it is better to know that upfront before going through all the work of applying to the school if you cannot afford tuition.

In addition to income-based tuition, some schools offer financial aid. This financial aid may come in the form of scholarships or tuition reduction. Often times, you can find scholarship information on the school’s website. If you cannot find that information on their website, ask the admissions counselor.

Raising Money with Your Personal Network of Contacts

It may feel uncomfortable, but it is not uncommon to ask friends and family to help support sending your child to a private school. You can do this via fundraiser (selling baked goods, wrapping paper, etc.) or by asking for monetary donations. Once you collect the funds, you can use them to make a payment on your child’s behalf. 

If you have made the decision to send your child to public school, do not be discouraged by the price. Remember the reasons you selected this path of education and get creative! Always feel that you can reach out to the admissions staff for help. They want to see your child succeed too.

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Hannah Nichols
Marketing and PR
Maharishi School
hnichols@msae.edu
Fairfield, IA 52556

Maharishi School Opens Boarding Dorm in Hildenbrand

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Maharishi School Opens Boarding Dorm in Hildenbrand

by Jim Karpen

In recent years as many as 30 Maharishi School students were boarding students living with host parents and coming from around the world. Now the school hopes to host even more thanks to converting the rooms in the ground-level floor of Hildenbrand Hall into a boarding dorm – including a dining hall, kitchen, and an apartment for an adult supervisor.

Remodeling of the boarding dorm was completed in August, and nine students are currently living there.

According to Maharishi School Head of School, Richard Beall, the dorm can accommodate up to 30 students. The school hopes to have 80 boarding students in five years.

“We have a big interest in our boarding program, but many parents in other countries are reluctant to have their children live with host families,” Dr. Beall said. “They have a strong preference for a boarding dorm. Now that we have a dorm, we expect to enroll many more boarding students.”

Living with host parents will still be an option, and a number of the school’s international students who are continuing from last year chose to remain with their host families.

 

The [dorm] students eat breakfast in the dining hall in the dorm, lunch at Maharishi School, and dinner catered by HyVee in the dorm dining hall in the evening.
Supervising the students this year are teacher David Pohlman and MUM student Karen Ballinger.

Hildenbrand Hall is located on the west side of Highway 1, with the upper two floors housing MUM’s women students.

 

 

Dining Hall in Dorms

 

 

 

 

 

 

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Hannah Nichols
Marketing and PR
Maharishi School
hnichols@msae.edu
Fairfield, IA 52556

 

5 Things You Really Need to Know Before Your College Interview

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Preparing for a college interview can feel really scary, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Planning ahead can be a good way to combat anxiety surrounding college interviews. So, we have put together a short checklist of ways you can prepare for, and totally nail, your college interviews.

 

  1. Be yourself

Colleges are interviewing you. They honestly want to get to know you to see if you are a good fit for their school and that their school is a good fit for you. So relax, take a deep breath, and just be yourself.

 

  1. Practice

Practice what you’re going to say. Prepare some talking points about things you enjoy, activities you have participated in, accomplishments you are proud of, and so on. Don’t write a script, but know what you are going to say. Prepare some talking points.Dressed for an interview

 

  1. Ask questions

Ask some thoughtful questions of the people interviewing you. Ask them about their school. Ask them about their hobbies. Ask them about their favorite local coffee shop. Asking questions shows you are engaged and interested. Colleges want to know you are invested in what they have to offer so ask questions!

 

  1. Prepare

Take time to read articles about what questions the interviewers might ask you. It’s good to have thought over your possible answers so you aren’t taken off guard by the questions. You might get some surprise questions, but they will generally resemble ones on this list. 

 

  1. Stop worrying about the time

Most interviews last around 30 minutes to an hour, give or take. Don’t worry if it’s longer or shorter. Most interviews are conducted on a tight schedule so do not take the length of interview as an indicator of how well your interview is going.

 

Relax. You got this. Good luck!

 

 

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Hannah Nichols
Marketing and PR
Maharishi School
hnichols@msae.edu
Fairfield, IA 52556

 

Exciting News – New Dorms!

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In our last blog post, we mentioned that there are many exciting things happening around Maharishi School. In our last blog post, we mentioned that we had been ranked #1 Private School in Iowa. In that same blog, we hinted that there were many more new and exciting things to be announced. Well, the second item on that list is our new dormitory! 

  Maharishi School has opened the dormitory to further the boarding opportunities for students who would like to attend the school. In past years, we have utilized host parents in our boarding program. We still have that system in place, but having a dormitory opens many possibilities.

We are excited to have many of our boarding students in one building – boys at one end, girls at the other. Having students together helps create a deeper sense of community within our student population. In addition, we plan to make the common area in the dorms a hub for student activities, 

including non-boarding students. We are excited to utilize this space for group studying, projects, learning, building relationships, and hosting school community activities. Already, we have hosted a Welcome Party for new students where our student council members mingled with new students and answered many questions about school life and what to expect at Maharishi School.

So far, everyone is enjoying their new home-away-from-home. We have 10 boarding students who are settling in and preparing for the school year. They are making connections and building friendships we hope last a lifetime. We are thrilled to have these students here and to provide an opportunity for future students who wish to attend Maharishi School but are based out of town.

 

Dining Hall in Dorms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Hannah Nichols
Marketing and PR
Maharishi School
hnichols@msae.edu
Fairfield, IA 52556

 

Exciting News – #1 Ranking!

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Exciting News – #1 Ranking!

As the new school year begins, we are looking forward to updating our wider community of the exciting things happening around the school!

First, we are excited to announce Maharishi School’s number one ranking! According to Niche.com, Maharishi School is the #1 Private K-12 School in Iowa. In addition to that, we have receive #1 rankings in several other categories:

  • Most Diverse Private High School in Iowa
  • Best Private High School in Iowa
  • Best Boarding School in Iowa

We received several other rankings:

  • #2 Best College Prep Private High School in Iowa
  • #5 Best High School for STEM in Iowa

View our certificate here: Niche 2019 Certificate #1 Private High School

We are honored and excited to be recognized for our innovation, insight, and success in education. We have our staff and faculty to thank. Each day, they work hard to instill trust in education in their students, to spur our students on to greatness, and to encourage passion and originality in our students – preparing them for future success.

To our current and past students, we are so proud of where you are, who you are, and all that you have and will accomplish. You have been our purpose and motivation as we refine our vision and the direction we pursue. You are the oxygen that allows the organism of Maharishi School to exist. We cherish each one of you.

We do not take our ranking lightly. We appreciate the recognition of our hard work, but we will continue to strive for more. We will not settle, and we will not grow stagnant. This is evidenced by the many new and innovative projects and initiatives we are introducing this year. We will keep you updated!

 

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Hannah Nichols
Marketing and PR
Maharishi School
hnichols@msae.edu
Fairfield, IA 52556