By Mia Prausnitz-Weinbaum, OA Admissions Counselor and Semester 46 Alum

When parents support their teen’s decision to spend four months away from home, they (understandably) have lots of questions. Here are five of the most common questions we get from parents, and our answers.

How do I stay in touch with my teen?

We know how important it is for students to stay in touch with their families while they are away from home, sometimes for the first time. There are a few ways OA students stay in touch with family and friends at home. The most common is calling using the landline that is always available to students. Outside of these regular voice calls, there are scheduled video calls with families. These are between family visits to campus which are on Opening Day, Family Visit Weekend, and Closing Day. Finally, the favorite way of keeping in touch while at OA is letter writing. There’s little more exciting than receiving mail at OA, so send your OA student lots of notes!

What’s the room and board like at OA?

OA becomes a home away from home for students, from their cozy cabins to favorite meals. Students live in winterized cabins with attached bathrooms, each connected to a room where their Residential Life Team member lives. The dining hall, kitchen, Den (living room), and Burrow (a classroom and study space) are located in the Sun Lodge. Meals are all cooked in the Sun Lodge kitchen by our chef, Isa, and served in the dining hall. When possible, local ingredients, including vegetables grown in our own garden, are used in meals. Outside of cabins and the Sun Lodge, we make use of our 180 acre campus’s hiking trails, swimming lake, athletic field, library, garden, craft and music rooms, and more.

How are students supported while they’re at OA?

Supporting students academically, emotionally, medically, and more is of utmost importance. With a 3:1 student to faculty ratio, students have a plethora of adults they can trust as mentors. Built into OA life are weekly lunches and meetings with advisors, cabin meetings with Residential Life Team members, and daily office hours to meet with faculty. Our Dean of Students, Colleen, is an incredible resource for students, whether they need to talk through a conflict or just need help figuring out a quiet place on campus to read. While off campus on outdoor programming trips, students have the support of their Residential Outdoor Educators and the Outdoor Education Manager, who are all experienced trip leaders and medically certified in the backcountry. At OA, students are supported from all sides by our incredible faculty and by each other.

Do the academics at OA look good for college? Will my student get the credits they need?

Yes, OA is a great addition to college applications for many reasons. Your semester at OA shows that you can be independent and thrive in a community away from home, that you have taken your education into your own hands, and that you have completed our rigorous classes and learned new skills. OA also gives you unique stories and experiences that make for impactful college essay topics. Our alumni are also uniquely prepared for college, as they’ve already learned that they can spend time away from home, live with roommates, cook and clean, take responsibility for their learning, and so much more. Check out our OA and College page for more information.

As for high school credits, we are fully accredited and work with each student and school to ensure they can take the classes they need and stay on track for graduation. We have worked with hundreds of schools in our 30 years, including public, private, homeschool, and charter, and are confident about our ability to get students what they need academically. Check out our Intellect page for more information on our experiential classes.

What’s the difference between the Fall vs Spring semesters, and coming as a 10th vs 11th grader?

The Fall and Spring semester offerings are the same, with one small difference coming from timing of the 30 days of outdoor programming based on weather. We shift the outdoors trips toward the earlier part of the fall and later part of the spring to make the most of beautiful weather. Without worrying about fundamental differences between semesters, students can decide which semester works best for them based on class schedules, extracurriculars like sports or performing arts, family commitments, and more. The same considerations come into play when thinking about which grade to attend OA. Students are equally able to come to OA in 10th or 11th grade, but one may be preferred by the sending school or fit a student’s class schedule better. If possible, we recommend coming in 10th grade. The earlier the better, because you learn so much at OA that you can then bring back with you to apply to your high school.