- The hashtag #BoardingSchool currently has over 1.4 billion views on TikTok.
- Several alumni offer a behind-the-scenes look at the lavish lifestyle.
- Some said they wanted to show viewers the truth behind the stereotypes.
TikTokers who attended boarding schools are sharing their experiences at elite institutions – often going viral as a result.
This style of video has existed on TikTok for years, and is becoming increasingly common. Recent Videos Feature boarding school students Mimicking along to songs or highlighting students in their uniforms how tough He has a special school.
Hashtags #Boarding school There have been more than 1.4 billion views, but the videos attract a mix of responses, from people saying they wish they had the chance to attend a private school to those wondering how someone could afford them. Could Some users have commented to say that they didn’t know that boarding schools actually existed.
Not all viewers agree that experiences should be glorified, but many creators express positive sentiment toward the institutions they attended, and say they want to dispel misconceptions about stereotyping. .
Videos of gorgeous boarding schools are hugely popular on TikTok
one of the following most popular videos In Style has over 7.2 million views. It features a montage of Fettes College in Edinburgh, Scotland, with snapshots of towers with turrets and spiral staircases. another Video Shows a day in the life of a boarding school student with 5.8 million views, with a schedule of three classes a day, study hall time and yoga.
a creator who posted a viral boarding school tiktok Katrina Ip, 21, took viewers on a tour of the lavish accommodation and facilities at the Queen Margaret School for Girls in York, England, which cost £42,480 ($49,000) to attend as an international student.
Ip, who attended the school for five years and now attends the University of the Arts London, explained that she decided to make the video when she was there for a reunion.
She stopped by the student housing she lived in, rode a horse she used to meet at a field, drank wine at the school’s restaurant, and revisited the swimming pool and gym.
Unaware that boarding school videos were popular on TikTok, Ip explained that she was surprised by the size of the response to her videos, which garnered her an additional 3,000 followers.
“I thought it was going to get 50k views, but it got almost a million so I thought, why are people so interested?” he said.
Creators view their videos as a way to dispel misconceptions
Charlie, a 30-year-old TikToker living in the UK, who goes @TheRoamingReader and has requested that only her first name be used due to privacy concerns, posted dozens of Video About her experience at a British boarding school which she attended between 2003 and 2010.
“It’s such a closed door thing,” she said. “Unless you know someone who went to boarding school, there are a lot of misconceptions and stereotypes.”
Ip agreed, saying that she’s seen a lot of comments on her videos referencing the 2008 film “Wild Child,” which follows the story of an American teen attending a British boarding school, and People compares her experience to their perceptions based on pop culture depictions of boarding schools. ,
Both Ip and Charlie also said that they also received many comments from people who believed that all boarding school students came from privileged backgrounds. While most boarding school students will pay fees, some, such as Charlie, are able to obtain scholarships, although one study found that only 1% of students at private schools in the UK are fully funded, i news reported In 2021.
Charlie posted a video in july explaining that she received the money to cover her fees, which included extra-curricular activities, food and accommodation, and that she was able to borrow uniforms and textbooks.
“People hadn’t even heard of the side of boarding school that I really wanted to show in my video as well, that you don’t have to be rich to go to boarding school,” she added.
Some viewers took issue with the glorification of the boarding-school lifestyle
Ip and Charlie both reported that they received many comments from people who pushed back on their positive experience of boarding school.
“Something that comes up a lot and people say, which I find bizarre, is ‘Why do parents have kids if they’re not going to raise them?'” Charlie said. “You think my parents dropped me off at boarding school and didn’t see me for seven years? They didn’t.”
Boarding schools are a divisive topic. US News & World Report contributor Doug Abrams reported that“While Hollywood often portrays children as ‘sent’ to boarding school, the reality is that many students attend boarding schools to participate in innovative programs, live more independently at a younger age, and gain admission to top colleges.” Let’s get better shots.”
But boarding school isn’t a positive experience for everyone. Dr. Joy Shevarian, a psychiatrist and author who coined the term “boarding school syndrome” told the British Psychotherapy Foundation that some former boarders may experience symptoms associated with the trauma of being separated from their parents and family, homesickness, and the feeling that they cannot leave.
Charlie said she thinks some people who post videos about boarding school “sweeten it up a bit” and leave out some of the challenges, like dealing with a tough workload and constantly being around their friends. Which can be difficult at times, but overall she was happy with her time as a student.
“I think boarding school was a really formative time for me and it was an amazing experience,” she said, and she has no plans to stop. telling my tiktok followers about it,
For more news like this, check out the Digital Culture team’s coverage here.