Picking the right boarding school can be a bewildering experience for parents.Some schools are highly academic, others are good for children with learning disabilities and some are great for sports.Educational consultant Tory Dodge has helped parents on the Island through the process for years through her company, Schools to Know.Ms Dodge, who lived in Bermuda for ten years but has recently moved to New Hampshire, organises two boarding school fairs here each year.“As an educational consultant we are not allowed to take any money from schools,” said explained. “That way we are not biased in the choices of schools that we suggest. In the United States there are hundreds of schools to choose from. I look at the academic background of the child and his or her emotional needs.“I try to match the personality and culture of the child to the school. If the parents aren’t necessarily on board with that I try to explain to them why. I am the child’s advocate. That is why people hire me. If you don’t know the schools as well as I do, it is hard to make a good decision.”She said she has had many success stories in matching Bermuda students with the perfect boarding schools.“I had one student here who could not get going in school,” she said. “He was sent to a boarding school in the Adirondacks. It is a really sweet school with a barn and farm animals. It also has a good academic programme and lots of hands-on stuff for the kids. His mother called me said ‘You won’t believe it; he is getting up at 5am so he can do his chores in the barn’.”She said many parents want to send their child to the top boarding schools in the country, but she is cautious about this.“Often times a student that is a top of their class in Bermuda will get into one of the top schools,” she said. “They find that everyone there is as smart as they are, so they end up being 25th in their class even though they are an A student. Class rankings and standings can be important when you apply to college. Sometimes it would benefit you to go to a school where there is more diversity in the student body.”Being with students of different intelligence levels and learning styles is also more reflective of the real world, she said.“If you are so accustomed to dealing with people who are really bright all the time, they don’t develop patience or understanding of different learning styles to be good managers,” she said. “It is really important for kids to learn from each other and to see what different strengths people have.”Some schools are better than others for different learning styles; some of the top boarding schools have spots set aside for children with challenges. There are also schools specifically geared to children with attention problems and learning disabilities.Basic tuition ranges from $40,000 to $60,000 a year for most schools. Ms Dodge warned there can also be hidden costs.“Some schools include learning support in the price, while others do not. Some schools could add on as much as $3,000 for learning support. In the old days there was no financial aid for foreigners, now there is and they are eager to get foreign students. My advice is be realistic, but don’t be frightened of the cost.”Ms Dodge attended Wheeler School in Providence, Rhode Island, from age 15.“I come from Connecticut where it was a tradition to go to boarding school,” she said. “Our parents wanted us to have greater exposure to the world. At the time, it was so uncool to like your school, but I did like it. Looking back, it probably wasn’t the right type of school for me. It was very formal, and I do better in a more relaxed atmosphere, but I got a very good education.”Ms Dodge said the connections you make in boarding school are “huge”; she is still friends with many of the people she met.“People underestimate the importance of who you know in life,” she said. ”I think if you know someone who has a father who is head of a company and you want an interview, it is helpful. If I had stayed in my little town of Connecticut I would probably never have done what I did in life.”Ms Dodge will host her next boarding school and camp fair here in February.Useful website: www.schoolstoknow.com.