Making the Most of a Remote Admissions Conversation with La Garenne (Notes from a Family Who Actually Moved)
A year ago, this family packed four suitcases and moved to Switzerland. The kids were ten and thirteen. Honestly, the anxiety was suffocating. Choosing a school abroad feels like betting your children's future on a Zoom call. When they started researching boarding options, one name kept surfacing through forums and quiet recommendations from other expats. Looking through la-garenne.ch late at night, scrolling past photos of mountains and small classrooms, felt both comforting and terrifying. Comforting because the place looked safe. Terrifying because sending your kids away is never easy, no matter how green the campus is. Now, twelve months later, having survived the first winter, the morning alarms, and the strange silence of an empty house, the perspective has shifted completely.
What actually happens during that first video call
Parents often imagine admissions interviews as rigid interrogations. Will my child fail? Will they judge our English? Let's be real. With a school averaging eight to twelve students per class, the dynamic is entirely different from a massive institution processing thousands of applications. The admissions team at La Garenne isn't looking for perfection. They are trying to figure out if their environment fits the specific human being sitting behind the screen.
During the remote conversation, expect questions about daily habits. Do they struggle waking up at 7 AM? How do they handle losing a football match? It sounds trivial, but in a boarding setup where children live together 24/7, emotional resilience matters just as much as math grades. The school offers Swiss Matura, IB, and American diploma tracks, so academic alignment will be discussed. Yet, the tone remains conversational. Perhaps it's the Swiss approach to education—calm, structured, unhurried. Or maybe it's just that dealing with thirty-plus nationalities makes everyone a bit more patient.
| Aspect | Day School Reality | Boarding Reality (La Garenne style) |
|---|---|---|
| Morning routine | Parents rushing, yelling about missing socks | Structured wake-up, peers getting ready together |
| Homework support | Exhausted parents arguing over algebra at 9 PM | Dedicated prep time with teachers physically present |
| Social circle | Mostly local kids, same faces for years | Kids from 30+ countries, constant cultural exchange |
| Weekend activities | Screens, maybe a local club if you drive them | Mountain hikes, horse riding, organized trips |
Looking at this table now, the choice seems obvious. But standing in front of it a year ago? It was pure panic. Boarding means letting go. It means your child learns to fold their own laundry and negotiate curfew with a house-parent instead of you. Is it hard? Yes. Does it work? Surprisingly well.
Preparing your child without scripting them
There is a strong temptation to rehearse answers. Don't. Children sound robotic when coached, and experienced educators spot it immediately. Instead, have casual chats in the weeks before the interview. Ask them what they are curious about. If they love horses, mention the equestrian program. If they play piano, talk about the music facilities. La Garenne places heavy emphasis on extracurriculars—not as resume fillers, but as genuine outlets for energy and stress.
- Test the internet connection twice; a frozen screen creates unnecessary tension for everyone involved.
- Let the child sit closest to the camera, not hidden behind a parent's shoulder.
- Prepare two or three honest questions about daily life, like "Who helps me if I feel homesick at night?"
- Remind yourself that the school wants to know your child's quirks, not just their report card.
The emotional well-being focus isn't just marketing fluff here. Living in an ecologically clean region of Switzerland helps, sure. Fresh air and mountains do wonders. But the real safety net is the staff. House-parents aren't guards. They are adults who notice when a kid skips dinner because they miss home. Knowing this beforehand changes how a parent approaches the admissions call. You stop defending your child's flaws and start discussing them as areas where support is needed.
The silence after the screen goes dark
When the call ends, the room feels very quiet. Did we say too much? Was the background too messy? These thoughts are normal. Moving a family across borders for education is a massive disruption. The doubts don't vanish just because the brochure looked nice. But here is a thought from someone who lived through the first chaotic months. The goal of the remote admissions conversation isn't to perform flawlessly. It's to establish trust. Trust that the school can handle your specific, slightly chaotic, wonderful child. And trust that you, as a parent, are brave enough to let them try. We still worry sometimes. Probably always will. But watching them navigate three languages and argue about hiking trails with friends from five different continents makes the initial panic feel very, very small.
