Who can go to Hogwarts?

[ahsweape]

so this is something that's bothered me for awhile (i did a search and didn't find anything about this) several characters mention that hogwarts is the best wizading school in the world. and as far as i've can tell, only british people attend. this seems a little unfair. shouldn't hogwarts admit students based on talent as opposed to nationality if it is, in fact, the best school in the world?

now, one has to consider the possibility that the characters who have said it is the best school are only stating their own biased opinion. but even so, i find it odd that hogwarts only has british students. in a scholastic online chat on feb. 3, 2000 jk rowling stated:

In Hogwarts there's a magical quill which detects the birth of a magical child, and writes his or her name down in a large parchment book. Every year Professor McGonagall checks the book, and sends owls to the people who are turning 11.

she does not state whether nor not only british children are sent owls, but it must be, otherwise there would haev to be some other students of other nationalities present. perhaps students like cho chang and the patil twins actually come from other countries as opposed to just having the cultural background from these countries, but i really doubt it. i think when we finally see the patil twins or cho chang (in the movies), they will definitely be british, as rowling most likely intends them to be in the books.

beauxbatons also struck me as having only french students, but durmstrang, on the other hand, seems to be the exception. viktor krum is bulgarian, and i did not get teh sense that all the other students from durmstrang are bulgarian, and i certainly don't think that durmstrang is located in bulgaria. i always thought it was much farther north than that. but the thing that makes me really think that durmstrang is the exception is the fact that draco said he almost went there. however, he also says that his father knows theheadmaster which i always thought was the reason he was going to go there, but maybe it was the reason he could get in. maybe durmstrang really is in bulgaria and only admits bulgarian students, but since mr. malfoy knew karkaroff, he would make an exception for draco.

i guess my main concern in all this rambling is whether or not the schools are open to foreign nationalities?

[fawkes_the_phoenix]

It's kind of hard to answer that. Looking at Cho and Pavarti, I would say that it does admit different nationalities. I don't think that they will be British in the film, but Chinese/Indian. Whether they came directly from those countries, or their acestors did and now they live in Britain, I don't know. :coolblue:

[ahsweape]

no that's what i meant by being british but having having the cultural background from different nationalities. i defintiely think those characters will obviously have ancestors from china and india, but i really think that they themselves will be british. i'm not trying to say that only caucasian students are admitted, but it seems that only kids born in britian are asked to go to hogwarts.

[Cat]

Well, you can't actually prove which school is better. There are the results and everything, but I'm sure Beauxbatons and the other places would get good results. But, really, who is more likely to attend a school in Scotland - a British kid or a Hawaiian kid? The method of choice for selecting the school to go to has traditionally been to pick the closest.

They seem to only locate students from their own region. Harry didn't receive a letter from Beauxbatons on his eleventh birthday, did he?

[draco]

the only way to resolve this issue is to create some kind of standardized test and give it to all the graduating students of all three schools, similar to the sat's. The results of the tests would show which school was "the best."

YOU'RE WELCOME
Draco

[fawkes_the_phoenix]

Oh, I see what you meant, ashweape.

I think I agree with Cat about the location thingy.:coolblue:

[ahsweape]

i think draco is quite right, as per usual.



i wonder if a student could go to a wizarding school if he doesn't receive an owl saying that he's already been accepted. because, as we've all said, it seems that students only get asked to go to the school that they are closest to. but i imagine that some parents want their kids to go to schools that are farther away - like draco's dad initially wanted him to.

for instance, if harry grows up and gets married and all that rubbish, maybe he moves to france for some reason and then has a child. i would think he would really want that child to go to his own alma mater - hogwarts. i wonder if he could though?

[DocHollidaywe]

Well, who knows, maybe Hogwarts is the best wizarding school in England ... who knows, maybe there is a school in Africa America etc.. that are "the best" As for how can we tell who is the best ... The Triwizard Tourney!! Figure if the best student from each school wins ... who ever wins is the best!

[ahsweape]

yeah that would be a pretty good method for testing who the best european school is, but like you said - there could be some great school in africa or america somewhere that is even better. but no one in the book could confidently say that hogwarts is the best because they hadn't had a triwizard tournament in a looooong time, even the one in goblet o fire doesn't really count because there was so much interference from crouch jr. we don't know how it would have gone without him. (actually, come to think of it, the triwizard tournament might not be such a hot way to rate which school is the best because so much cheating always goes on during it) so i guess all the statements of it being the best are really just opinions.

[Xikum]

It is a good question about who can go?
It seems to me that, maybe, a chld gets the acceptance letter from the local school. But, if a parent wants the chld to go elsewhere, then maybe he can petition for acceptance at the other school?

Also, what about the schools that don't accept mudbloods, like Durmstrang? How can the children living in those areas be found & offered training?

[Dedalus]

When I was going to start highschool, my name was down for Pendleton, because that was the nearest to me. I didn't go there, though. I didn't have to. It's just generally the case that you go to the school nearest to you. In Hogwarts case, it's the only school in the UK, so all wizard children in the UK get the letters. That doesn't mean that those outside can't enroll. I guess you just have to notify the school in advance, like I did with the school I ended up going to, if you're not automatically on the list.

[Elangomatt]

On the topic of standardized tests, how do we know that standardized tests exist? We know students take the OWLs after 5th year and 7th years can take the NEWTs. Maybe those tests are created by the Internation Organazation of Magical Co-operation. Hogwarts could have the highest scores in the NEWTs so it would be the best.

[HbAznKyootie]

Sorry, if i havent read all the post, but this is what i think: all we know so far is 4 magical schools(we might learn of more later in the books): hogwarts in britain, beauxbaton most likely in france, durmstrang somewhere north, and salem institute(book 4) in america. i think that what school you are going to go to depends on where you live. like if krum liked in bulgeria, then durmstrang is closer to his home then hogwarts. like harry lives in britain, so he goes to hogwarts. now maybe if harry lived in france, he might go beauxbaton.

[Barbara Kennedy]

I think that somewhere in one of the 4 books [don't remember exactly which] that Dumbledore states that ANYONE with magical ability can go to Hogwarts.

[ahsweape]

Originally posted by Barbara Kennedy (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=273957#post273957))
I think that somewhere in one of the 4 books [don't remember exactly which] that Dumbledore states that ANYONE with magical ability can go to Hogwarts.



Well at the end of book four Dumbedore says that everyone who was a guest at Hogwarts that year will be welcomed back, and many times throughout the books people comment that Dumbledore does not care who the person is, all he cares about is magical talent when admitting students. However, these statements seem to only be encompassing British magical people. I just came across a quote from an interview with Rowling that sheds a little more light on who is allowed to attend Hogwarts:

Q: Can American kids go to Hogwarts ?
A: No, they have their own school. You'll find out in Book 4. Hogwarts just serves Britain and Ireland.

Alas, Americans must go to the Salem Institute.

[Shoujo Kitsune]

Me! Me! I want to go...oh, wait, not who wants to go who can go...doh! :banghead:

Well, since everyone who is born with magical abilities in the UK is logged on the day they are born, I would put them on the list first...then, I would say if there were an international student who anted to transfer, I think that Dumbledore would let them...

[Aldawen]

I agree with what everyone else has said. I think every area has a school of magic, and there are probably smaller schools dotted all over the place too. Anyone can go to any school, if they are accepted by whoever makes the decision, as long as they notify the school ahead of time.

[Barbara Kennedy]

I kind of hope that the US doesn't only have one school [The Salem Institute.] I wonder where else they could be though? Any ideas fellow Americans? There must be one in California somewhere, at least.....

[Aria Angel]

Is Krum actually Bulgarian? I thought he just played for the Bulgarian Quidditch team. I don't remember JKR ever saying he was actually Bulgarian himself. He could be from wherever Durmstrang is and just play for Bulgaria.
Just a thought.
Aria

[Barbara Kennedy]

We have been debating that very thing somewhat in the thread "Krum and Snape"

[ahsweape]

He's definitely Bulgarian. During her appearance on the Today show on October 20, 2000 she talks about the moment when Hermione tries to teach Krum how to pronouce her name and she calls him a Bulgarian:

J.K. Rowling: Yeh, I introduced Hermione to a Bulgarian (in book four) who couldn't say her name and so then she explains it, so that was my get-out-of-jail card on that one.

[Aria Angel]

Oh ok, thanks. I thought he might be but I wasnt sure.
You must hate me Ahsweape, seems like I am always buggin you on here lol

Aria

[Jessie]

I'm just gonna go back to the topic; Anyone with magical blood in them can go to Hogwarts. Muggle-borns too.

Now, please carry on ur discussion... ;)

[Barbara Kennedy]

Originally posted by Barbara Kennedy (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=274944#post274944))
I kind of hope that the US doesn't only have one school [The Salem Institute.] I wonder where else they could be though? Any ideas fellow Americans? There must be one in California somewhere, at least.....


......hopefully NOT something like the "Hollywood School of Magic."

[Weatherby]

This is an interesting question.
I suspect Malfoy was lyign about almost going to Durmstrang but if he wasn't then they accept other students at least.

[supernatural]

i reckon that an invitation to hogwarts may be sent to every child turning 11, but this invitation does not have to be accepted.
Perhaps the child and parents can pick and choose which school they feel would fit best for the child, which school offers the best education for their child (it seems that durmstrang teached the dark arts rather than defense against).
I think maybe there will be cases of pick and choose, but an invitation is given to children of magical birth- maybe they have catchment areas as well.
i cant see though, that there are only 4 institutions in the magical world!!!! its like saying there are only 4 universities in the world- there must be many more than that!!!! though the magical world doesn't seem as large as the muggle world, else it wouldn't be so easy to hide.

who knows???!!! :coolblue:

[emikkime]

Well some kids who live in say France, would find it easier to go to Beauxbatons than Hogwarts for 2 reasons:

1) They have to learn English

2)Quite far away

[ImGoingUnder]

BUT, Hogwarts DOES have Harry, and Harry has "power the dark lord has not", and that power is love. So, in my eyes, Hogwarts is vurtully the most powerful school in the wizarding community.

[cleansweep11]

Just a side note,it never says Parvarti is Indian. Her name maybe but it doesn't mean she is. I always assumed that they were diffrent nationalitys that lived in Britian.....we never learn about the schools that arn't in Europe......

[OrioCookie]

It seems that the "best wizarding school on the world" thing is self-proclaimed. Only those who have actually attended Hogwarts say that so it may not be true. They wouldn't know about the other schools' teachings and such. It's sort of a pride thing.

Or it's JK's way of saying Brits are better. :shrug:

[MadMagic]

I think it is probably just for english speaking wizards. They don't seem to have much of a foreign studies/language program. Also I think that it is quite selective in who it sends invitations to.

[jasper]

I kind of hope that the US doesn't only have one school [The Salem Institute.] I wonder where else they could be though? Any ideas fellow Americans? There must be one in California somewhere, at least.....

Yeah- at Berkley.

I'm wondering if there aren't transfer students to Hogwarts because the Voldemort-went-there stigma hasn't completely left. Want to send your kid to the school that gave us the worst dark wizard in 100 years? Parents in other countries might take a long time to start thinking Britain was a safe place for wizards and witches.

Doesn't it seem like Voldemort mainly caused turmoil within Britain? Maybe I'm off base here. Have we met international death eaters besides the Drumstrang headmaster?

[Jonny Boy]

Maybe some schools let in foreign students and some don't.

[ginnybatbogeysyou]

I'm wondering if there aren't transfer students to Hogwarts because the Voldemort-went-there stigma hasn't completely left. Want to send your kid to the school that gave us the worst dark wizard in 100 years? Parents in other countries might take a long time to start thinking Britain was a safe place for wizards and witches.
I always thought Voldemort's terror reached every bit of the planet. Therefore, it would be unlogical to send your kid to school in another country, because it's very risky there too. If he had Death Eaters in different countries, you can be sure that some of them are still out there.

I don't think parents think about Voldemort going to Hogwarts a lot. It's the only school in Britain, so the kids go to that school. Voldemort was just one evil person that went to that school. There must have been more (the Death Eaters), but the school had nothing to do with Voldemort wanting to rule the world. It's not like they teach "How to murder all Mudbloods in Britain" at Hogwarts.

[Doggy]

I always thought Voldemort's terror reached every bit of the planet. Therefore, it would be unlogical to send your kid to school in another country, because it's very risky there too. If he had Death Eaters in different countries, you can be sure that some of them are still out there.
Exactly. The Bulgarian Prime Minister recognised Harry at the World Cup (Fudge even thought it natural for him to know) and later, when the Bulgarian students came, several of them recognised Harry.

It looks like Hogwarts is a school for British students. We've (so far) never heard of anyone non-British at Hogwarts, so if there is someone there, it has to be an exeption.

Malfoy was allowed to go to Durmstrang, so it seemed, so I guess Hogwarts would let in other students as well, as long as they can speak English, I suppose. But still, as people have pointed out already, you usually go to the school closest to your home.

The only thing I find strange is that there are "three largest wizarding schools in Europe". There has to be more big ones - think of all the countries there are.

[ginnybatbogeysyou]

The only thing I find strange is that there are "three largest wizarding schools in Europe". There has to be more big ones - think of all the countries there are.
Well, a lot of people in Belgium speak French too (it's one of the two languages there), so they can also go to Beauxbatons.
Durmstrang seems to be in the Bulgarian-region, so maybe countries like Hungaria also attand Durmstrang.
You will probably have an Italian, a Spanish and a German school as well. Mabe there even a Dutch one, but considering it's a very small country, it might not be a big a school as Hogwarts.

[Zachary1993]

I think it all depends on where you live. If you live in London or Scotland. In you live in the US or Canada you go to a North America.

[strwznbrry]

Until I just read this thread I never really thought about it. I would think the same as mainly everyone else has said. That you go to a school because you live near it. Imagine having to go all the way to London from the middle of Russia (or anywhere else farther away for that matter) just to hop on the Hogwarts express to go to school. Going home for holidays would be really inconvenient. I really think there are lots of schools out there but JKR hasnt mentioned them because they don't have anything to do with the story.

[Grapez]

Draco Malfoy said he wanted to go the Durmstrang, but his mother didn't want him so far away. So I guess the schools accept foreign students.

[Dru Malfoy]

I would suppose it is like in the real world. Usually you have to got to a school in your administrative district - whatever that is. If you don't want to go there you have to apply to go elsewhere.

So, everyone would get the letter from the school which is responsible for educating kids in that area. But I guess Hogwarts would accept students from elsewhere if they applied. I just don't see too many parents sending their child far away. Most would want their child as close as possible...

[dobby_rocks]

I would suppose it is like in the real world. Usually you have to got to a school in your administrative district - whatever that is. If you don't want to go there you have to apply to go elsewhere

I have to agree with this, if they wanted to go else where theyd likely have to pay more money. I wonder if theyd except a forigen exchange students

[fairy_lightz]

anyone who shows any magical potental beforethere 11th birthday

[enchantedgerbil]

It doesn't seem very unfair to me. As OrioCookie said, "the best wizarding school in the world" thing does seem self-proclaimed. Even if they were the best school, how would they fit every magical kid in the world in? And how would these students feel about being so far from home if they lived in a different continent? And then wouldn't everyone need to learn English to attend? (Or maybe there could be a device similar to the Babel Fish in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that allows one to understand all languages?) Still, it seems like too much effort just to be "fair".