<p>Because New England has a silly acronym for some of its popular boarding schools which have convenient first initials, I'm going to promote an equally silly one for the Mid-Atlantic schools. Heck, why not?</p>
<p>I therefore give you: **PHLEGMS<a href="Peddie,%20Hill,%20Lawrenceville,%20Episcopal,%20Georgetown%20Prep,%20Mercersburg%20and%20St.%20Andrews">/b</a>.</p>
<p>You're free to use PHLEGMS until I get it copyrighted. After that, you'll owe me royalties. </p>
<p>PHLEGMS FTW!</p>
<p>G could be for George School too.</p>
<p>Is PHLEGMS = Phillips, Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville, Exeter, Groton, Milton, SPS? 
Seriously, let’s not…</p>
<p>Oh then of course HADES can be Hun, Ashville…</p>
<p>Well, I think they are for different folks. I was accepted to 3/5 HADES schools (i only applied to 4/5) but I think the HADES provide a great boarding experience. Andover is known for diversity and being a powerhouse (it’s 1/2 schools named extensively on the forum, Exeter is pretty similar (although its culture is quite different ), Deerfield has a great community and New England feel it is also a sports powerhouse, Hotchkiss also has a great community and campus and even has a farm, SPS I have heard is a great place (I don’t know much about it).</p>
<p>How about Groton and Taft? :)</p>
<p>@squash, u are seriously missing the point here.</p>
<p>The point is to demonstrate how ARBITRARY these acronyms are and how utterly stupid it is to propagate them.</p>
<p>^ @GMTplus7 - agree 100%! </p>
<p>@GMTplus7 …love it lol</p>
<p>If we picked a group of schools on something objective<a href=“e.g.,%20highest%20SSAT%20scores”>/u</a>, then for the East Coast they would be:</p>
<p>Exeter
Andover
Groton
Milton
St. Paul’s
Middlesex</p>
<p>= SMEGMA</p>
<p>^^Thaats just disgusting. Are you alright GMT?</p>
<p>^^ Ewwwww.</p>
<p>Hey, I’m not kidding you. If you sort strictly by SSAT scores, those are the top east coast schools. </p>
<p>OK, GMT. That’s enough.</p>
<p>Well, I don’t think the acronyms are half bad. My parents care about prestige and are not about to dump 50k times four years for me to go to a second tier school (they would consider even a school like DA which I really like second tier because it isn’t Andover or Exeter). I don’t think they would not let me attend DA because it isn’t as well known as A/E but just saying, if your paying that much money, prestige might be on the agenda for some folks. </p>
<p>“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe.” While the the Andovers and Exeters of the world are great schools for sure, they are also valuable because they are like catnip to those whose perception of prestige is a higher order motivation.</p>
<p>@parlabane exactly, while a Toyota Prius is a great and efficient car, it still is no ferarri. </p>
<p>squash: You still don’t get it. There is nothing prestigious about the acronym “HADES” – it was meant as a dig by the kid who coined it and yet people ignorantly picked it up and use it like it actually means something. It’s fine if your parents are prestige-driven, but what does that have to do with using an acronym that was coined tongue-in-cheek and, if anything, was meant as a pejorative? It reminds me of the people lining up to dine at L’idiot in LA Story.</p>
<p>Though GMT has probably disgusted everyone here, he has made this point beautifully. Next time you’re tempted to use the “H” acronym, understand that GMT’s version is just as meaningful, so why don’t you use that one? Hmmm?</p>
<p>Oh my goodness, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this point. GMT, thank you for your heroic attempt to bring some humor to the situation. </p>
<p>Prius and Ferrari…funny analogy. I think Exeter and Andover might object. They would probably maintain that they’re more than just beautiful, impractical playthings with bad mileage. Personally, I like the fact that Andover and Exeter take some of the “prestige or bust” kids off the field. </p>
<p>I’d choose a Civic over a Ferrari. Just saying.</p>