A question on the West Coast boarding schools

Prep School Admissions Prep School Parents
1

<p>Hi, </p>

<p>My son who is currently an eighth grader will apply to boarding schools this year and was wondering if I could get some help. </p>

<p>As we live in the West Coast, we are looking at some in CA and did some basic research. </p>

<p>We found Thacher and Cate are the best in the region but frankly it is hard to get some hands-on knowledge just by looking at their websites. (We are planning on visiting the schools in September.) </p>

<p>I would really appreciate your help with the following questions:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>What is the notable difference between Cate and Thacher, in terms of school atmosphere? I know they are both very good schools and Thacher looks more outdoorsy while Cate is more artsy. What about the school vibe? (I am not really interested in their physical environment)</p></li>
<li><p>How different are these two schools from top schools in the East? (i.e., Andover, Exeter and others) I think the ones in the East have more prestige, or a higher brand recognition???</p></li>
</ol>

2

<p>If you use the search function on this forum to search for Thacher and Cate, you will get a LOT of information on both schools, and comparing them to the east coast schools. Both schools are popular topics for conversations on here. I’d suggest you try that first, if you haven’t already.</p>

3

<p>Hello, </p>

<p>I’m a current Junior at Cate, so hopefully I can help. I have plenty more information to give, so feel free to ask for any thing else.</p>

<ol>
<li>As far as I can tell, you are correct in thinking that Thacher is “outdoorsy”, but as a non-student I can not be definitive on that. Cate does get an artsy reputation, but I would not say it defines the school like Thacher’s outdoor program. We have accomplished Carnegie Hall musicians, artists that go on to Rhode Island School of Design, and several theater gurus that have bright futures in Hollywood (not to mention their parents; it’s very cool to see celebrities on campus during parent’s weekend).</li>
</ol>

<p>I would say Cate is vaguely like Choate in the sense that we have a good arts reputation, but the overall academics is what we strive for and are proud of. The national champion of the American Mathematics Contest is a senior this year, and the winner of the National Brain Bee in Neuroscience graduated last year to go on to Harvard. We have a pretty well balanced group.</p>

<p>In my personal experience, the most competitive departments are English and Science, with the largest groups of students either wanting a medical career or to be authors. It does feel very competitive and get very stressful at times to deal with the workload, but all of the students look out for each other. I’ve heard of students at Andover hiding library books to win the curve on a test, but at Cate the students would typically send out an email on what book they should look at. The work is difficult, but you’ll certainly have a support system to get yo through it. I have heard that the workload at Thacher is slightly more reasonable, but again, as a non-student I can’t be sure.</p>

<ol>
<li>I think the prestige of each school comes with the area that it’s in. While Andover and Exeter are popular with Harvard/MIT in Mass., Thacher and Cate are popular with Stanford/CIT in Cali. I have to say I had some doubts as to whether Thacher/Cate would carry name weight, but when I mentioned to a CalTech admissions officer I went to a boarding School in southern California he immediately guessed Cate and said he knew us well, so I’m sure we have gained some recognition. Besides that, the majority of my friends turned down the likes of Andover, Exeter, Choate, SPS, Taft, etc. to come to Cate (I’ve heard it’s the same at Thacher), so we do compare to those schools at least in terms of student body.</li>
</ol>

<p>Let me know if I can help any further!</p>

4

<p>Thinonekid, thank you so much for the insightful tip. That’s very helpful.</p>

5

<p>I would really appreciate your help with the following questions, you ask. See below.</p>

<ol>
<li>What is the notable difference between Cate and Thacher, in terms of school atmosphere? I know they are both very good schools and Thacher looks more outdoorsy while Cate is more artsy. What about the school vibe? (I am not really interested in their physical environment). </li>
</ol>

<p>***** Like the Kid on Thacher, I am not an expert on Cate, although I’ve visited numerous times. Thacher’s atmosphere is driven by an exceptionally powerful sense of community, an honor code that permeates everything, the horse and outdoor programs, which produce powerful bonds of friendship, and a deep love of learning that is shared by every student and faculty member. Cate always impressed me as more of an East coast school plopped down on that drop dead gorgeous mesa, and I don’t mean that pejoratively. Thacher is a different kettle of fish, its students have a wholly different experience from other top boarding schools, except for the academics which are rigorous and excellent and not really different from any top 20 boarding school. When you said you "weren’t really interested in the [school’s] physical environment, I wasn’t sure how to read that. Thacher’s physical situation is integral to the school’s value proposition.</p>

<ol>
<li>How different are these two schools from top schools in the East? (i.e., Andover, Exeter and others) I think the ones in the East have more prestige, or a higher brand recognition??? </li>
</ol>

<p>***** Aside from the academics, which I don’t think are materially different among the top 20 schools or so, Thacher is very different from East Coast schools in non-academic ways: school culture, types of opportunities, integration of the outdoors in school life, and its general demeanor. We live on the East Coast and are deeply familiar with the schools here. We were surprised at the friendliness, modesty and good will among all the different students and teachers toward one another at Thacher. We didn’t hear humor/sarcasm at other people’s expense or sense unhealthy competitive attitudes. It feels very much “we” and not “me.” This was refreshing and proved to be one of the school’s best and unique strengths.</p>

<p>With respect to your prestige comment, I see Cate and Thacher as the equal of any East Coast school, including the luminaries like Andover, SPS, Groton, Choate, Exeter etc. What Cate and Thacher don’t have is the same brand name recognition, which is more a function of location than anything else. Not to be counterintuitive or anything, but if you’re kid has been raised on the West Coast, then I would be inclined to send him to the East coast for the different cultural experience. I can’t say enough about the good character development and learning that comes from four years outside your own milieu.</p>

6

<p>Your, not you’re. Should have proofed!</p>

7

<p>@Thacherparent</p>

<p>Thank you so much for sharing your experience.</p>

8

<p>My son applied to CA boarding schools only. (Thacher, Cate and Webb)</p>

<p>We had gone through the similar thinking process as you are doing now. We tried to compare Cate and Thacher in every possible way. </p>

<p>During the process, We had a lot of help from people like Thacherparent, Mountainhiker who’s DS goes to Thacher now, and ThisOneKid (Cate student). </p>

<p>Honestly, we still don’t exactly know what the real atmosphere is like at both schools and will never do because we can’t attend both. But from what I heard from other people and felt during the school visits and interactions with the schools, I can tell that both are excellent schools with very friendly atmosphere. </p>

<p>Our son decided in favour of Thacher and it was mainly because he loves horses and outdoors. We equally liked Cate School. It would be helpful if you visit the schools later and speak with people there. Sorry, this is all I can add for now. Maybe if you PM me later this year, I could hopefully share our Thacher experience with you in further details.</p>

9

<p>Thatcherparent will yell at me again.
MY D applied several years ago and we took a tour of Cate.
My D asked the guide your question and was told that Cate had drugs and Thatcher sex (may have been the other way around) - so we left after talking with the Dean of Admissions.</p>

<p>Also, Ventura just down the coast is home of the Hells Angels MC gang and has a very high crime rate</p>

<p>On the opposite view, sitting in a dorm on your hammock overlooking the Pacific is nice.</p>

10

<p>Don’t overlook The Webb Schools. My daughter went there and got a fantastic education and was able to do activities that gave her truly unique experiences and a great college app. I didn’t look at other schools because I was not wholly on board with the boarding school idea until late. Plus a relative had done extremely well there. I have family in the area, and the proximity of Ontario airport made travel easy for holidays and long weekends, in both directions. If you are interested in any details about her experience you can PM me.</p>

<p>I don’t think prestige/name recognition needs to be a factor, unless bragging rights to your friends is important. The colleges will know the schools, and the GC sends a school report with the application should that be the unlikely case. What is most important is solid academics the opportunity for your child to reach his full potential academically. Also some schools have very special EC’s available and special equipment that may attract your student especially.</p>

11

<p>Every high school has some degree of drugs AND sex. No matter how exclusive, elite, or expensive. Most neighborhoods too. The type and quantity of drugs may differ from school or locale but they can be found everywhere. The type and quantity of sex may differ from school or locale too.</p>

12

<p>Cate has not had a drug incident for the past for years. We have had, as I have heard, one incident in the last 10 years (and the student was immediately dismissed). If we managed to get that reputation, it’s from people who really have no idea what they’re talking about. Any and all drug use will get you expelled, no exceptions. Most schools have their flaws, especially with drugs/alcohol, and many are much more frequent than ours. Did you not hear of Andover’s medical director being found in possession of child pornography? <a href=“Former Andover Doctor in Child Porn Case to Remain in Jail - The New York Times”>Former Andover Doctor in Child Porn Case to Remain in Jail - The New York Times;
That incident, which in my opinion is far more serious, does not define them, and neither does this single drug incident define us, so excuse me if I am insulted by your spreading of this slanderous psuedo-reputation you have created for us, Princess.</p>

13

<p>Our DS will be a sophomore this fall at Thacher. I am glad to answer any and all questions about the school from interested parents or prospective students. Send me a PM, or post on the forum (it’s been a very busy summer, and sometimes it’s 2-3 days before I can check CC, but I do check in pretty regularly).</p>

14

<p>Yes, Princess, your devotion to the idea of sex, drugs, rock and roll (and motorcycle gangs) permeating the West Coast environs of Thacher and Cate is impressively dogged, however misplaced. I cannot speak with authority about Cate, although TOK or CateParent could chime in. </p>

<p>Thacher has an incredibly healthy environment. I have not heard of a single instance of drugs or drinking on campus during my association with the school beginning in 2004. Certainly there are trysts, romantic or otherwise, but in no greater or smaller number than you’d see anywhere adolescents congregate. Every two years, The Independent School Gender Project (ISGP) conducts a survey of student perceptions of health- and wellness-related issues on boarding school campuses. A cohort of 21 schools, including Thacher, took part in the research this past cycle; among them were: Cate School, Deerfield Academy, Groton, St. Paul’s School, The Taft School, and The Webb Schools etc. In the 2009 version of this study, the data showed Thacher as the best of all 23 schools surveyed. When the 2011 numbers came in, the news only got better.</p>

<p>After collecting and collating the data, the ISGP divides the responses into subset categories and grades schools on a scale of A to C. In the 2009 study, Thacher received six As and no Cs. The most recent transcript reports 18 As and still no Cs. The new reporting system no longer ranks schools individually, but instead places them into quartiles. These latest results not only put Thacher in the top quarter of all schools surveyed, but suggest quite powerfully that it continues to be the healthiest boarding school in the country.</p>

15

<p>I have a lot of trouble believing that there is no drug use or drinking at Cate or Thacher, or that no students have been caught doing these things for the last 10 years. Let’s be real, these are teenagers! That said, I think that the way a school handles such incidents is more interesting and telling than tracking of whether or not the incidents occur in the first place.</p>

16

<p>Friendly - I did not make any claims about Cate. </p>

<p>As a father of three, I’m familiar with teenage behavior. I’m also familiar with Thacher. You may know the School equally well, but if you don’t, and you’re just generalizing around the notion of teenagers being teenagers, it’s worth a visit or some additional study. Like I said, I’m unaware of any drug/drinking infractions on campus since 2004 when my son started.</p>

17

<p>Thatcher, etal</p>

<p>Whether it is true or not, I don’t know, We had a senior tour guide who was a student body leader and that is what she told my daughter. She also has fast, slurred words and pin point pupils</p>

18

<p>It’s spelled Thacher (speaking of blurred vision) :)</p>

19

<p>Webb, Thacher, and Cate are at least as good as Taft, Loomis, and the likes on the East Coast (sub 25% acceptance rates). I figure all three must have significant name recognition among West Coast colleges, not to mention the unrivaled Californian climate.</p>

20

<p>Yep, Pomona and CalTech both knew Cate by name on my visits. That probably translates over well to the other big-name ones such as Stanford and USC, and perhaps to the east as well. I’m sure Thacher and Webb are also known well.</p>