<p>My S was accepted to Exeter, SPS, MX, Nobles. We are very thankful, and hope everyone on this board gets an offer from a great school. We are not sure where to go, they all seem great in every way. We would welcome candid insights, including by private message. If anyone could compare and contrast one or two schools, that would be great also. Comparatively, how rigorous are academics and workload, is fitting in difficult, are students friendly, are top grades hard to come by, are students happy, other challenges? We would appreciate all your help. Thank you.</p>
<p>I think it would be hard for most to have a first hand knowledge of more than one school unless they had children that attended different schools. Any other opinions are just hearsay, and therefore, wouldn’t be helpful. Definitely attend revisits. Feel free to ask questions about a particular school because there will be folks that can answer with a specific school in mind but not the comparison part. </p>
<p>For SPS, there is a whole thread dedicated to the school which is full of tons of info. I would also be happy to answer specific questions about the school - and there are other SPS parents and students here who would do the same. </p>
<p>To answer a few things you have asked from the SPS perspective:
how rigorous are academics and workload? the courses and workload can be challenging, depending on how rigorous your child’s middle school was, but the workload tends to build, with 3rd form (9th) being lighter and 5th form (11th) heavier but by the time most kids get to 5th form, they are much more adept at handling the heavier burden. </p>
<p>is fitting in difficult? SPS is a medium sized school of around 525-535 students. There are different kinds of kids so it isn’t hard for any student to find a group they feel comfortable with. Many kids I know will have different groups of friends they mingle with. </p>
<p>are students friendly? Like anywhere, there is always the rare exception but I’ve found the kids to be very friendly and outgoing in general. I am always amazed at how everyone will look me in the eye and say hello in passing on the paths even when they don’t know me. </p>
<p>are top grades hard to come by? Yes. SPS doesn’t give ABC grades. They have their own system but it is difficult to get the equivalent of straight As at SPS. Those that do are either incredibly smart and organized or are real grinds. But, most kids are there to learn and the atmosphere is cooperative rather than competitive. The school does not rank nor does it have stated GPAs which helps. From everything I have heard, it is hard to get top grades at any of the top tier boarding schools. </p>
<p>are students happy? Most students are very happy and wouldn’t trade their SPS years for anything. All teens go through periods of stress (exam week, etc) but those brief periods are overshadowed by all the good times.</p>
<p>I would definetely chose Exeter, but whatever school your son feels most comfortable at is the one he should choose.</p>
<p>Turn down SPS. Especially if your child is a female incoming sophomore.</p>
<p>Obviously Nobles is the most different—only local 5-day boarders, so all from within an hour or so radius of school. The other schools have great international populations, and lively activities on the weekends. I don’t know them too well (I know families that have used all of them), but the others are more the real boarding school immersion.</p>
<p>eeny meeny miny mo… lol
i say MX 
my fav out of the pics</p>