Thank you for the suggestion - have a friend who went to Kent (actually seeing her tonight!) albeit many years ago. 
When visiting campus or even online-- We find it helpful and interesting to look at the student newspaper from each school. Also social media – it works both ways-- interesting posts from students-- we have seen some interesting and fun posts.
My daughter spent two years at Andover which was largely positive, before being kicked out for a series of offenses that would never have occurred if there was sufficient dorm supervision. A Dean at another boarding school opined that “The dorm parents at Andover are in ‘survival mode’”.
There are five housing (and club athletic, and disciplinary) clusters so there are in some important ways five schools within the school. They expect the student to “Be their own advocate.” In my daughter’s case, the school’s “Team Approach” to advising and support meant in practice no one had any real idea of what was going on with her. We never heard from her Advisor unless something was wrong, or we contacted them.
The Needs Blind Admissions policy is a big plus. The school has a huge course catalog and every student club imaginable.
Like most of the TSAO schools, the administration is in denial about the level of stress students are under, and the fact that fewer students than ever are being accepted to Ivies is not helping.
Many of us who went to Andover when it was “only” 840 students think it is now too big. I leave it to those more familiar with the other “Large, college-like democracies” to opine on their schools. We’ve referred 5 kids to smaller schools for every one to a larger school.
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This is really true. Both my ORM students got into top colleges but not ivies. My D2 got waitlisted at Harvard. Still, although some students do go on to ivies, most will not. At Choate, they have figured out that URM’s mostly land at these top schools along with recruited athletes, not even so much legacy anymore. It seems more and more the URMs get special attention, early invitation to campus, special groups to help with common app, and essay writing etc.
You have to really stop and figure out what you want to get out of your $240,000 investment per student. I would do it all again, not so much for what I got for my money, but because I will never wonder what if?
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How about attending for the quality of the education? Any admin at a BS would tell you not to attend if your sole purpose is Ivy admissions. Why do you turn so many of your posts into affirmative action gripes, @preppedparent ?
I just tell it the way I’ve experienced it. I don’t mind anyone disagreeing with me, but let’s please avoid personal attacks. BTW both my students earned Cum Laude (top 15%) and both were 3 and 4 year Varsity Athletes.
Yes - agree - we are definitely looking at these places because of what we have heard about the level of academics and the co-curriculars. And the rich experience of being with such a diverse group of peers. That is priceless. We assume these kids get into a strong colleges - Ivy or not.
Not everyone will get into a “strong” college, which I think is a point worth making, great high school education aside. Many will not end up in a “brand” school, and you have to be okay with that.
Personally, I think the point work making is that a college does not need to be a brand to be strong. Almost everyone from these schools will get into a good college and will go on to have successful lives. Yes, not everyone will get into an Ivy League school, and some kids at these prep schools don’t want to go to an Ivy. It’s not like any kid’s only choice is University of South Central Massachusetts. 
@“nico.campbell” bruh
Yes, it is like some kids’ only choice is “University of South Central Mass.” Lots of kids from our “elite” prep school go on to mediocre colleges, and I don’t think it’s for lack of trying. Lots of first time parents are stunned. It’s not what they thought they were buying.
Purely my opinion, of course, but I think that your definition of at least one of the following words differs from the standard in a source such as Merriam-Webster: “lots,” “elite,” “mediocre.”
My point is that I’ve experienced many parents angry at their kids because they don’t understand what went wrong, why the student didn’t get into a top flight college, and as Garamond points out, going to an elite prep school just isn’t what it used to be in terms of feeder…not for the majority of kids at least, and declining all the time. And by many, I mean more than a “few”.
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And by the way, I think Choate is considered an elite prep school.
This entire generation of kids live a pressure cooker life! The stresses they face are staggering and the uncertainty of their individual and collective futures weighs heavily on them. That’s why I’m such a strong advocate for finding the best match of a school to your child’s individual needs — in a place where they feel secure enough attempt and explore all sorts of new things and learn positive lessons from their successes and failures. In the end, if you have the incredible luxury private school for your kid, make it a place where they, individually, are positioned to thrive and have joy and success during their important high school years.
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Totally agree. A friend of mine gave me great advice for BS and college visits—walk around the student parking lot and look at the window and bumper stickers!
Most schools publish matriculation data. No need to look at car stickers. If they cop out like Choate has, it’s fair to ask for more complete data.
https://www.choate.edu/academics/college-counseling/college-matriculations
Getting into certain colleges is such an emotional subject and it is completely understandable why. At the end of the day it is whatever one’s priorities are…we are all different…it is perfectly fine to want one’s child to go to an Ivy (there is some sense of security in that, whether always justified or not)…just as it is to not place emphasis on that. I do agree that the kids today have tremendous pressure on them. They have to be great at academics, be on the Olympic track for some sport, be performing with their local symphony and have started a non-profit by the time they are 14 or 15. My thinking is that kids who are smart enough to get into these BS will figure out their way, even if they don’t all end up at top colleges/universities. It is helpful to go in realizing there is no guarantee of admission to the classic top schools after 4 years of very expensive BS education. But if one’s goal is the experience of those years of BS and not so much the result of where they go for college, it makes it easier to accept that.
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@doschicos. That must have frustrated you. I’m sure you were hoping that Choate’s matriculation data revealed lots going to ivies. At one point they would have posted exact number of kids going to the top colleges, but as Garamond pointed out, it’s happening less and less. All they can do is publish a helter skelter list, some good, and some not so good of where kids matriculate. I could be wrong, but I don’t think a “majority” (I looked it up in the dictionary, and yes, this is correct usage) of Choate parents hope their kids will aspire to the likes of University of South Central Mass or better known Elon with an acceptance rate of 60 % (2016-2017).
Doesn’t frustrate me. I’m not an Ivy worshipper. Between the dozens of colleges my kids applied to between them, there was only 1 Ivy for one kid on the list.
Also remember that you don’t understand or know why each graduate/family chose the college they did. Merit scholarships, full rides, sports, specific programs, etc. can often come into the mix.
Not everybody bows down to worship at the Ivy altar. You’re making a mistake to think everyone thinks like you do and showing your own biases, @preppedparent.
My only issue with Choate’s presentation of their list is I value transparency with information which is lacking with how they are presenting things.