Help us out folks! We have a strong preference but I want to make sure we are making the right choice!
Both schools look amazing. How does anyone choose?? Thanks in advance!
If you have a strong preference, why does it matter what anyone else thinks? That’s not a rhetorical question. If you have the opportunity to do revisits, that may reinforce or blow up your preference, but it’ll still be what matters to you. If you can’t/don’t revisit, then you pretty much have know what’s working for you.
Tough choice. Both are great schools. Lville has saturday classes, Andover does not. The grading system and competition at Andover is probably a bit harder than Lville, but not by much.
Lawrenceville doesn’t have any AP classes. Andover has some classes taught toward the AP curriculum, but also has 600 level courses, which are 2nd-3rd year college level classes. Andover is slightly larger, about 300 kids per graduating class, vs 240 at Lville. Both have sizable percentage of international students, and diversity is high. Andover is need blind, Lawrenceville is need-aware. College placement is similar at both schools. Both campuses are very beautiful and sprawling. Percentage of day students is similar between the two. John Palfrey is an ultra cool headmaster. Lawrenceville has a new headmaster, don’t know him much.
Be sure to take a look at each school’s strategic plans. You will see that each school has completely different long-term focus. But in the end both desire to educate the next generation of leaders.
You really can’t go wrong at either place, just pick whatever feels best.
Oh one other word of advice. Don’t pick a school purely on prestige alone.
@sgopal2 thank you so much! Very helpful. Wondering if anyone knows about the culture on both campuses. It looks like Lawrenceville is a big legacy school. Wondering if that makes it a challenge for kids who are not legacies.
Legacy at both schools is high. Lots of wealthy parents. But the legacy only plays a role at Lawrenceville during the 2nd and 3rd years where students get to live in a “house”. Legacy students get to choose the house their parents lived in. Apart from that I don’t think it matters much.
The legacy percentage at both schools is sizable, but I don’t think its more than 10-15% of each incoming class. This means that there are more non-legacy students in each class as compared to legacy. Either way non-legacy students at both schools definitely don’t get left out.
@bc12345 Andover is a big legacy school too-- as are many of these schools I dont think it is at all relevant.
@Center thanks!! Good to know.
One other thing I forgot to mention. Lawrenceville uses a traditional A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-… grading system. Andover has a 6 point scale. Neither school calculates a class rank, but Lawrenceville calculates a GPA for each trimester, whereas Andover does not. The Andover transcripts don’t list a GPA, but colleges can easily calculate it themselves. The GPA conversion for Andover kids can be a pain if they are applying to colleges that base decisions mainly on the traditional 4.0 scale (esp U California schools).
Which location do you / student like better?
Disclaimer: Not speaking from direct experience choosing between the two schools… By looking at the numbers, L’ville is almost the most expensive BS out there and compared with Andover a significant smaller percentage of students are on FA. I don’t think this is affecting either end of the wealth spectrum on campus - there will be super rich families and full FA kids in both schools, but the compositions of student bodies may be noticeably different so are some aspects of the school cultures. Maybe something to think about.
Go to revisit both if you can. You can take another look at campus, students, etc.
Both are good schools - you have to see what is better for you.
Yes planning on visiting them again. Just wanted to gather info about things you don’t see in the admissions guide or on the tour. The real deal. Is either completely snobby or drug infested.
Folks here are very knowledgeable and have had kids go through these schools. I believe that insight is invaluable
I also really love the need blind admission policy Andover has. As a general moral principal I love the idea of kids from all walks of life getting a chance at a top notch education.
No one (serious ones anyway) will tell you either school is “completely snobby or drug infested.” because that would be nonsense.
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Both schools have tremendous reputations and history. I dont think you can go wrong if you make your decision feeling knowledgeable, fully informed and confident in your choice.