<p>OP, are you still deciding between the two schools? If people here all tell you Choate is better than Andover, you’d give up the full scholarship from A and enroll in C?</p>
<p>OK… so when you applied to both schools, what made you choose THOSE 2 to apply for admission. Surely you had some specific reasons? So, go back to your original reasoning and see what still applies. I know our family had many discussions before and after applying where we ranked schools in order of preference. </p>
<p>We can’t help much because you need to decide what is important to YOU. It is a lot of money to spend (no matter whose it is), to just pick one out of a hat. Do the research. Visit the web sites. Ask for names of students/alums who are willing to talk to you. Decide what you want to get out of a school over the course of your attendance.</p>
<p>I would think this could easily be done unless you didn’t do a lot of up front investigating and chose based on name alone, in which case I suggest you take a long hard look at your goals and interests and see which school comes closest to meeting those.</p>
<p>Thanks so much. I will see if I can get in touch with some staff and students</p>
<p>How magnanimous of Andover to leave 120K sitting on the table… </p>
<p>Choate and Andover should investigate this…it stinks. </p>
<p>I’m sure the OP is easily identifiable unless there were masses of Ethiopians applying this year. There is no way PA made a full FA award to someone who disclosed available funds.</p>
<p>I think everyone should take a step back. I’m quite sure the FA staff at Andover is top notch and don’t need to be second guessed on how they allocate their aid. I would bet there are plenty of schools that give additional aid to athletes and students they really want. </p>
<p>To the OP - you’ve fully identified yourself here (I doubt there are many kids living in Ethiopia accepts to Andover and Choate). Financial awards are completely confidential, as all the info your parents have received will clearly state, and you should not be talking about specifics of them here.</p>
<p>Momof7thgrader: No one is questioning PA’s FA allocation practices. I’m sure they are top notch at allocating based on full disclosure. However, I cannot fathom a scenario where a family discloses $30K of available funds and PA simply decides to waive tuition – that’s not just “additional aid.” I wonder if Mr. Ventre would find this interesting?</p>
<p>I’m going to guess that the full FA is total need less the 30K.</p>
<p>But there was no FA needed for Choate?</p>
<p>^^^Bingo.</p>
<p>I believe everyone should stop worrying about what the kid said and let it go. I’m sure the parents and schools know the deal. If not, oh well. It’s not our job to judge on this forum. Keep things positive.</p>
<p>They are of similar size, though Andover slightly larger.
They are both suburban campuses vs. rural or urban.
Both are near large cities, Boston vs. NYC.
Both have excellent reputations.
Both have the gull gamut of sports.
Both have great orchestras, though Choate’s reputation has been better. Andover has a better dance program. Andover has a top notch multicultural office vs. Choate in my opinion has more diversity per se.
I think Choate is closer to Exeter in its stellar tied for top reputation in Math. Choate has broken ground for a state of the art Math building.
Choate also has a stellar theater reputation.
Andover has the community/house system; Choate is more one big community.
Andover has the non sibi philosophy; Choate is reinvesting in JFK’s ideas of asking not what your community can do for you, but rather…with new found community service programs which is very exciting.
I think they are similar in a lot of ways.
Both are academically very rigorous. I agree with previous post…can’t go wrong either way.
Choate has an invalid reputation for “happy” students while Andover has “nice” students.
Not sure the Choaties are as happy as they are credited with, but I can say that after football games the Choaties usually take the field before the end of the game. Seniors typically hoist frosh on their shoulders and all start singing the school’s fight song. Win or lose, my student says this has been the best part of his time at Choate–the celebration of being with each other and part of the Choate community, no matter what the outcome of the game.</p>