Anyone torn between Choate and Milton?

<p>I am confused as to the best choice between Choate Rosemary Hall and Milton Academy. I need honest and candid opinion to enable me make a choice between both. </p>

<p>Will you able to attend the revisits? </p>

<p>Not likely</p>

<p>They are both great schools and congratulations on having such fine choices. The biggest difference for me would be that Milton has a significant day student population (50%). That can be a positive or a negative depending on what kind of experience you are looking for. Based on what my child said, the atmosphere at Milton is more urban and casual. Choate may have more brand name recognition. That wouldn’t influence my child’s choice, but it might be more relevant to you depending on where you are coming from, etc. Did you ever visit either school? I guess I’d look at what I wanted out of a boarding school (academic, athletic, artistic, social) and see which one checks the most boxes. For instance, my child would gravitate towards Choate because they are stronger/place more emphasis on child’s favorite EC. If you gave some info on exactly what you want out of a school, people may be able to provide more guidance. </p>

<p>Agree that 1/2 Milton student pop are day students; so the culture is very different for boarding students.
Also, Milton has a lower school, so there are a significant number of students who started in Kindergarten and moved up with their class. Both have a lot of diversity which was a draw for my student.</p>

<p>Both are great schools and everyone knows that. It should depend on the personal preference and the learning style of your child, say, fit. </p>

<p>My only concern on Milton is its relatively high percentage of day students. Compared to 100% boarders’ school such as SPS, the culture could be totally different. I tend to prefer higher percentage of boarders if it is supposed to be a boarding school. </p>

<p>Another issue is that day students have an easier access to an outside agency such as test preps, frequently resulting in better grades and test scores. On the other hand, day students can possibly be affected by negative environment outside. How these would combine to affect the boarders depends on school’s policies, discipline and family attention. </p>