<p>OK, I thought maybe it might be time to begin a new thread for the upcomming class of 2010. Esa started the thread last year and it was quite a success. I hope all future prep students, parents, and others will join in on this thread.
Iam a a parent who has done my due diligence, so I would like to give you my list of what I feel are the top 15 prep schools in no certain order.</p>
<p>St. Pauls
Milton
Middlesex (I have a d at MX)
Groton
Exeter
Andover
Deerfield
Choate
Peddie
Lawrencville
Hotchkiss
Taft
St George's
St. Andrews (deleware)
Thatcher/Cate
I know I may have missed many very fine schools. Let me/ us know what you think. I hope this thread can be as actve as last years.</p>
<p>Let's start with the need to register and take the exam. No it is not the SAT but you will need to inform yourself about if and whether your school of interest requires the SSAT.
<a href="http://www.ssat.org/%5B/url%5D">www.ssat.org/</a></p>
<p>I love it.......things are going well, great classes this term and next I get to begin the search for Law School. Of course I am always promoting boarding school and despite your list let us not forget that there are schools for students not up to the task of these top 15....just a thought.</p>
<p>Yes, I understand........ I can make the case for many other schools not on this list. I would like to give a shout out to the all girls schools. My list includes, Miss porters, westover, hockaday, emma willard, miss halls, and chatam hall.</p>
<p>If it wasn't for that website, I wouln't be where I am now. I honestly recommend taking a good look through that site and even old CC archives to find a list of schools in which you are not only interested in but aso matches your personality. Finding that site possibly impacted my whole future and career.</p>
<p>Anyone who has any questions about the application process or is wondering whether boarding school might be a right decision, please feel free not only to post questions on this board but also to send me (or anyone for that matter) a private message. I just experienced the process and am still figuring out what it is like to adjust to living away from home so I could probably help you out and inform you about any adjustment worries you have.</p>
<p>PS- the people on this site, especially hazmat and prepparent are really helpful and supportive. They will be there if you want to help you with any other problems that might come up I'm sure</p>
<p>It is absolutely amazing (and yes, I am at Exeter). So far, there really aren't any surprises and I honestly don't miss home that much. People at home are having a tougher time adjusting than I am. </p>
<p>As a parent I can vouch for the people at home having the tougher time. The students are way too busy with the whole experience of the institution to even think about home right now. Superior child24, please be sure to get involved with this thread as much as possible. It's your current ongoing experience that will fill a big gap of needed info. I sure hope people will join in with their thoughts, concerns, and questions they may have with regard to the prep school experience.</p>
<p>Begin to think of the teacher you want to write you recs and also why exactly you want a boarding experience and what you have to contribute to your school. How will you make the most of the experience? These schools offer a lot......they want folks who will take advantage of a lot.</p>
<p>I want to put in a plug for some schools below the tier normally mentioned here. Cushing, Williston, Blair, Hill, St. George, Canterbury..... I would be glad to answer any questions about incredible schools that aren't on the top 10 lists. Also- Western Reserve outside of Cleveland, Ashville in NC, Episcopal in Virginia...... All wonderful.</p>
<p>Since MomofWildChild plugged Episcopal, I'll plug Georgetown Preparatory School in Maryland (same athletic conference). It's a Jesuit (only Jesuit boarding school in the country), all-boys, boarding and day school. Right now we're undergoing some construction (ok, a lot of construction), but our 90-some acre campus is usually beautiful, and I imagine it will be amazing when this is all done. We've started on a $26 million project to construct a new athletic center and convert our current gym to a learning center.</p>
<p>Tution, room, and board runs at about $34,000, but Prep is extremely generous with financial aid...$80M endowment or something like that.</p>
<p>How are the people there amazing? Are people really helping each other out? Do you feel any signs of cut throat competition? Or is it to early for that to have kicked in? My friends son graduated from Exeter and then went to Harvard. They thought it was an amazing experience. How do you like the Harkness table? Thanks prepparent for starting this thread. I jumped in late and literally started from the beginning and read the whole thing before I finally posted. I shared the joy & disappointments of the people on the thread when they finally received their letters of acceptance & rejection. Those kids were awesome and I've become vigilant about preparing my daughter for the most competitive Boarding Schools.</p>
<p>I may have a great opportunity for a great career in Ohio. I'm really thinking of passing it up because of the lack of top tier prep schools. I did come across Western Reserve but wasn't impressed with their matriculation stats. Can you give me some optimism about Ohio Prep Schools that are a little close in quality to the ones in the New England area. I don't want to make a move that's great for me but ends up short changing my daughters future regarding the ultimate preparation that Elite Prep Schools offer. Thanks in advance!</p>