<p>Browninfall, thanks for the info. lefthandofdog,excellent question, I would love to hear the answer to that one also.</p>
<p>My S is in his second year at bs. I will share our experience and thoughts and I hope that this helps.</p>
<p>He applied and was accepted to hotchkiss, choate, andover and sps. We visited but did not apply to deerfield and taft. He chose Hotchkiss and loves it.
Here's the skinny on our experience.<br>
We live in the NY area and as parents we did not want our S more than a 2 hour drive away. However, we could not resist exploring A and sps because of their stellar reputations.
Andover seemed too large and we wanted a school with a higher percentage of boarding students. Our friend's daughter attends A and loves it. She told us that although the school population is large, it is easy to find a small and warm community within the larger community.
I was more excited about sps than my S. Everything in their brochure seemed so appealing---100% boarding, midsize population, daily chapel, etc. However, when we visited the school it just seemed like a lonely place. It didn't help that the temp that day was -16 with the windchill factor! We also had a tour guide who seemed bored with the fact that he had to show us around. (Admission Officers please take note that the student guides can have a tremendous impact on the first impression of your school!) I wanted to love this school but it was not to be.</p>
<p>We visited Choate on a beautiful day and had 2 tour guides who were so warm, friendly and intelligent. They communicated their love of and enthusiasm for Choate so well that by the time we left we were also in love with the this school!<br>
Deerfield is a magnificent school and I understand that the new Science building is unsurpassed. On this school visit it was the person who interviewed us who seemed mildly bored with her task. She left us with a flat feeling about the school and we decided not to apply (by now we were set on choate!).
Taft is another beautiful school but my S did not want to apply after his visit.
We visited Hotchkiss as an "add on" and we were so surprised by how much we liked it. From the time we entered the campus we felt warmth and enthusiasm from everyone we came in contact with. The surrounding area is breathtaking and the school itself is gorgeous.<br>
When the acceptances came it was a choice between Choate and Hotchkiss. It was a tough one but he ultimately chose Hotchkiss. I am sure he would have been happy at either school.
Hotchkiss has been a great place for him. The teachers are superb and truly care about the students. There is a wonderful community feeling on the campus. The facilities and opportunites offered to the students are phenomonal.</p>
<p>I'll sum up my thoughts about the bs search with this
Do your own due diligence and look for the qualities of a school that are right for you. Don't choose a school based on what may be impressive to others.
Keep in mind if you visit that the time of year or the weather on a given day may affect your impression of a school.
Tour guides do make a difference!! The admission departments should pay attention to this. If you get a lousy guide try to step back and look at the bigger picture.<br>
Be yourself. The interviewers just want to get a feel for who you are as a person.
Go to boardingschoolreview.com. That was a great resource during our search.
Try to get a copy of a school's newspaper. It may help you to get to know your prospect a little better.
Good Luck and enjoy the search. We had fun with it and I hope you do too!</p>
<p>i'd like to note that most schools have a new science centers- exeter, andover, and deerfield have recently built new one- the one at choate was from 1988 but was really cool ( thats all i can recall)
and currently being at exeter- the population may seem large to others but when the entire school sits in assembly in the academy building three days a week together- I feel like i just have a large extended family the person on my left has lets say latin with me and we can share notes from class and the girl behind me is a friend of a friend in physics and the person to my right might be a hall mate so to some up sure we have a big family but what the most important part of my our family is- is common desire for knowledge and goodness</p>
<p>Remember those of you doing your due diligence. You can easily obtain contact info for Board Members.......alums in your community or prominent alums. Don't be shy about contacting them. Boarding School World is a small community and everyone involved wants to see a successful match. Most experienced folks will gladly tell you the good and the bad. Just remember to listen to them......think about who the student is and then consider carefully.</p>
<p>to clarify: Listen: many times folks will ask me lots of questions about my boarding school but their propensity to listen to my answers is limited. Ask your questions but listen to what the alum/director has to say, how they say it, what they focus on......what their experience and feelings are.</p>
<p>hi, there. this is my first post; however, i have been browsing the college confidential forums on boarding schools for quite a while. i've read through all of the archives, last year's topic, and now this one.</p>
<p>i am applying to six schools this year, and hence i decided to join in on the vibrant conversation. the schools i am applying to are (in order of importance):
1. andover
2. exeter
3. choate rosemary
4. deerfield
5. milton
6. st. paul's</p>
<p>the last 4 schools are subject to change, however i am sure that andover and exeter are my top two.</p>
<p>my sister graduated from andover, class of '02, and i have been well informed of the wonderful and exciting opportunities these schools hold for prospective students like myself. my sister applied to andover, exeter, st. pauls, and milton--and was accepted into all, with full scholarship. andover even wrote a personal message at the bottom of her acceptance letter explaining how highly they regarded her application. she now attends yale university after graduating cum laude.</p>
<p>in my case, i am wondering how i fare on the acceptance scale. on a personal note, i am in 8th grade, and am chinese. a brief--or not so brief-- summary of accomplishments i would include in my application is:</p>
<p>SCHOOL-RELATED/HONORS/AWARDS:
-4.0 GPA, on a 4.0 scale
-i attend a Middle Years Pre-International Baccalaureate program (pre-IB)
-attained high school credits: french I + II, algebra I, geometry honors
-awarded "outstanding academic achievement" all my years at school
-1st place speech contest
-winner of school history fair, placed 4th in district + ranked superior
-participated in Duke Talent Identification Program in 7th grade, took the SAT I tests, scored 1290 (top 2% nationally): grand recognition. from this, i was accepted into the duke univ. summer studies program. i was also granted a scholarship to Florida State University.</p>
<p>EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:
-math club (mu alpha theta, math league, math olympiad, highest achievements in all, even nation-wide competitions)
-piano (studied for 6 years, won prizes, etc.)
-swimming (1st places at swim meets, swam for 2 years)
-academic brain bowl (similar to jeopardy, 1st place two consecutive years, team captain)
-science olympiad (state comp)
-tennis (only for a few months, but i am already at an intermediate level with those who have played tennis for years)
-french club (cultural and language immersion)
-choral music (2 years, state recognition)</p>
<p>OTHERS:
-have taken 1 semester of spanish, 1 semester of japanese, 2 years of french (as stated), and 3 years of Chinese (formal study) as well as immersion in a bilingual household
-over 100 hours of community service, for Chinese Association of Tallahassee as well as for my school</p>
<p>i am sorry to burden you with such a long post. this matter is of greatest importance, though. it would be a divine delight to attend any of these schools (although andover is preferable).</p>
<p>i can't wait to participate more in this discussion.
-bigbluethinker</p>
<p>i can not say this enough bigbluethinker- but what you are when they look at you after seeing your "Extra curriculars" is important
not to take away credit from your sis - congrats on her she is really impressive but i also got a postcard and note (on letter) when i was accepted to big blue
i do respect big blue though i am a Big red</p>
<p>Wantexeter: The purpose of Diversity at these Elite Prep Schools is to help people learn about other cultures in a positive way. Is that occurribng at Exeter or are people breaking out into Racial cliques and groups. Is diversity working at Exeter?:</p>
<p>wantexeter: i do agree that exeter is equally good in comparison to andover. in some ways, it is better (for example, apparently, exeter's IMO team is one of the best). i would be honored to go to either. however, after long years of exposure to tales of andover (as well as two visits), it seems closer to me.</p>
<p>as for what you were saying about "when they look at you after seeing your extracurrriculars" - did you mean who they were seeing not on paper? i think that is what you may have been trying to say, but i can never be too sure. -- oh, and i would also love to hear the answer to hardstyleprep's question.</p>
<p>anyway, i've scheduled my appointments. they are in less than 3 weeks!</p>
<p>Anyone that's attended or are familiar with diversity at Exeter, Deerfield, Taft, Hotchkiss, St. Pauls, Middlesex, Choate, regarding how it really is on Campus and are people really embracing each others racial & cultural differences, are or people forming clicks and looking down on Scholarship Students. Very important to me and with love the skinny from the intelligent people on this thread. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>bigbluethinker- i mean what you are really like- your personality that becomes evident during the interview
hardsytle prep- exeter is very diverse- my roommate is from the midwest, i am from the east coast, i am friends with someone from italy, i have latino/a friends, african american friends, friends who are girls, friends who are guys there are no racial cliques</p>
<p>As per my d, She tells me that there is no racial divide at Middlesex. This is her second year, and she notes that the community as a whole does not give financial status or color any consideration</p>
<p>Preparent, I would say the same for Hotchkiss. My S has friends from a variety of racial, geographical and financial backgrounds. That is one more thing that I love about this school. Our family lives in a very homogenous area. He would not have the opportunity to meet and know such a variety of people at our local high school. </p>
<p>I would also like to add that anyone who is reading this and feels that they cannot financially afford bs should not let that be a detterant. Many of the schools offer generous financial aid. They are looking for a diverse student body and will assist qualified students.</p>
<p>hardstyleprep......the questions you ask about successful integration and acceptance are happening at Exeter. It is a living culture and not just diversity on paper.......scholarship students are not identified or looked down on. More to that is that many scholarship students have met folks while at Exter....a roommate's family say and had amazing mentoring/internship/job matches to allow for great experience/exposure that would not have otherwise come the student's way.</p>
<p>Don't get the impression that Exeter has such a large student population that you don't get to know people. I mean, PEA still is 1/2 the size of an average American public school. We still manage to maintain an incredible amount of school spirit and also make a myriad of different friends throughout all grade levels. I'm not sure what it is like in other schools but I'm just sharing my experiences so far.</p>
<p>Edit: </p>
<p>I'm curious to learn exactly what you mean by "diversity". Do you mean it ethnically or other?</p>
<p>Totally OT where the thread is going right now, I know...but just thought I'd mention that I'll be happy to answer any Miss Porter's school questions or posts similar to bigbluethinker's above.</p>
<p>When I attended College, the blacks sat in one section of the Cafeteria and the whites everywhere else. I heard that at some Boarding Schools the same occurs. My D has friends who are predominantly white because of the school she attends. I know she'll make more white friends at BS and I don't want her to be in an environment that is polarized racially because that has not been her experience. I also don't want her to feel pressured by other blacks to hang with them at the exclusion of other ethnic groups.</p>
<p>my comments regarding diversity within the boarding school spectrum: It is geograpic, financial, racial, educational,religious,ethnic,political,experiential....it is all the ways that folks differ in experience and belief and physicallity. I met people that I just couldn't imagine any other circumstance that would bring us together. I loved it. Homeschooled, private tutors, foreign lands, remote American lands.....it was and is all there. No parents, famous parents and ordinary everyday parents. I had friends who had done things I can only dream of and friends who had hardly left their small piece of turf. Amazingly creative and stunningly accomplished. To my mind the diversity is all of that and more. I did learn that to have a friend you must be a friend and to learn about the other guy you must be willing to share your own story. When folks as me about diversity on paper......I try to assure them that at my school it is a living breathing experience that is happening everyday.</p>
<p>Parent 08, you make a very good point. For many, bs is very diverse when compared to their local public school. </p>
<p>Creasemonkey, we need your input on the PG year. I know it's early in the year, but can you share with us what you and your son are feeling? Iam very excited to hear your son has a school already in line. It will certainly make it less stressful when applying to other schools , knowing he already has a school lined up.</p>
<p>I really appreciate everyones input and hopefully my D will have as wonderful experience in BS as many of you.</p>
<p>Does anyone on this board have information on Westover School? I know there were a few girls from last year's posts who applied there -- maybe they still view this board occasionally. Or, maybe a parent or two, or alumni could post their opinion of the school, etc. Thanks!</p>