<p>The interview went great, and I'm still not sure whether or not I'm applying to Milton so I haven't really looked at the application.</p>
<p>Awesome!!!! Congratualtions on your interview!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eat lots of turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes (which I love with a passion 8-D) and the best... PIE!!!!!!!!!! (Man, I love Thanksgiving...)</p>
<p>I don't know whether it is of any interest, but you might search the cc archives for the experience of someone called gianscolere? who was every bit as ambitious and as you, did all the numbers, got into Milton and then found out the school did not fit his/her learning style. (S)he went back to his old school in Chicago, was very happy there and is now aiming for the University of Chicago which, from everything that appeared on CC would be an almost ideal match for someone with his/her temperament and style. (U of C by some margin is the most intellectual college in the country).
Anyway, the point is to ask yourself, 'does this school fit me?' Schools have different personalities. If I were esahopeful95, I would look at Peddie</p>
<p>I've read all the prep school archives for the last five years on this website and I know all about giansclore, queenrosie, bruceconti, mazzystar, etc. I've read it all!!! (Obsessive)! But I do think that prep school is right for me, but if it isn't I'll just go back home.</p>
<p>Which one? Peddie?</p>
<p>It seems to me that Gianscolre was having emotional problems being away from his family. Paleozoic, as a parent, what was it that esa said that made you think what you said. It sounds like you are discouraging him from going at all. What did you not like about his list of schools? How can you ever know about "fit" with only a day or two visit anyway? I really appreciate your posts. thanks</p>
<p>What we're your SSAT scores everybody?</p>
<p>My D. just took the SSAT. Can anyone tell me what the Average Grade for Grade 8 males is? The average grade for grade 8 females is: verbal 302, math 304 and reading 295.</p>
<p>Zafira, if you are from Ca, why don't you look at Cate or Thatcher? The websites look great! Know any info on either of these schools? Looking at the cate videos makes me question going to the northeast for winter!!</p>
<p>Below is the average score for males grade 8 for SSAT. My son just received is results.</p>
<p>Verbal 304
Math 310
Reading 294</p>
<p>Thanks SoccerMom.</p>
<p>I'm applying to Thatcher, the part about the horses is awesome, and it has great academics. I also think it's cool how their animal names are the toads, because they're not "egotistical". However, preferably, I'd like to go back east because it was one of my mom's last wishes for me before she died. I know in the end she wanted me to be happy wherever I went, but it makes me content to do what she was never able to. </p>
<p>My SSAT scores were decent, but way borderline, and I'm retaking it. They are as follows:</p>
<p>Verbal: 81% (can't remember exact number, will tell you later. It was bizzare for me to get something like that because I'm very strong in this area)</p>
<p>Math: 86% (also weird for me to achieve as it's my worst subject though I'm averaging a 94% in the course.)</p>
<p>Reading comprehension: 93% (pretty decent, but I was half-asleep (mornings and me do not agree) but my problem is that I always have to answer everything... I can never let it go 8-D)</p>
<p>Overall: 90% (I think my overall score was 961. It would get me into any high school in my area easily, but with prep schools, I'm competing with kids all over the world. I guess my reading comprehension made up for my other scores.)</p>
<p>What was your essay topic? Mine was "You can't make everyone happy." I didn't exactly have a great clincher, but the board of admissions people will find it satifactory. I must say though that knowing some Latin roots and going over vocabulary somewhat helped (though my scores speak otherwise).</p>
<p>Ugh... am still feeling satiated from all of the Thanksgiving food... What about y'all? ;D</p>
<p>I'm applying to Thatcher, the part about the horses is awesome, and it has great academics. I also think it's cool how their animal names are the toads, because they're not "egotistical". However, preferably, I'd like to go back east because it was one of my mom's last wishes for me before she died. I know in the end she wanted me to be happy wherever I went, but it makes me content to do what she was never able to. </p>
<p>My SSAT scores were decent, but way borderline, and I'm retaking it. They are as follows:</p>
<p>Verbal: 81% (can't remember exact number, will tell you later. It was bizzare for me to get something like that because I'm very strong in this area)</p>
<p>Math: 86% (also weird for me to achieve as it's my worst subject though I'm averaging a 94% in the course.)</p>
<p>Reading comprehension: 93% (pretty decent, but I was half-asleep (mornings and me do not agree) but my problem is that I always have to answer everything... I can never let it go 8-D)</p>
<p>Overall: 90% (I think my overall score was 961. It would get me into any high school in my area easily, but with prep schools, I'm competing with kids all over the world. I guess my reading comprehension made up for my other scores.)</p>
<p>What was your essay topic? Mine was "You can't make everyone happy." I didn't exactly have a great clincher, but the board of admissions people will find it satifactory. I must say though that knowing some Latin roots and going over vocabulary somewhat helped (though my scores speak otherwise).</p>
<p>Ugh... am still feeling satiated from all of the Thanksgiving food... What about y'all? ;D</p>
<p>I know all of you are applying to those fancy prep schools in the northeast, but look at some more relaxed schools. I know that Andover and Exeter will get you into Harvard and Princeton, but there are much better schools that will make you a well rounded person. I know people who go to Exeter, Andover, Hotchkiss, and St. Paul's, and after they got there, they realized that they really wanted a community where they were actually cared about. Exeter and Andover are very competitive. I know of three people who left Andover in one year because of the lack of anything but academcis that weren't necessarily challenging, but tedious. I made the choice to go to a more relaxed prep school and it turned out great. Also, the people at those top schools are . . . interesting.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any information on Indian Springs School in Alabama?</p>
<p>cubfan: Opie99 more or less answered your question. I was not at all trying to discourage esa from applying to prepschool and if that is how it was read I'm sorry. What I tried to say, and this is a continuation from another thread (St. Paul's vs Exeter),was that prep schools vary quite a bit not in the quality of instruction but in the nature of their education. Gian to my mind was very much as I might have been when I was thirteen, ambitious, obsessive , competitive and in retrospect astonishingly naive. Gian's departure from Milton was not, from my perspective as a parent, a matter of emotional problems, it was a matter of what an intelligent high-strung kid of thirteen can cope with when scared, lonely and away from home. Milton is probably the most intellectual of the preps and from that perspective would have suited Gian quite well if he had calmed down and realized that inevitably at Milton somebody had to be in the middle of the academic pack, that kids from cultured homes probably had a range of sophistication that he still had to acquire and that many of the Asian kids had an unbelievable work ethic that he simply had never yet encountered. Nobody at Milton told him that. I believe that at St. Paul's somebody would have calmed him down and encouraged him to believe in himself. </p>
<p>As a parent, it worries me that Esa's list is a grab bag of schools of equivalent prestige but with very different personalities some of which are mutually exclusive. St. Paul's and Deerfield are very different from Exeter and Milton. They cannot possibly 'fit' Esa equally well.</p>
<p>I haven't (and won't) visit any campuses until I'm accepted, but from the information given SPS is definetely my first choice, Exeter in second. I think they'll both fit me, but I really love SPS. It's so small, even smaller than my school now, and its great. I really, really want to go there. I wish they had ED for prep schools.</p>
<p>By the way my SSAT scores were:
84 Math
85 Reading
92 Verbal
92 Overall
I'm happy enough and won't be retaking it, the average for most of the schools is 88!!!</p>
<p>Congrats, esa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Take it from me....a senior currently at Choate....people from milton, exeter, andover and deerfield come to our school but hardly anyone leaves Choate to go elsewhere....the campus is beautiful and they're about to instate 2 new dorms and a new baseball field to compliment the best athletic arena in the nation and fabulous arts center (designed by architect IM Pei (Bank of China designer))...yes Deerfield is also undergoing massive reforms and getting high quality buildings....but they are literally in the middle of nowhere while choate is in a decently active city.....plus our dress code isnt as strict</p>