<p>Does anyone know anything about this school?</p>
<p>Go back to last year. There was a girl whowent there and loved it it is a really pretty school</p>
<p>Thanks so much! Any idea which thread to look under?</p>
<p>lhy.ken</p>
<p>that’s not the person i was talking about earlier getting accepted last year, but this person was accepted this year, so you could try PMing them. they don’t appear to be too active, but you could give it a try :)</p>
<p>The person who used to post and goes there now is Dazzlezz. I hope I put in enough z’s. Read through this thread to see what s/he had to say about Asheville. You can send Dazzlezz a private message to learn more about Asheville.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/608209-sense-community.html#post1061375536[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/608209-sense-community.html#post1061375536</a></p>
<p>Thanks so much! Any other advice is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>It’s a really awesome school. The city is pretty nice and naturishy. (Lots of forests/trees/mountians) The buildings are super old, but the gym area is new. I think most upperclassmen get single rooms. I thought the school was pretty even if it was old. There are like forests/trees around the school (I think the school was on a mountainside or something like that) and for a moment, the school seemed so huge that I thought I would get lost. Some of the people are very nice, caring, and amiable.</p>
<p>If you’re referring to UNC Asheville it has it’s own category on the alphabetized list of colleges-under ‘N’</p>
<p>I am hoping you are referring to The Ashville School…not UNC Ashville?</p>
<p>I log in for the first time in months, and you’re still talking about me?
I see how it is 
.</p>
<p>Yes, I do go to the Asheville school, It’s a great place. We’re very community oriented; a family of sorts. I visit my teachers at their on-campus houses over the weekends. I know all faculty pets by name, and my classes are really small. My largest class has 12 people in it, my smallest, 6. </p>
<p>People here are really nice, we all get along so well, although were so diverse. There are 11 people on my hall, and we come from places as close as Charlotte, NC to Saudi Arabia, to Indonesia, to South Korea. Having friends with such Diverse backgrounds is really eye-opening. </p>
<p>But the thing I love most about our small student body, is how friendly, and willing to help everyone is. Just last Saturday, My algebra teacher, who has been with the school for 28 years, needed help mulching a new garden. She said it would take about an hour. I volunteered, and to my surprise so did 38 other people. Now, call me biased, but I don’t think that it’s normal for 39 kids to give up a part of their Saturday to help a teacher mulch a garden.</p>
<p>Don’t me wrong though, It’s still a vigorous curriculum. Most of our textbooks were designed for college-level students. And it’s easy to get stressed, because sometimes you just can not get all of your homework done, even with two hours of mandatory study hall. Teachers are generally understanding, and will give help whenever you need it. I personally, came from a public school that had lost it’s accreditation- and at first, the workload was a shock, but I am handling it well now, and even making Honors. Next year, I plan to tale AP level French, English, and History. </p>
<p>Another thing. I would feel dishonest if I didn’t tell you this. Our school is very protective of out honor code(I will not lie, cheat or steal, and I will report any violation of the honor code). It’s what keeps us students feeling safe and comfortable. And if a person violates this code, they are sent to the Honor council, comprised of both students and teachers, and are more often than not, removed from the school community. It’s always very sad when we lose someone, I lost a very close friend two days ago to this process, it hurts us all.</p>
<p>But despite all that, we still maintain a High level of school spirit; Shouting “Go Blues!” at any time, day or night will result in immediate and reflex-like cheering. And in chapel services on Mondays and Thursdays, when we sing our school hymn. There’s always lots smiling and giggling as the boys all sing the note meant for the sopranos. We love our school.</p>
<p>Okay, I’ve raved enough. If you have any specific questions, just p.m. me.
You should come visit, see for yourself.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>We did visit and it was very nice. Sadly, we visited after the students had finished so we did not get to experience the community feel. That being said, we were made to feel very much at home so if the energy trickles down then we can see what you were talking about. Do you like your headmaster?</p>
<p>My son went there and it was a terrific school. He disliked school in general and we visited there just…well, just because. His idea going in was basically, “If I can’t stand school for a few hours a day, why would I want to live at school?” Well, by the end of the visit, he fell in love with it. We later checked out lots of other schools, but we felt Asheville was the best match and…amazingly enough…it was. The keys, for my son (everyone is different and it may not work for you), were (1) the challenging and intellectually stimulating classes (he had been in a well-regarded private day school since 2nd grade but had become bored and they couldn’t keep up with him in some areas); (2) the combined humanities program (he never liked compartmentalizing his subjects, so he really connected with Asheville’s model of combining English, history into a single experience; (3) very challenging Latin; (4) the small student body that Dazzlezzz did an excellent job of capturing above for your benefit. </p>
<p>I still keep in touch with people at the school…and I was a boarder parent, but the bonds are that sticky. Also, as a parent, I thought the student body was very down-to-earth…as are the parents that I met. At his day school, the “country club set” was very dominant and it really impacted school life with everything outside of the classroom being organized in a very “Junior League” fashion. There was a sense of privilege and elitism and insularity that just didn’t gibe with my sense of what a well-rounded liberal (not politically) education entails. I didn’t see this at Asheville. Now, mind you, there are plenty of people who have money…but you don’t see people competing for recognition and attention on that basis. There’s much more humility among parents and students than I had ever imagined I’d encounter when we sent our son to a much more expensive school.</p>
<p>Asheville’s a great city, too. It’s one of our top 3 places that we hope we can retire to.</p>
<p>The headmaster is great. I have to say that I was skeptical when I first saw his name - one of the WASPiest names you can think of. But he is fabulous. He taught a class that my son took, they exchange Christmas cards. I got to know him from athletics. He’s very accessible to students and parents and a very capable leader. I hope he, too, wants to retire in Asheville…and not leave before then!</p>
<p>If you’re skeptical of the school…it’s hard to steer you in the right direction. Maybe it’s not the right choice. I think you have to honor any concerns and ambivalence you might feel and I’m not going to try to change your mind because you’re way more likely to be right about whether it’s the right choice for you. If, however, you’ve got a sense that it’s a terrific place and you’re concerned that maybe you’re overlooking something and you’re the type who realizes that if something seems to good to be true, then it’s probably not true…I want to help you understand that we (my wife, my son and I) all felt the same way and it turned out to EXCEED our initially high expectations.</p>
<p>I gave a similar pitch to Dazzlezzz when she was looking at schools and – since I visit here rarely now – I am extremely delighted to read this thread and see that, now that she speaks from personal experience, she has the appreciation and enthusiasm for Asheville that I had led her to believe she would come to feel. If you’re feeling a positive connection (ESPECIALLY after visiting without the students present)…then it’s very likely to be the place for you.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for that post. I did have a positive connection. My d is a quiet child and she wants to go but is very nervous. She is coming from a VERY large public school and is concerned about the work. I know she can do it she just might need a little help in the beginning. She loved the barn although we didn’t actually get to see the horses.</p>
<p>I certainly appreciate all your positive words…we will see what happens.</p>
<p>I very much appreciate the above posts about Asheville School. It sounds like a very strong community.</p>
<p>I would be interested to hear more about the curriculum at Asheville. I am not questioning the academic rigor. I am trying to discern the positives in having a “standard course of study” for all students.</p>
<p>It does not appear that there are many- or any- elective options since English and History are combined into the Humanities Program. I do see that there are multiple science and math offerings - but that isn’t every students area of interest. And the music/art classes total only 5. </p>
<p>Are the students who are more humanities oriented engaged by this program or does it constrict them? </p>
<p>Also, from their literature and website, i don’t see that they have any international programs. Does anyone know if that participate in SYA or other exchange programs? Are there school sponsored international trips?</p>
<p>Bump… I requested information along with like… 14 other schools (lol), but I’m narrowing my choices of BS’s to 4-8 schools. All of which I’m applying for financial aid. I’m very interested in this school. Do they offer any music programs where you can learn to play an instrument?</p>
<p>How are the dorms?</p>
<p>Mamakiwi
My D is second year and loves it. The curriculum turns out well-rounded students unlike some schools where some subjects are “forgotten”. They do have different levels of courses (ie honors). They are very “fluid”. For example, only one student wanted to take Latin and many wanted to do Chinese - so they hired a Chinese teacher.</p>
<p>The combined program in humanities and english worried me at first, but now I think it is great. They study ancient greece, for example and read books on subject.</p>
<p>They have several overseas trips in the summer. My D went to Italy last year with a group. The French teacher (who lived in France many years) takes a group every other year. Plus more.</p>
<p>They have many international students, but don’t have an exchange program. Personally, I think that is for college.</p>
<p>Still think Asheville School Rocks</p>