<p>I'm a Northfield Mount Hermon student willing to answer any questions you have about the School. Post here, and I'll respond in order.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance. </p>
<p>I have the following questions. My son will go to NMH this fall for Grade 10. I am preparing for the things he needs to bring there. </p>
<p>Can you tell me the size of the bed mattress. How thick is it cos I will sew bed sheet for him. </p>
<p>I understand that the chair is wooden. Apart from buying a new chair, I will sew cushions for the wooden chair to make it more comfortable. Once again, can you tell me the size of the chair inside your room?</p>
<p>Hope you don’t mind answering these trivialities.</p>
<p>The beds are twin size, and they are not very thick at all; I recommend a bed sheet.</p>
<p>As for the chair, I know people who use the wooden chairs and I know people who buy their own chairs. I don’t spend much time in my chair, so I just use the wooden one (perhaps there’s a connection there…). If you can afford it, buy a chair at the Staples in Greenfield when you arrive.</p>
<p>How is the academic rigor in comparison to Andover and Exeter?</p>
<p>I attended neither Exeter nor Andover, so I don’t know how the stack up in comparison. However, I can speak to the academics at NMH, which are difficult. Like many things at NMH, you make what you want of it. Nobody’s going to push your harder in academics than yourself, so be ready to push yourself (not such an easy take, may I say). This is in terms of course selection and academic achievement. The academics at NMH should match up with that of Exeter and Andover for the student who pushes himself.</p>
<p>Can you speak about the athletic experiences, specifically baseball for boys, softball, basketball and volleyball for girls - do you have to be recruited for the aforementioned in order to play on the varsity level (grade 10 or repeat junior). Also, do they have PG for boys and girls - agan, is this mostly for recruited athletes?</p>
<p>springisin the air - I don’t know alot about the sport’s programs but you can definitely play a sport without being recruited for it. keylyme has a son that plays baseball and can probably answer any questions about that sport.</p>
<p>On boys’ varsity baseball this year, there is only one “recruited” PG athlete. The roster can be viewed here: [Baseball</a> Roster at Northfield Mount Hermon](<a href=“http://www.nmhschool.org/athletics/baseball/roster.php]Baseball”>http://www.nmhschool.org/athletics/baseball/roster.php)</p>
<p>The girls’ teams you mentioned are not especially competitive on the varsity level; if you’re good, then you’ll make varsity. You don’t have to be recruited. </p>
<p>Yes, there are both girl and boy PGs, however, they are mostly boy PGs.</p>
<p>When my daughter saw the 40 new juniors, most the size of houses, who showed up this year, she wrote them off as recruited jock lunk-heads. And then they showed up in her AP classes and gaming club. Her stereotype was blown out of the water. Yes, NMH has a few recuited athletes, but the award winning Crew team hasn’t a single one. The teams really are wide open of all athletes (who are smart and can handle the workload.) And there are team and “sports” for the far from athletic! You can always count of NMH for variety.</p>
<p>This isn’t really relevant, but I follow Andover crew, and the crew groupies described the recent race (though to be polite I won’t say who won):
“We shared food tables with our NMH friends who, as usual, were great hosts.”</p>
<p>I thought that was nice! It looks like a really pretty setting for crew, from the photos I’ve seen of the races.</p>
<p>I do think most of the athletes for the male varsity teams (baseball and soccer are the two I’m certain of) are recruited/chosen in advance. Anyone can go to the tryouts but only the ones the coaches have preselected for the Varsity team are invited to early season. It is quite difficult to work one’s way up from JV to V as there are generally only a few V spots open as the coaches do actively search (recruit) for V students. Most I know are quite good students!</p>
<p>@lemondae1: The setting is pretty, but the boathouse is… pretty ugly.</p>
<p>NMH has/had this weird requirement that Seniors could only be on varsity teams, not JV ;Given the lack of varsity slots, this is strange. Perhaps the requirement is changed under Pratt.</p>
<p>The Crew crowd is fun and devoted - but the boat house is really ugly. Similarly, the Science department is buzzing with passion and good teaching - but the building itself is sad.</p>
<p>That’s a weird requirement…must suck for those talented sophomores getting their spot taken by seniors.</p>
<p>@toadstool: Seniors can play sports on any level.</p>
<p>That is not currently in place. There were seniors on jv boys soccer this year (one was actually a captain) and last year. There were also seniors on jv baseball last year. mpicz…there is nothing to prevent talented underclassmen from being on varsity, either.</p>
<p>I would imagine the team would be filled of upperclassmen if they are automatically let on.</p>
<p>They are not automatically let on…my son played three varsity sports as a freshman and two as a sophomore (he opted out of one of the sports so he could focus on playing his main sport with his club). It is sort of a recruiting process. When you apply to the school, the coaches of course look for people who would fit on specific teams. Often it is a lot of upperclassmen, but there are freshman and sophomores who can play varsity as well, just like any other school.</p>
<p>I do think that maybe a few years ago NMH might have had that policy. I am not certain, but my older son did not even go out for soccer his senior year, because he said he would not make varsity…he started on the thirds team and made it to JVA by his junior year (he had never played club like my younger son, just rec)…and he said seniors couldn’t play jv. I don’t know if that was actually a rule or if he just did not want to be a senior on a JV team. I will ask him next time I speak with him.</p>
<p>Around when did your son get his email and roommate his first year at NMH? It’s getting difficult to wait knowing that all my friends got theirs for college already. (I’m a PG)</p>
<p>You don’t find out your roommate until you there.</p>