<p>WOW. It's crazy how much has changed from my 8th grade year to now--I'm graduating Deerfield after this year! Class of 2015!!!!!!!!!! Time has gone by so fast and I somehow made my way back here today after looking for an answer to a college question...how crazy is that?! I saw that my thread got shutdown: "Ask a Deerfield freshmen" and I'm sort of thankful for that since the fact that I typed freshmen instead of freshman back in 2011 still annoys me to this day.
ANYWAAAAAAAAY I am here again. To answer any questions. To shed some "senior" light on some situations. I will try my best not to forget about this website because I know how much it did for me. Just understand that I am in the process of figuring college stuff out so there is no way for me to be on as much as I was back in those frosh/soph days. PM me! That way I will get the notification on my email? I think that is still set up.
Best of luck to those entering prep school this fall-high school goes by before you know it. And if you'll be a new student at DA contact me!!!!!!!!! It'd be great if I could talk to you.
And for those applying best of luck to you too. Enjoy this process and get to know yourself during it and don't let it stress you out too much. It's just high school and you'll make friends and learn and have fun wherever you go.
Okay let the questions start I guess?</p>
<p>Hi bingalot! Just now seeing this… Thanks for posting. I have a few questions if you have time to answer them. What is the environment on campus like? Particularly strong areas/programs? If you know anything about the dance department that would be helpful. Were you a boarding student? If so, what was the boarding life at DA like? What were your favorite things/experiences at DA? Anything you would do differently? Many thanks!</p>
<p>Thanks for this thread @bingalot ! I have a few questions: what makes Deerfield different from other boarding schools? How would you describe the overall atmosphere of the Deerfield community? </p>
<p>What’s dating life like?</p>
<p>I heard that a Greer plays a big role in it? Is that true?</p>
<p>What’s the balance between work and fun like?</p>
<p>First, thank you all for actually asking questions! Those 4 days without anyone posting on the thread had me worried that the CC community had lost interest in DA!
My only request, before I start to answer these questions, is that you do not speak about my time at DA as if it is already over lol. Not to single you out faiths out but reading the question “were you a boarding student?” made my heart drop more than a little bit. I only have one more year in the valley–'this true. But as of right now I’m still a student at Deerfield!!! Save the past tense for next summer haha.
Faiths23:
What is the environment on campus like?
It’s honestly a great one and amongst other things it’s what I miss most about being on campus. No matter rain or shine there are always students laughing or playing frisbee or conversing on campus. There are faculty members walking their dogs and taking care of their little kids and they’re always open to have conversations with us outside of class and so it is not unusual to see students talking to teachers on the weekends or at any other point during the week. People say hi when they pass you because we aren’t allowed to have our phones out to text and whatnot on our pathways :-)</p>
<p>Particularly strong areas/programs?
There isn’t one subject that stands out in my mind when I think of DA academics. We have so many qualified teachers who have done incredible research and studying and we are beyond lucky to have each and every one of them. As far as sports I’m sure you’ve heard that Deerfield is very good at lacrosse and that is very true. We are also very good at squash! I’d say those are our best sports. We also have a fairly strong language program with study abroad opportunities in the summer and school year. </p>
<p>Dance Program?
What do you want to know about it? I’ve participated and it is pretty versatile with opportunities for student choreography and also lessons to be taken outside of the school day or during. It can be taken as a graded course and we put on a showcase every term!</p>
<p>I AM a boarding student haha. Boarding life is one of the greatest parts of being a boarding school student. You get to meet so many different people and even better…you’re almost guaranteed to have a room all to yourself as a student here unless you choose to do otherwise!!! Some people may say that students should have roommates but I say that there’s plenty of time for that in college. It’s great to have your own room so that you don’t have to worry about disturbing someone with sleep or study habits. </p>
<p>Favorite experiences at DA?</p>
<p>This is a very hard question because there are so many but at the same time I can’t really recall all of them. It’s one of those things where day by day not much changes but them you look back and realize that the present is so much different than the past; I have changed s o o o o o o much since freshmen year and I can’t stress how much that is attributed to becoming a student at DA. I have met wonderful students and faculty alike who have taught me things that I will take with me wherever I end up next. I’ll never forget the feelings that come from a Choate day bonfire or making a grocery store run that turns into a trip to Friendly’s. Sleepovers and s’mores feeds and study sessions all come together to make up the DA that has given me so much. Would I do anything differently? Maybe I would’ve studied a little harder for that one test or not procrastinated as much on an essay or two…or three…our four ;-)…but at the same time doing those things have shaped me into the person that I am today. I wouldn’t really change anything. </p>
<p>Did I answer everything? I always feel like I kind of ramble on and give horrible answers so if you want me to delve into something a bit deeper or feel like I totally skipped over something please tell me. Are you going to apply in the fall? </p>
<p>awsmyyy: I’d say that DA is different from other schools because of our location. I don’t know if you have ever visited the campus but our school is very much a part of what is known as Old Historic Deerfield and so around us are some very old museums and even an old graveyard that give Deerfield a very classic and historic vibe that is only confirmed by the architecture of our school. Another thing that makes us different is our phone policy that says that you cannot have your phone be visible while walking around campus–if you have to make a call or send a text you are asked to do so inside of your dorm or in a building; this policy makes it so that when you are walking down the street people are actually having conversations and looking each other in the eye! Two other things I’d say are the fact that 80% or more of the dorms on campus are singles and that we have sit down meals. Oh, and class dress! Sometimes I forget that not all schools have that haha</p>
<p>KimberlyLaila: I always short of shrug when I get this question because it’s sort of hard to say what dating life is like at one school compared to another school if you’ve never been to another school. There are some couples but the majority of people on campus don’t date they just “hook up” several times or a couple times or one time. There are some couples but hooking up is the dominant culture.
As for the Greer it’s like our social meeting place and it is true that a lot of romantic things are initiated there if they have not already been initiated through texting and whatnot. Some people love the Greer and would hang out there forever if they could while others only go to get food.</p>
<p>Mathman1201: The balance between work and fun is one that dwindles as you progress in your career at Deerfield to be honest with you but I would say that’s true of wherever you go. Freshmen year it is a known fact that freshmen academics are the easiest and most manageable–freshmen complain but they don’t know how good they have it until they make it to the next year! Same goes for all other grades.
But besides the dwindling I’d say FUN EXISTS!!! I think that sometimes people forget that we are teenagers who get to live with their friends and have other interest besides studying for chemistry; you have to study but it is for sure possible to have fun before, maybe not so much during?lol, and after doing so. </p>
<p>HOPE I HELPED!!! Like I said feel free to PM me with any questions. I honestly love telling people about Deerfield and contributing to CC while doing so since it helped me so much!!!</p>
<p>Thanks so much @bingalot! Sorry, I certainly didn’t mean to put you in the past tense! I apologize. Your answers are really helpful and thank you for starting this thread, it’s so helpful for prospective students like myself. One more question I thought of if you get the chance: What are weekends like? Are there opportunities to take trips to Boston? Activities in surrounding areas/on campus? I realize Deerfield is a bit isolated (in comparison to where I live now, I live in a small town with lots of outdoor activities and proximity to cities.) I’m the kind of person that likes to stay busy. I like hanging out in the evenings and mornings sometimes, but it’s not what I primarily like to do. The campus seems gorgeous-- I’m just wondering if there’s plenty to stay active with on the weekends. Besides homework, of course. 
Also, any tips or advice for the whole application process? Thanks again.</p>
<p>We sort of come from similar areas! You are right when you say that Deerfield is isolated but we surely do the best that we can when it comes to staying busy. I know you mentioned dance. Do you play any sports? If you do that’s a pretty big part of our weekends–on Saturdays there are away games and home games too. If you are a tour guide then tours happen on Saturday mornings . We don’t take trips to Boston often but sometimes there are trips into places like NY and Boston to see art exhibits and things like that. We do have trips to a nearby Six Flags, a huge mall, and even our nearby small town of Greenfield has a movie theatre and some restaurants! And there is always something going on on campus: acapella fest where some New England college acapella groups come and sing for us, movie showings on campus, sleepovers with day students/between dorms, dances, and just hanging out with friends! The great thing is that no one expects you to be working all the time–it’s sort of an unspoken rule that Sunday is the homework day.</p>
<p>As far as the application is concerned I’d say that it’s very important that you let the admissions people know what is important to you and let your personality shine through your writing and interview!! If you come to campus for a tour ask your tour guide questions!!!</p>
<p>Thank you again @bingalot ! As @faiths23 said, this thread is really helpful for future Deerfield applicants. I also have another question: how would you describe the students at Deerfield? (cheerful, kind, preppy, studious?)</p>
<p>I just wanted to add a bit for one other perspective. I’m the parent of a boy who just finished freshman year at Deerfield, so of course bingalot knows much more about life at DA than I do, but I wanted to second a couple of his points. My DS came to DA from an all- boys jr. BS, and has been SO happy with how friendly and welcoming Deerfield is. His old school was fine, but Deerfield is just much warmer, cheerier, and less competitive feeling than his old school. The school is traditional in the sense it’s got sit- down meals and class dress, but there are all kinds of kids here, not just super preppy kids (although those certainly exist). There’s definitely a jock contingent, and there’s a growing arts contingent (the school has really been putting a lot into developing the arts program,aa art, music, dance, theater). And there is a lot of work, with most kids taking their work pretty seriously, as far as I can tell-- but they also want to have fun and seeem a pretty friendly group overall. As far as weekends are concerned, except for right around exam week, there are movies and dances on campus most weekends-- but also buses pretty much every Friday night and Saturday to Greenfield (as Bingalot said, the closest town with restaurants and movies), and some weekends to Northampton (a MUCH better town-- the college town for the 5 colleges, tons of restaurants, shops, coffee places, music venues). As he said, there are also occasional bigger trips to Boston or wherever. When weather is good, you can also swim in the river, or the beautiful surrounding hills. There is a candy store, local inn/restaurant, convenience store, ice cream place (when wether is warm), and sugar shack (maple syrup place, open for pancake breakfasts in the Spring), all if which DA kids can walk to without needing special permission to go off campus. So, though it’s rural, there’s enough to do (although I do have to say, many kids do end up wanting a big city for college after 4 years at DA). And my DS DOES have a girlfriend-- who he met in the Greer, just chatting with mutual friends. I know the Greer has a reputation of some big hook up place – which it might be-- I don’t know (and definitely don’t want to know), but it’s also just a comfortable place to hang out and eat (there’s a grill there and lots of food). Well, that’s it. Just wanted to give a little more detail, although my son’s experience seems to jive pretty well with bingalot’s ( and, yes, he KNOWS there will be more work this year and then MUCH more in Junior year).</p>
<p>No thanks needed! Like I said I like doing this.
I would say that the majority of the student body is nice and I say the majority because anyone who tells you that they go to a school full of perfect smiling students is lying to you. We are studious for sure but we know how to have fun. I think that we get the “preppy” label because of our dress code and that isn’t far off I guess–I mean, you’re going to see Jack Rogers and Lily dresses and vineyard vines there’s no doubt about that. BUT you will also see all kinds of people with all different types of style-even within friend groups!
It sort of bothers me when people solely refer to us as the “preppiest” of all of the boarding schools. What does that even mean? Would we be a different institution of we banned the wearing of Jack Rogers? It’s a s h o e lol. I don’t think that wearing a Vineyard Vines tie vs a regular one affects classroom performance. So everyone calls us preppy, I guess! But no one will look down on you for wearing what you want to wear.
Cheerful and kind are fitting!!! Especially as a new student in a totally new place you feel like you have several classes worth of returners looking out for you and that’s a nice feeling to have. I think the only thing that makes DA students a little less cheerful is the dead of winter hahahaha–it can sometimes be hard to keep a smile on your face with the snow coming down the way it does but we do the best we can. </p>
<p>Thanks for the post @Daykidmom!!! But I’m a girl…lol. Sorry that I didn’t make that clear. </p>
<p>So sorry-- didn’t realize I’d assumed you were a boy-- my apologies! Anyway, now they’ve heard fromboth (sort of).</p>
<p>Is it true that deerfield is really preppy? Also do a lot of the students have friends from other boarding schools? I have a friend and B.S. mentor who is a rising senior at andover and she knows lot of ppl from different bs and local day schools. Is this common? And thank you for your answer @bingalot! AGA CHI AGA CHA DEERFIELD DEERFIELD RA RA! :)) </p>
<p>Someone already asked about our preppy stereotype and here is what I said:
I think that we get the “preppy” label because of our dress code and that isn’t far off I guess–I mean, you’re going to see Jack Rogers and Lily dresses and vineyard vines there’s no doubt about that. BUT you will also see all kinds of people with all different types of style-even within friend groups!
It sort of bothers me when people solely refer to us as the “preppiest” of all of the boarding schools. What does that even mean? Would we be a different institution of we banned the wearing of Jack Rogers? It’s a s h o e lol. I don’t think that wearing a Vineyard Vines tie vs a regular one affects classroom performance. So everyone calls us preppy, I guess! But no one will look down on you for wearing what you want to wear.</p>
<p>As far as having friends at other boarding schools it is for sure a common thing. Often times during sports games you’ll see a lot of reunions happening haha.</p>
<p>YOU CAN’T FORGET THE BOOLA BOOLA SISKOOMBA!!! 
</p>
<p>Going to talk briefly say something about myself here again…got my senior schedule today! Pinch me I think I might be dreaming because I swear that I was just packing to start in the fall of 2011!!! Doesn’t seem real.</p>