@GreenCat19 @ilovewaterpolo The dress code for girls is actually pretty simple. It’s basically wear a sweater (pullover or cardigan) unless your dress has sleeves. Pants must be dress pants or corduroys. Skirts must be of reasonable length. Generally what I wear is cords and a pullover sweater (satisfies dress code), a shirt with cardigan and pants (satisfies dress code), or a dress with a cardigan (also satisfies dress code). It’s pretty easy after the first few weeks. Now I just know how to throw together a class dress outfit in seconds!
Typically girls will shop at madewell or j crew type stores. I shop at gap/old navy a fair bit as well. Sale racks are great. Target is also awesome! Don’t buy too many clothes before school starts, because it may be different than what you’ll really want at DA…you can always shop over thanksgiving! I also have a RueLaLa account, which is like designer clothing incredibly marked down.
Buying dress code clothing is a big investment at the beginning, but I have a lot of clothing that has lasted me since the beginning and I just buy a few new pieces here and there.
@greencat I’m not sure about the rooming situation for incoming freshman…this is all new this year and I’m a senior. To be honest, they start talking about this project, and i check out a little bit so im not too jealous! I’m sure you’ll hear more on revisit day.
@Ehphant I hope you don’t mind answering a few more questions. My DD has been accepted to Deerfield for 11th grade - can you give me an idea what it will be like to transition in as a Junior? What would her dorm be for 11th grade? I know it’s the toughest year academically - can you tell me hard it is to juggle academics and sports (or other extracurriculars). Also, what is the college counseling like at Deerfield? Sorry to bombard you with questions! I’m sure I’ll find out some of this information when we revisit in a couple of weeks.
I hope I’m not too late to ask a question! I’m going to be a freshman next fall and I wanted to know, how are dorms assigned? Like whether we have roommates, what dorms we stay in, etc.
HELLOOOOO @GreenCat19!!! Wish I could answer your question fully but I can’t seeing as DA is making a pretty big change for next year. See, as a tour guide I’d boast about our rooms being around 80% singles but I can’t do that anymore!!! Next year there will be a “freshmen village”–all freshmen will be in doubles, maybe even triples? I am not completely sure about how those roommates will be assigned but I think it’s pretty cool that you’ll have the experience of living with your entire class. Johnson Double Day is the name of the dorm-- J and D are connected by a big common room.
I really liked the aspect of having my own room… I’ll adjust! 
@TheStig2 No worries! I’m a tour guide so I love answering questions about Deerfield.
The juniors next year will be living in a few of the bigger dorms on campus (about 50 girls) which will be great for your daughter because it will be a lot of instant friends. There will only be junior and senior girls in the dorm, and the school is very good to put a lot of the new juniors on the same hall and in the same two dorms. It makes it easer for them to meet each other and become friends. While a lot of new juniors integrate into the class fully, their closest friends early on seem to be other new juniors. I would recommend that your daughter does something of interest to her extra-curricularly in a group setting in the fall, like doing an interscholastic sport or theatre. It really helps to make friends and have a real “group”.
I play 3 seasons of sports and I rarely find it hard to juggle sports and academics. It actually helps me manage my time! There is a time in the day blocked out for sports and “co-curriculars” so it really is no advantage to take a season off. Some activities are higher commitment, but they are all pretty similar. Every student at DA is juggling many components of school and community life here at DA, so your daughter won’t be abnormal.
College advising, in my experience, was SO awesome. You’re assigned an advisor in the winter of junior year who helps make a reasonable college list, suggest schools, answer questions, and read essays. I met with my advisor like every 3 weeks, but if I needed to meet with her more I could have. My advisor was really great at supporting and encouraging me without giving me false hope. Deerfield is also a testing center, which was great because I was able to take all my standardized tests right at DA. Very convenient. There are also SAT prep classes offered for students. The college advising office also has 2 college fairs a year when reps come, and many college reps come to interview students throughout the year which is convenient.
I hope that covers it! Feel free to ask any clarifying questions.
I hope you don’t mind me jumping in @Ehphant! @TheStig2, I have been at Deerfield since freshmen year and I’m a senior now who has many many many new junior friends–and it’s funny, most of the time I honestly forget that they weren’t there for freshmen or sophomore year! Obviously the experience of transitioning is different for everyone but most times DA tries to put the new juniors in bigger dorms so that they meet new people and there are a multitude of outlets (faculty advisors, green keys ((student assigned to help your student over the summer and beyond)), dorm residents, the list goes on) that can be there to support your student. It won’t be easy, going into a new environment never is really, but I can assure you that it can be done. We all struggle to balance school work and sports and social lives–new juniors and returning students alike but that struggle is all a part of the Deerfield experience which is why I wear my class ring with pride and will treasure that moment of walking across the stage in May! Remember, your student would not have been accepted had the admissions folks not thought of them as someone who could handle the DA rigor. As far as college counseling…what would you like to know? I have had an amazing experience with my college advisor!!! The college advising staff is so good at what they do and they really make an effort to prepare seniors for every possibility in the crazy process. I’m going to claim that our college advisors have secret powers because senior fall, even with a college advisor as supportive as the one that I had, was no walk in the park. There were hard days for me and my peers–days with rejections and acceptances alike–but the college advising at Deerfield, a process that can start as early as sophomore winter if one chooses for it to, is great.
I know!!! I know that the idea of mostly single rooms is something that really attracted people to Deerfield but just think about how fun it’ll be to have your ENTIRE GRADE in the same place!!! You guys are going to be so close and have some unreal school spirit. AND you’ll be able to say you were the first graduating class to do so!!! Pioneers for the future 
This discussion was created from comments split from: 2015 Deerfield Accepted Applicants.
What history class do you recommend taking as a freshman?
Not sure how to answer that–the history class that I took as an underclassmen is no longer offered even though I loved it. African & and Latin American history is a class that many people that I know took and they enjoyed it!!!
I’m coming in as a junior and the numerous English classes amaze me. However, that has led me to be super indecisive when it comes to the courses like American Studies, Identities, Nature, etc. Which English course do you recommend for junior year?
While there often isn’t a lot of faculty turnover, this year there is a lot of turnover in the English department., so it’s very difficult to choose a class with a great deal of confidence. Hopefully, the incoming people will be good. I would therefore just pick by what sounds the most interesting. American Studies is a really good course, although you have to apply and be accepted (and it’s an honors history course, so you have to be good in history as well as English). It, too, will have a new English teacher, although the same history teacher (it’s a double period, team-taught course). There’s a lot of writing, a lot of simulations and role- playing projects, and you tend to go into some ideas and events more deeply than in a regular AP US HIstory course. For Greencat19 wondering about freshman history, my DS took Asian History and really liked it. A friend of his just took the Africa/Latin America course (as a Sophomore) and really liked that as well.
^who is retiring/leaving other than Mr. Henry?
I’m trying to figure that out-- but my DS was told, by his current English teacher who IS staying (and has been a fantastic teacher), that 5 people are leaving, 5 new people coming, And a lot of them will be doing Junior electives. That’s an unusually high number, but, except for Mr. Henry, my son doesn’t know who’s leaving.
Thank you so much!
Hello!!! It has been 12 days since my Deerfield graduation and I can’t claim to not still be in denial about it…I still think that I will be getting on a plane headed to Deerfield in the fall! I just wanted to return to the place that gave me so much information in the summer before 8th grade when I wanted to apply to boarding schools and say a quick thank you, I guess. I started a thread called “Ask a Deerfield Freshmen” (yes, freshmen…not freshman unfortunately :-/ haha) 3 years ago to answer people’s questions about Deerfield and I really enjoyed sharing my love for the academy. If anyone ever wants to PM me this account is still linked to my email so I will do my best to get back to you, but at the same time I think it’d be best for those still at DA to be the ones to answer future questions. If you ever want a throwback perspective I’d be happy to provide one. I want to wish future applicants and incoming students all the best and I hope that freshmen enjoy the new “village” set up. My Deerfield years were great–not every day was perfect, but they were all days of glory.
Hi bingalot! I’m absolutely bummed that I won’t be seeing you at Deerfield as you have graduated already. I just wanted to thank you so much for the extensive amount of information you have provided about Deerfield! Both your discussions have been extremely helpful pre and post Deerfield admission. I completely immersed myself in all this information and I’m so excited to be attending this fall!! Thank you for dedicating your time to helping everyone out Good luck in uni!
My DD just took the ssat and we are waiting for the results before we apply to prep schools. She will apply as a repeat 9th grader or freshmen. Not sure what Deerfield calls that class? Can you tell me what You and like and dislike about Deerfield? Thanks for any and all information you can pass along.