Hi everyone,
I’m a junior at Deerfield and I absolutely love it here! I remember having a ton of questions about what things were like and how everything worked at Deerfield when I first got in, so I’m happy to answer and respond to any questions, concerns, comments about Deerfield or boarding school in general. Congratulations to all who were accepted and best of luck to those on the waitlist: it is possible to get off!!
MODERATOR’S NOTE::
Any student/alum/parent/friend is welcome to jump in an answer questions as well. Additionally, please do not put the student in an awkward position by asking questions that nobody outside of the admissions office can answer (e.g. no questions about getting off the wait list).
Hi! Parent of a newly admitted 2020. Any comment on the difference for the freshmen with the creation of the freshman village? Some people have said it was done because girls and boys on campus can have somewhat different Deerfield experiences…if that’s somewhat true, I don’t know.
Hi! First and foremost, congratulations to your son or daughter! In response to your question, I would not say the girls and boys on campus have different experiences. Equal opportunity is provided for each student regardless of their gender. However, there can sometimes be a gender divide when it comes to girls mainly hanging out/socializing with girls and boys doing the same with other boys. But, I don’t think it would be right to over generalize, as anywhere you walk on campus you see students of both genders working or hanging out together. I also think this depends on the person you ask, as most of my friends are guys (I’m a girl) and I’ve been really comfortable hanging out with them. The whole point of creating a freshmen village though was to provide for freshman a strong and comfortable start to their 4 years here. In the process, I think it has made the girls and boys feel really comfortable around each other as their dorms are joined together by an amazing common room. It has made the freshmen feel really tight as a class, and generally I think it’s worked out pretty well.
We plan to revisit and seeing the freshman village is high on my list for certain as the dorm on the tour was definitely an upper. Is the village far from the quad?
Hi @MAandMEmom, glad you’re coming to revisit day! You were right about the dorm used for touring; it’s an upperclassmen singles dorm. The freshman village actually isn’t that far from the quad, it’s about a 2-4 minute walk depending on one’s pace, and it’s close to all of the other underclassmen dorms.
Thanks you for the response on the freshman village. One follow-up question: We all like the friendly vibe that the school gives off, and the very close-knit community. As a junior, and to the extent that you have friends who are seniors, does it get claustrophobic after a while? This is one of the primary questions that might not be important early on, but could become important later, especially in comparison to Choate and Lawrenceville, which are larger and more suburban than rural. My daughter will absolutely be revisiting, btw.
@Mr.Wendal I’m a junior at Deerfield too, so maybe I could help answer some of your questions. Congrats on your daughter’s admission to DA!
I personally don’t find it claustrophobic - I’ve never found myself longing to get off campus so far. That being said, there are buses to Greenfield every weekend as well as trips to Hadley and Northampton. Most people I know don’t feel like they’re “stuck” in here - true, we’re pretty far away from places such as Boston (especially compared to other schools), but I think the school does a good job of providing us with off-campus transport so we don’t “get sick of” staying on-campus every single weekend. Hope that helps and feel free to ask more questions!
@Mr. Wendal, Deerfield being a smaller school and close-knit community, you make friends from all grades (not just jrs and srs), so it never gets Claustrophobic. Btw, between the rigorous course work, extra-curriculars, sports, weekend trips, and on-campus activities such as dances, you will never get bored. A lot of seniors love it here so much that they don’t like the thought of leaving Deerfield to go off to colleges. But they do with a broken heart.
@Mr. Wendal An important question! I come from one of the biggest cities in the United States so it was definitely an adjustment at first. However, I actually find the location quite stress relieving. The campus is quite expansive and it’s surrounded by beautiful landscapes. So, whenever I feel stressed I can just walk down to the river, take a hike up to the rock or even just stroll down Main Street by myself or with a group of friends. And, I agree with piedmontsardinia with the fact that Deerfield provides numerous opportunities to get off campus for those who want to, so the rural location doesn’t feel claustrophobic at all.
Thank you–all of you–for the responses!
Thank you for all the fabulous responses. My DD love this place and we look forward to seeing it again in the next few weeks!
Alright, let’s get real and ask the greatest concern a new student can have-
What’s the bathroom situation like?
Newly admitted male sophomore from Australia 
was just wondering about the general dorm bathroom situation. I realize the question is quite vague, but around how many students share a bathroom? I suppose this probably varies depending on different dorms, but thought I’d ask for you guys’ experiences anyway.
@VirgilVerne Hi! I’m not really sure I can help that much in terms of the guys’ experience, but generally across all dorms 8-12 people share a bathroom that usually has 3 showers, 3 stalls, and 3 sinks. Since I’ve been here, I’ve never heard of anyone having difficulties with sharing bathrooms.
I believe you should dress in their class dress as you’ll be attending classes.
I’m really excited to have been admitted as a freshman into Deerfield this year.
- What should guys wear to the revisit day?
- What do guts wear in there dorms ( School Clothes, T Shirt, Shirtless, Etc.) (This questions kinda weird).
Answer my questions and feel free to ask yours
@Jbrugen87201 First of all, congrats!!!
- Blazer, collared shirt, tie, and any type of pants. If you want to wear a sweater over your shirt rather than a blazer, that's fine too.
- Shorts, sweatpants, T-shirts, sweatshirt, etc.
@VirgilVerne hi congrats for getting in! im a current soph boy and it is not a problem at all! showers: waiting time at most 1-2 guys… stalls never a problem… brushing and stuff 3 sinks people