<p>So hey guys....I HAVE RETURNED! The first months have been a blur but I have returned to answer any questions about The Governor's Academy in Byfield,MA. I am a current freshman so ask away!</p>
<p>MODERATOR'S NOTE: Any student/alum/parent/friend can respond to the questions.</p>
<p>Can you share how you selected the courses? any assistance provided by GA helps you make the decision? thanks.</p>
<p>@deltabot If you are coming in as a freshman, there’s not a lot of flexibility in classes that you can take except for Math and Language. The freshman courses are usually the same on the most part, and there is an add/drop period if you feel a class is too easy or too hard. Also, the placement tests do a good job on putting you in the right class. I added Chorus as a minor course which makes it a total of 7 classes for me, but most usually have 6 classes. Courses for math and language have a lot of range to them so they usually have what you’re looking for</p>
<p>Hey sorifootball, our son is applying to Governor’s as a ninth grade boarding student. He is an all A student just took the SSAT waiting on scores and we are applying for financial aid. We loved the school when we visited. His only sport is baseball but willing to play others. Does Governor’s look for smart kids that are specialist in one sport, does this matter? He is applying to Govs plus 3 other boarding schools and 3 day schools. Are you a ninth grade boarder and if so how did the transition go as far as missing home?</p>
<p>@KUAlum Glad you loved the school on the tour! It also worked wonders when I was applying. Gov’s looks for wide variety of students, I can defiantly say that my class is full with people who have their unique “hook” when you meet them, your son’s would be baseball. Again, the SSAT doesn’t really matter to Gov’s because they rely more on his grades at school. Sports/Academics are factored equally so it doesn’t really matter if you have a specialty sport, but it’s great that he’s willing to try new things. As a boarder, the transition was hard at first but the senior proctors really helped me through the first week and now I love the guys in my dorm. Good luck on everything, and feel free to ask me more questions!</p>
<p>Thanks sorifootball so his application was sent in last week to Governor’s and just got his ssat scores 70 percentile overall with a total of 2089 verbal 70% math 78% reading was 48% . He took the lower school ssat test last year as he applied as a repeat 7th grader at BB&N scores were 39% verbal 78% math and 62% reading. So big improvement in verbal and a drop in reading. We submitted this years score and last years. He is applying to Rivers, BB&N and Pingree as a day student. Governor’s, Groton, Middlesex and St. Mark’s - we like ISL schools. Looking for financial aid which is why he got wait listed at BB&N last year. We just hope one of the schools chooses him and the aid is there so we can swing it. Thanks for your help, hope to meet you on a revisit day this Spring.</p>
my son is applying what are the dorms like? the food like? the overall atmosphere?
@ahunter Has he already applied? Or is he applying for next year?, I think the deadline has passed since January. The dorms are pretty nice, the freshman boys dorm are the farthest away from classes but they are renovated and clean. The food is pretty much better than your average high school cafeteria, not always perfect, but you can always find something to eat. The atmosphere is great if you put yourself with the right people, very warm and friendly.
The beds in freshman’s dorm are regular single beds or bunk beds? How many freshmen usually share one room? Thank you.
@deltabot Last I remember, they were singles but they could be stacked up to be made into bunk-beds.
They’re mostly doubles. They are single beds, and many bunk their beds so that they can put in a couch or bean bag, later in the year.
So do people generally have a roommate in freshman year? Also, does everyone generally get along (obviously there are prblems everywhere) but do people generally have that sense of community and get along? Also, how do you like Governor’s overall and their academics/dorms