I’m a current Lawrenceville junior, and I arrived as a new sophomore. I believe acceptances/waitlists/rejections just came out, so for those of you considering Lawrenceville, feel free to ask me all your questions!
If you’re a parent of a Lawrenceville student/current student, jump in!
Ask away!
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).
In your own experience, how many students do you know personally that have been accepted off the wait list as an applicant during their application process.
@Mr.Wendal That is true! Lawrenceville has trimesters (Fall, Winter, and Spring) and during Freshman Fall, no grades are given for your classes besides language and math (due to how those classes can and often do have upperclassmen in them, if you’re in advanced language/math). I’ve heard it’s really nice to not have to sweat the grades and just meet people and try new things, both of which are crucial in Freshman Fall.
@thesecretman I’m afraid I don’t know much about the waitlist - that’s all info that is locked deep in the Admissions Office, lol. I know of one person for sure who was let off the waitlist in my grade, and there might be a couple more. That’s all I know - sorry and best of luck, if that’s your situation!
I really like Mr. Murray - he’s down to earth and friendly, and is making a huge effort to be involved in the community. He’s VERY different compared to Duffy (our last headmaster). While she did a lot to help the school financially etc, she definitely stayed in the administrative buildings and wasn’t visible on campus. Murray is the opposite of that.
It’s hard, if not impossible, to say which house is the best. They all have their stereotypes, but there is no “best” house, though of course I’d say the house I’m in is the best, because everyone says that (in a joking manner, of course) about their respective houses.
I don’t think there are any plans to get rid of Sat classes at the moment, but I’ve heard whispers that they might remove Sat classes in the future. I’ve heard that Murray is actually in favor of getting rid of them, so that gives me hope.
Everyone rips on Saturday classes, and for good reason, but there is a pretty solid reasoning behind it. Students that live relatively close, which make up a pretty large percentage of the student body, would go home for weekends, thereby limiting the fostering of the community feeling on campus, as weekends are generally the time when you sit down and get to know your housemates.
Not arguing for Saturday classes, I think the concept is an abomination to mankind, but just to provide a different perspective to people that might consider it a turnoff.
That argument has been made for years, but I question how valid it is when one considers a school like Andover that long ago abandoned Saturday classes and has no mass exodus from campus on the weekends. Not that Saturday classes, or the lack thereof, should be a determining factor for choosing a school.
@skieurope Lville does, however, have a much higher day school % than andover. @sgopal2 I’d say average GPA is around a 3.6?
AP level courses are 500 level courses.
There are no designated “beyond college level” courses, but you will not have trouble finding challenging courses if you wish to seek them out.
Can’t answer about bath house, graduated last year.
College counseling, in my experience, was extremely positive (I am at my first choice, after all). Counselors were always welcoming, you just have to make sure you make an effort and meet/stay in touch with your counselor.
How is the workload for sophomore? Can you finish all the homework during study hall or before lights out?
How do you find help from your teacher if you have difficulties with a course?
How do you compare the schedule/workload in Lawrenceville with a busy public school?
Thanks.
@mrnephew: thanks for your perspective. This is interesting. So it appears that Lville has a reputation in the past for grade inflation. Now in an attempt to curb the inflation, the average GPA has dropped.
Does this have you worried as you apply to college?
@skieurope the students that the campus is worried about leaving every weekend are the boarders who live in NYC and North Jersey - there are far more boarders at Lawrenceville who live 45-50 minutes away from school than at Andover so if those students were to leave each weekend it truly would leave those students from further away somewhat more isolated. That being said we would love to see Saturday classes held every other week rather than every single week.
@MrWendal First trimester of freshman year the second formers (what they call 9th graders at LVille) receive letters grade only in foreign language and mathematics (subjects where the students test in to the appropriate levels over the summer). The remainder of classes first trimester are pass fail enabling the students to have some time to acclimate to the work load and expectations considering they are all arriving from very different schools.
I graduated from Lawrenceville many years ago (class of '79) as a day student, but thought I would offer a little perspective on Saturday classes. At the start of freshman year, they felt a bit strange but there was the compensation of no classes on Wednesday afternoon. Soon after, it basically felt like “business as usual”. Although it was sometimes a bit annoying to be restricted on what I could do on Friday nights with friends, I was often able to plan ahead so that my homework was done in time (there were only a few periods on Saturday mornings) so that I could still do social things on Friday nights.
In the end, I felt that Saturday classes helped make me as a day student feel more like a part of the school. Between being there six days every week, staying for dinner so that I could participate in some evening clubs and staying over one night nearly every week (to work on the school paper which got “put to bed” early Friday morning), I felt as involved in the school as any boarding student.
Saturday classes are the norm at all the top boarding schools. You have to keep in mind these schools typically all have only half day classes on wed and Saturday. Thus all the athletics and competitions between schools are scheduled on those afternoons prep school community wide. It also frees up time for the student body to come out and support their school at these events. I know of no school with plans to change any of that, and given the already short
school year of a prep boarding school it would have to mean full day school on wed at the very least or add days to the calendar year…