Would love to hear any and all insights into BB&N. I have a rising 9th grade daughter who has been accepted. She loves sports, is social, and does really well in school but hasn’t yet discovered a love for learning. Wondering about culture, social life, college placement, reputation, academic rigor, etc.
Thank you.
I have no “insights”, but:
Your child is an individual. Whether BB&N is a better match for her than the alternative(s) is only something that someone who knows her well can assess. What did she think of her tour and/or revisit? Does the school’s values align with your family’s values? Is there anything about the school that excites her?
Do you have any insight into why she has not developed a love of learning?
Thank you. I’m not looking for advice on whether the school is a good fit. Just hoping to learn more about the school from people with experience or knowledge about it.
D has been in a large public school within individualized attention. I think she has just gotten a little lost in the crowd. I fully expect that she’ll thrive in a smaller school where the teachers get to know her.
Omg that’s hilarious! I would have been a rising 9th this year if I hadn’t left to attend Philips Andover. I attended from 7th-8th grade and made a lot of wonderful friends.
Not everyone there is a genius, but generally the student population tends to be clean cut and very articulate/polite, although i’ve heard many of the weaker students leave before high school as the coursework gets more demanding. There are a few bad apples just like anywhere, but they’re pretty easily avoidable.
Reputation wise, BB&N isn’t quite on par with say, Nobles or Milton, but is definitely close (at least for the middle school). I, again, have heard the high school is more rigorous.
Socially, there’s a little bit of everything (preppy, nerdy, jockish). The middle school isn’t particularly artsy, and there is a pretty big emphasis on athletics, which is great because your daughter loves sports. It is a bit of a ‘rich kid’ school though, although how much it matters really depends on what social group you’re in.
In terms of college placement, going to BB&N probably won’t automatically get her into top colleges unless she works quite hard. BB&N is considered a good school, but not rigorous enough to compensate for poor grades or ECs. Like many private schools, lots of my/her classmates are legacies to Harvard, MIT, etc which may make things competitive.
Overall, BB&N is a wonderful school and I really enjoyed my time there. I’m confident your daughter will thrive there, and maybe even become friends with some of mine. It sounds like a great fit for her, and I wish both of you the best!
I disagree. I think they are all about the same reputation wise.
I agree. One of my boys graduated from BB&N and the other from Milton and the academic program at BB&N was more rigorous. Opportunity for more AP classes (and college credit). Milton’s college placement list includes lots of recruited athletes who are boarders from all over the world and repeat a year so they can go to Ivy, D1 or NESCAC schools.
Interesting! For a kid like me at BB&N, Milton is considered just slightly more prestigious, probably because it’s just a larger school (that also takes boarders). It’s not necessarily better, but has more of a rep. Same with Nobles. Nobles has amazing PR and has really worked for its reputation (i.e. sending 20+ kids to harvard in the last 3 years, etc) when most of that is owed is their phenomenal girls hockey team and strong theatre program (or so i’ve heard- not sure). Neither of these schools are necessarily better, but they have built up their reputations.