<p>Hey everyone. I have been accepted into theses schools and I need help making a decision. I really liked Berkshire and Blair. And I am leaning toward Berkshire. I liked Hill. But I really did not like Kent. I need to make a decision in a very small time frame please get back to me. Thanks for the help.</p>
<p>Aren’t you a little late ?</p>
<p>Pat, did you revisit?</p>
<p>Go with your gut, count Kent out. Think about how you felt, what you are looking for and where you will be most comfortable.</p>
<p>Swissbrit–your comment isnt much help :-(.</p>
<p>I wasn’t intending on helping since his/her issue is personal, I can’t really help. I’m more curious on the fact that the deadline has passed.</p>
<p>I assume you applied late and/or rolling admissions. Congratulations! I don’t know anything about Berkshire but my son visited the other three and applied to Blair and Kent, and was accepted to both. He liked both of the schools tremendously. You don’t like Kent (and that’s fine) so I won’t mention what he liked about it. What he liked about Blair was that it seemed like an extremely friendly place where he could still be something of an academic standout. It’s a beautiful campus and felt “warm.” Ultimately, he decided that he wanted to be at a school that would push him without having to take accelerated classes so he chose Exeter. As a mom, I would have felt confident that he would have been happy and challenged at Blair (and less stressed out 
), but it was his decision and it was difficult sending the reply that he wouldn’t be attending. He chose not to apply to Hill after the visit simply because it didn’t “feel right” for HIM (and that’s fine).</p>
<p>I believe that bamagirl will be attending Blair and Burbparent is a Blair parent.</p>
<p>I’m sorry I don’t know anything about Berkshire. Go with where you feel the most comfortable. My son says that he picked Exeter because of all the schools he visited, he felt most normal there. I know it sounds corny, but you can get great opportunities at all of these schools. Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Congratulations Patrickroy, you have some great schools to choose from. I am familiar with Berkshire and Kent. If you have an athletic interest, Kent and Berkshire have very strong programs. Berkshire’s new athletic center is amazing and their hockey program is one of the tops. Berkshire has a lovely campus and they recently built a new academic building which is wonderful. It is a bit isolated, but I am sure they plan activities off campus on weekends. If I remember correctly, some of those activities are mountain focused - like hiking and canoeing, etc… Berkshire is located in the Berkshire mountains so if you like the outdoors you would have access those type of activities. Kent has a great little town that is within walking distance of campus which allows students a bit more freedom. Both are strong academically and you would receive an excellent education at either. Academic support at Berkshire is excellent. I think they have a tutoring center for students who need extra help. Both seems to have warm supportive communities. Good Luck! You have some great options. Go where you feel the most comfortable.</p>
<p>Hey every thank you for the help I am enrolling as a late applicant. It seems me and my mom agreed that Hill is to far away. We both felt comfortable at Blair and Berkshire. Hockey is my biggest sport which at Blair I would play and Berkshire I wouldn’t. I also play Lacrosse and Soccer. And History is my favorite subject which would be the better fit?</p>
<p>I am a Blair parent, and my son has had an outstanding 4 years there. He is moving on to a very competitive college, and I am certain that his 4 years at Blair made this possible. Have you looked at the college matriculation from Blair? It is impressive, and most students who take advantage of their years at Blair should have good choices.</p>
<p>Blair does an outstanding job in bringing the potential of each student. Faculty/student relationships are close, and the fact almost all faculty live on campus helps. The Headmaster, who has been there for 20 years, is among the best. The school also encourages leadership positions for its students, especially the seniors. </p>
<p>We did not consider your other 3 choices, so I cannot do any comparing and contrasting.</p>
<p>Are there any special activities you want, such as specific sports, arts programs, MUN, etc.? I might be able to comment on the strength of the Blair program if you can provide more specific information about what you want. There are a few sports that Blair is among the best. In the case of prep wrestling, they have a long track record of being the best.</p>
<p>You can also do a search of “Berkshire” and “Blair” on this forum to see more posts.</p>
<p>Feel free to send me a private message or post here for more information on Blair.</p>
<p>Good luck and congratulations on having such great choices this late!</p>
<p>PS. I was about to post this when I saw your reply. I think the History department at Blair is outstanding! Take a look at the skeptics series which is speaker series every Tues. night. Take a look at all the academic offerings they have in the History dept. As you probably know, Blair does not have an ice rink, and they play at a nearby rink. The hockey program is not super competitive, but the athletes enjoy their sport. You could play your sport and be at a school with a great history department. Sounds like a fit to me! </p>
<p>Congratulations again!</p>
<p>I hope to see you at Blair this fall! When I visited the campus, I fell in love with the school. I don’t know much about Berkshire, but you certainly have some great choices.</p>
<p>What grade are you entering?</p>
<p>i am going into 10th</p>
<p>I am too- if you go to Blair, we’ll be classmates. :)</p>
<p>Cool, how are the classes, the kids, sports, food?</p>
<p>I’m not a student yet- this coming year will be my first year at Blair. But I can share my experiences from revisiting last week:</p>
<p>Classes-
I sat in on a geometry, history, and English class, and I absolutely loved all of them! In history, the teacher actually taught about the people and stories instead of mindless facts and dates. She was really nice, and each of the students participated in class. Geometry was really cool- they used a computer program for notes and quizes instead of writing them by hand. And English was my favorite by far- the teacher was really cool! He acted more like a friend or mentor to his students instead of a teacher, and his class was loosely structured- the kind of environment I know I would excel in.</p>
<p>The kids-
People there were SO FRIENDLY. I was walking down the hall with my mom to meet an admissions counselor, and two or three people said hi to me. When I was walking around with my host, all of her friends introduced themselves to me and included me into the conversation. They were also hilarious- I was walking around campus during free period with a group of my hosts friends, and I remember thinking, “I feel comfortable with these people.”</p>
<p>Sports-
Blair has beautiful facilities- I saw the football field, track, pool, yoga studio, and gym. They have more exercise equipment than most public gyms in my hometown! Their wrestling program is top-notch- they just won their 30th national title. You have to play a sport every season, and I believe they have three times for each sport- Varisty, JV, and third- so no one will get cut.</p>
<p>Food-
I kind of ate what my host had for lunch- PB&J- so I can’t say a ton about the food. But they had a lot of choices!</p>
<p>As you can see, I can’t wait to go to Blair!</p>
<p>I say you go to Blair. Why not be able to play your best sport? Plus Blair seems like it would have wicked friendly people and a better campus. :)</p>
<p>I visited Blair with my kids and thought that it had a wonderful sense of community - it would get my vote from your list!</p>
<p>Bamagirl, you r totally in love with blair hahaha</p>
<p>I know! Maybe it’s because my current school is absolute crap (people call it Prison the the Hill) and Blair is such a complete change for me haha! You’re going to Mercersburg, right?</p>
<p>omg hahahaa way to insult ur current school 
yup, heading to mburg next yr! whats annoying is no one in cc is going - -</p>
<p>Maybe I’ll see you at a game or something. And if you run cross country or track, we’ll compete against each other!</p>
<p>Does anyone have something to say about Berkshire?</p>