<p>I have to disagree with two of the schools listed here: Loomis and Deerfield
Loomis looked very blah and boring, once I drove through it I decided against applying there (as little as looks should matter, it seemed depressing, and depressing is not something I'd like). Maybe I saw it on a bad day...and I didn't see the whole thing, maybe I missed the pretty parts.
My first visit to Deerfield, it was rainy and yet, I thought the campus was beautiful. On revisit day, however, it just looked...old. It is old, of course, but it just looked like it wasn't very well taken care of.</p>
<p>St. george's is gorgeous though, as is Andover (although a bit too sprawled for my liking), and Lawrenceville. And of course, here's my shameless plug for Middlesex! I have seen it in rain, snow, sun, and the dark by now, and I have to say...it has never failed to disappoint. The pictures I've seen of Taft are gorgeous too.</p>
<p>I agree with your impressions of Loomis and Deerfield; the only part of Loomis that I thought was pretty was the quad. The rest looked insitutional. I think the best part of Deefield is the village it is in. The gymnasium and admin buildings are also pretty. The actual campus does not impress me so much. Everyone has their own taste, though.</p>
<p>Yeah, and I do have to say Deerfield was probably gorgeous a long time ago. I know they are trying to preserve the history, but it really just needs a paint job or something, other than that is perfect.</p>
<p>*St Pauls *is pretty - except in the winter...or in the rain.
*Deerfield *is very pretty - in an historic, new england charm kind of way. I'm not sure the new Koch Science building "fits" in though...
*NMH *is pretty and wide open
I thought *Loomis *was very institutional looking from the campus to the dorm rooms.
I liked how *Canterbury's *buildings look Cathedral-like (duh, Catholic school)
*Salisbury *is beautiful - up on a hill - in the fall the view can't be beat.
*Avon Old Farms *has amazing buildings and the coolest architecture- kind of Harry Potter like. My favorite as far as the buildings go. A very pretty quad area and a nice view (not as sprawling as Salisbury's)</p>
<p>What I love about Loomis is the river, and the quad that looks like it was transplanted from the University of Virginia. You can't see any of that from the road. Avon Old Farms is quaint in a Harry Potter kind of way, and their new arts center is great. Tabor is beautiful in the summer in a Cape Cod kind of way. St. Georges is in a spectacular setting. Choate looks like a small New England college. I love the town of Exeter, and the way that the school and the town blend together. I do know that most of these schools are so beautiful that the kids who go there are disappointed when they go look at colleges. Small New England college? Been there, done that is what I've heard.</p>
<p>Actually, I still agree with what I said 2 years ago, which is on the linked discussion in post #3
[quote]
I visited a number of bs with my son last fall. They were all amazingly beautiful. I think you will have to find your personal aesthetic. Be sure to visit when school is in session so you can get a feeling for the school beyond the campus. The only school that we did not find as attractive as the others was Peddie. It certainly has its pluses, but it just wasn't that attractive to us.
[/quote]
The last time I visited Peddie for a sports event, I tried to pinpoint exactly why I didn't find it that attractive. I think it's because it does not have extensive landscaping. Also, when we visited they had recently added outdoor mailboxes because of the anthrax scare. These were pointed out during the tour. It just struck me as odd and unpleasant to get your mail outdoors in a snow storm or downpour. Peddie received its large endowment as a windfall, and to their credit, they spend much of it on financial aid. I guess over the years their focus just hasn't been on the grounds. Son didn't want to apply after the visit. I think it's ironic that we felt that way, and it turns out he went to the rival school.</p>
<p>Per the above discussion, I thought Loomis looked disappointing as I entered from parking next to the athletic field. I liked it inside the quad.</p>
<p>Now we are starting college tours, and I've seen a few spectacular campuses that dwarf the boarding school campuses.</p>
<p>fif is not a fan of the Peddie campus either. Watching a lacrosse game and listening to the interstate in the background was ummmmm, odd.</p>
<p>fif likes the Loomis campus -- Windsor is kind of a dump, but the entrance to the school is scenic, the quad with its feel of UVA and the views to the athletic field and the river are great. Incidentally the school is nicknamed "The Island" in honor of the spring flooding that occurs.</p>
<p>fif also likes Kent as the setting on the Housatonic is wonderful and they did a great job of integrating the girl's school some years ago. The old girl's school up on Skiff Mountain is now Marvelwood School.</p>
<p>Millbrook is not really fif's cup of tea but the quad is lovely and its been used in several films including "What About Henry" and "The World According To Garp".</p>
<p>fif is biased but he agrees that Salisbury has a beautiful campus. Their new Flood Athletic Center will be ridiculous. Also agree that Berkshire's setting (and some of their buildings) create a beautiful campus.</p>
<p>The charm that so many see in NMH is lost on the funster.</p>
<p>Ugliest: St. Thomas More by far followed by Portsmouth Abbey, South Kent and Kimball Union.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Avon Old Farms has amazing buildings and the coolest architecture- kind of Harry Potter like. My favorite as far as the buildings go.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yeah, I liked the buildings at AOF (...not that I could ever go there considering I'm a girl, but I had a boyfriend who went there so I visited once or twice).</p>
<p>My all time favorite for architecture/buildings is Emma Willard...soooo pretty and Harry Potter-esque.</p>
<p>My son said Groton was beautiful and made him feel "safe." He didn't like Deerfield's campus at all. He said it felt too much like a college campus.</p>
<p>Hm, I’ll bump this thread by posting
I loved, loved, loved Deerfield and Hotchkiss! Especially Deerfield, but I guess I was lucky because one time I visited it was the perfect, clear summer day and the second time gorgeous, fluffy snow was falling - very picturesque.
I thought Hotchkiss was awesome, too, the new music hall was really stunning, it definitely sold me a bit to the school, even though I’m not a musician.
Honestly, I think all of the schools mentioned on here have above average campuses, I think it just depends on the personal feeling you get from it!</p>
<p>Woodberry Forest School. It is located atop a hill in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, next to the Rapidan River. Think of the older portion of the University of Virginia campus, but without tacky shops and bars corralling it. Instead it has a nine-hole Donald Ross designed golf course running around/through the campus. Deerfield? My brother went there, and it’s not even close. My other brother went to Tabor; ditto. My recollection of St. Paul’s would be second.</p>
<p>The BS with the prettiest campus is the BS that you attend. That aside, of the 10 BS’s to which my son applied last year (all of which we visited), we found the following schools, in no particular order, to have the prettiest campuses, for what this is worth: SPS, Andover, Hotchkiss. The least attractive? Choate (maybe, in part, because it was the only BS that didn’t accept or wait list my son).</p>
