I plan on applying to the following schools as an incoming 10th grader. I was wondering if I should add or cut some schools? Suggestions are welcome! Thanks!
The schools are:
Andover (re-applying, rejected this year)
Exeter (re-applying, WL’d this year)
Hotchkiss
Choate
Deerfield
Middlesex
Lawrenceville
Milton
Thacher
Loomis Chaffee
Mercersburg
Hill
NMH
Grier
(14 in total)
The main things I am looking for are:
how inclusive the community is
location, nearby towns are prefered
whether there is a debate/public speaking/MUN team
One more thing, are you sure about Thacher. A school like Thacher will have a totally different vibe than a school like Exeter. There are two very different types of people. Even the campuses are incredibly different.
What a great list! As stated above, Andover may produce the same result unless there is a huge drastic change to your application.
If you are looking for nearby towns, maybe not Hotchkiss. It is in a very rural area. However since you are looking for inclusive community, being secluded in one campus with others means Hotchkiss would have that inclusion. It is something to think about
Thanks for the advice! I was hesitant about Hotchkiss before, but then I thought about it and came to the same conclusion as you. I’ve also heard that they have a great humanities program, which is a plus for me.
Thacher has a much more laid back vibe than East Coast schools. East coast schools have a much more academic feel, even though Thacher has academics at the same level as those schools. East coast schools will also be much more preppy than Thacher.
There is a huuuge difference between east coast and west coast. But Thacher or Exeter, the rigor and boarding school experience will be there, just the communities around the school will be more lax in west coast
Have you considered Groton? They have excellent academics and have a legacy of extremely strong Debate/MUN teams. The community is wonderfully small (if you like that) and welcoming. My favorite of the GLADCHEMMS.
Hm…I’ll take a look at their website! From what you’ve mentioned, I think it’s worth applying to. I think the reason why I cut it out originally was because of its religious affiliation? I’m not sure how I feel about that.
You have a mix here in terms of selectivity which is good. The mix on a number of other fronts, from size to vibe, suggests you are still working out what you are looking for.
I’d take a look at Peddie and George, both of which are known for strong community. George is well known for inclusivity. Grier looks like an outlier on this list. Cate looks like it’d be a better fit than Thacher based on this list, but if you wanted a less reachy school in CA, why not Stevenson?
@jdv77 Groton isn’t really a religious school if that is what you mean. My kid is an atheist and attends with no issue as do plenty of other students. If you are referring to chapel you can think of it more as an all school meeting with some “feel good lets be nice” reading at the end or beginning. Mainly the point of chapel is chapel talks which students or teachers give - one teacher talked about being trans - so I think your religious affiliation worries are probably unfounded.
Of the schools you listed Groton is one of the more racially/economically progressive and diverse.
Thanks for the suggestions! You’re right, Grier is an outlier. I’m applying mainly because of the location and I wanted to have an all-girls school just in case I decide that I want to try something new (I’ve only been to co-ed schools).
As for Thacher, we are planning to drop it due to the location. I’ll research Cate as well as Peddie and George, thanks for your suggestion!
One other thing to consider in your search would be the size of the school. Schools like Exeter and Andover are huge, while Groton is tiny compared to them. The class sizes will be similar, but you’ll feel a total difference walking around in a small school than you would at a larger school.