<p>My son is 15, 9th grade at a big, urban, public school. He has played ice hockey since he was 4 and played AA level this year and probably could play AAA (there is only one AAA team in Norcal so it is very hard on a family in terms of travel and expense). Anyway he wants to apply to boarding school for 2012. He is a B student but very intelligent and takes rigorous classes, probably not working up to his potential and has mediocre study habits. A diamond in the rough! He is completely devoted to his sport and has very few other interests. He did play lacrosse for the first time this spring and has played quite a bit of baseball. I'm pretty unfamiliar with the different school options and the toughest thing so far is figuring out which ones to focus on and which ones are completely out of the question. Some factors to consider are that he is used to a very diverse, liberal environment and probably would not do well at a very conservative school. Also we will need FA to make it work. I've looked at the list of top hockey schools but I'd love some help narrowing it down from there. Thanks!</p>
<p>Tell us what schools you are considering on your long list, and folks can give you input on whether we think they would be a good fit based on the criteria you have listed. I am familiar with some of the strong hockey schools but not all.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-chances/1120523-prep-school-hockey.html?highlight=hockey[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-chances/1120523-prep-school-hockey.html?highlight=hockey</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/635547-prep-school-known-ice-hockey.html?highlight=hockey[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/635547-prep-school-known-ice-hockey.html?highlight=hockey</a></p>
<p>Thanks for your quick reply. Here’s what I have so far:
Choate
Cushing Academy
Brooks
Deerfield
The Governor’s Academy
Groton
The Gunnery
Hill School
Hotchkiss
Kent
Kimball Union Academy<br>
Lawrenceville School
Lawrence Academy
Middlesex
Millbrook
Milton Academy
Northfield Mount Hermon-
Proctor
Pomfret
Tilton
Westminster
Williston Northampton</p>
<p>Brooks and Governor’s are similar. Both are great environments for kids. I don’t follow hockey but I’ve heard of Governor’s girls hockey. State champions for a number of years?? They also have the apparently obligatory two rinks. Deerfield is large and has a large financial aid budget. Groton is very hard to get into and has a large financial aid budget. It is not known as a sports school. Any sane parent should be grateful to send their child to any of these schools. I don’t have any reliable information that in 2011 any prep schools in Massachusetts are truly conservative.</p>
<p>Thanks so much isflan. I don’t know anything about Brooks or Governor but it’s helpful to hear they are both great. Groton is probably not a good fit for my son if it is super academic. At this point I mostly need to eliminate schools and also get a sense of which ones he has a good chance of getting into and which are a reach. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Not a hockey mom but of the schools on your list Choate, Deerfield, Groton, Hotchkiss, Laurenceville, Middlesex and Milton would all be a major stretch for a B+ student. Some of these schools have acceptance rates under 20%, average SSATs over 90%, and legions of straight A students applying. You may also want to consider some of the CT all boys schools - I think Avon Old Farms and Salisbury are strong in hockey (but I may be thinking Lax). Also, consider Berkshire, good hockey, good school but not quite as academically competitive.</p>
<p>If super academic is not a good fit, then I agree that Groton should be off the list as well as Hotchkiss, maybe Milton. </p>
<p>I agree w/1012mom that Avon Old Farms is worth a look if single sex is acceptable to your son.</p>
<p>Thanks, yes we’ll likely have him only apply to a couple of reach schools like those. He’s pretty set against all-boys. I had Berkshire on the list but I think when I copied it got left off the top.</p>
<p>As I am not familiar with the level of hockey in NoCal, it is hard to recommend in terms of hockey. Some programs are much stronger than others. Some schools are big, some are small. Some very academic some in the middle, some weaker academically…there are so many choices available! I am pretty familiar with many of the hockey programs. DM me if you like.</p>
<p>I know you said your son doesn’t want an all boys school but I would like to put in a “vote” for Avon Old Farms (AOF). Definitely a great hockey school. Their “sister” school is Miss Porter’s and they do theater together, dances etc. My D1 went to Porter’s and had a number of friends at AOF, my D2 is at Exeter and her BF attends AOF. All of the young men I have met from AOF were well mannered and nice young men. The school is not conservative (at least not politically). The campus is beautiful. Perhaps he should visit? Westminster is nearby and this also is a great school (one of my favorites). I don’t know how good they are in hockey. I would bet your son would garner much interest at AOF due to his hockey talents and geographic location. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks New England, I’m going to talk to him about the single sex issue, probably on the drive to practice tonight. I’m not sure what I think about all boys school for him. He’s such a jock already, I worry a bit that an all boys environment will not bring out the best in him, but I can’t ignore all the recs for Avon Old Farms here!</p>
<p>I’m surprised Taft isn’t on the list. They have two hockey rinks and it’s “the” big sport there and the coach is always on the lookout for talent. Worth considering. (It’s also coed)</p>
<p>Yes, I added Taft when I looked over the list again. Somehow it fell off. There is a local boy a few years older than my son who has done really well there. Thanks.</p>
<p>Holderness in Plymouth NH has a great hockey program and sounds like it would be a good fit academically.</p>
<p>It’s not true that if your son is a B student then he should eliminate many of these schools from his list. Before boarding school I was a B student but also a recruited athlete, and I now attend one of the schools that you were told to eliminate. If your son is actually good at hockey, then you should start talking to coaches and see what they think. The coach at particular schools will be able to give you better advice than any of us on this site. The advice that you have been given above is more for the typical, unhooked applicant, as opposed to athletic recruits, who are treated much differently depending on the school.</p>
<p>Shattuck-St.Mary’s isn’t mentioned often here, but if your son plays hockey? I would look at this school. It’s in Minnesota. It’s better known in Canada than the U.S., but I wouldn’t leave this school off my list if my son had any chance at pro hockey. FWIW</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.s-sm.org%5B/url%5D”>www.s-sm.org</a></p>
<p>My son attended Berkshire and I have followed their program for the past 20+ years. We visited over a dozen schools before selecting Berkshire and we have never regretted that decision. Great co-ed school where a B student can succeed. Their hockey program has attracted quite a few California student-athletes and I know that some have moved on to good college hockey programs. As with many eastern boarding schools they have a great physical plant and environment including a new two-sheet facility that is one of the best in New England.</p>
<p>All of the schools mentioned in the reply section are good options. You should gather as much information as you can on your own and visit some that are at the top of your list. At least a few of the schools mentioned have summer hockey schools which are a good way to check out the schools.</p>
<p>National Hockey Training rents Berkshire for their summer camp. NHT is run by the head of school and a college coach assisted by many boarding school and college hockey coaches.</p>
<p>Culver Academies has a strong hockey program (2 ice sheets, 3 teams for the boys, fairly steady record of sending a couple of kids per year on to juniors), increasingly strong academic program, and a comfort level with a pretty wide range of academic styles. But not sure what you mean by “won’t do well at a conservative school”. Does that mean politics, structure, some combination of the two? At any rate, in the interests of full disclosure, Culver does have a leadership curriculum that manifests itself as Military for the boys (prefects for the girls), and seems to add a lot to the experience for the students - my brother was more into the hockey when he arrived, but now looks back most fondly on the leadership program. My daughter reports the same from the girls’ side of things.</p>
<p>also re Berkshire - friend’s son is finishing first year there - they couldn’t be happier with the combination of hockey, academics, and non-hockey ec’s.</p>