<p>I thought I would start a thread about Cate, Thacher and other California boarding schools so prospective students (and their parents) can become more familiar with the schools. I know a little about Cate, less about Thacher, and not much about the other California boarding schools, so hopefully other parents and students of these schools can also provide helpful commentary and insight.</p>
<p>To kick things off, here's a link to assorted informational videos that can be found on Cate's website: CATE</a> SCHOOL - Multimedia</p>
<p>There's also a short video I found on YouTube that was produced by a Cate student earlier this year for the benefit of prospective incoming students prior to their 2009 revisit day. The video is titled, "The Spirit of This Place", a phrase excerpted from the school's mission statement -- "Through commitment, scholarship, companionship, and service, each member of the Cate community contributes to what our founder called: the spirit of this place...all compounded of beauty and virtue, quiet study, vigorous play, and hard work." Here it is - YouTube</a> - The Spirit of This Place</p>
<p>What would you say are the main differences between a traditional northeast prep and a west coast school, such as Cate/Thacher? Is there a big gap in terms of education between the two?</p>
<p>Nope, wouldn’t say there is a big gap. However, the west coast schools tend to be smaller so you won’t find the same kind of academic breadth as you would and A/E, for example. You will find extraordinary relationships with faculty. Also, they do a very good job on college admissions.</p>
<p>The biggest difference - it ain’t dark and snowy from November to March. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the weather can make a huge difference to some kinds of kids.</p>
<p>I attend Stevenson, so if you have any questions about it specifically, feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>As for a gap of education, I would admit that besides Cate/Thacher, the other CA schools are a bit worse simply b/c there’s not much of a pool to draw from. Boarding school is much more popular among ppl in the NE than CA. That said, the schools just below Cate/Thacher like Stevenson (shameless plug) don’t get nearly the respect they deserve. We get students into great colleges too and our student body is pretty smart. For example, my English teacher was the Dean of Students (I think? forgot his exact position) at Thacher and he says that while Thacher’s student body is stronger, the top 20% of both schools are virtually the same. A lot of the top 20% at both schools got 99% SSAT (I did) and high SAT scores (the average of the top 15-20% at Stevenson for rising seniors is 2200+, including multiple perfect scores).</p>