Yall - I got accepted to choate, lville, hotchkiss, and peddie. I don’t really want to go to hkiss and peddie and my family agrees as well. HOWEVER, we are currently in hot debate whether to go to choate or lville.
I play three instruments, mainly the double bass. My main sport is fencing. I’d like a strong emphasis on writing (poetry etc), clubs, signature programs, community.
I like lville better. I really liked the campus when I visited it in January. A main attraction to me is that the school has a competitive fencing team which I like. They have a good music program, but not as good as hkiss and choate’s.
My family wants me to go to Choate. I also visited it on January, but I felt like I liked the lville environment better. They have a GREAT music program, however.
My parents say that to apply to uni, my strength in music matters more than fencing, and I somewhat agree. The main reason I got into these schools is because of my skills in double bass. The st. pauls director of music directly emailed me that if I joined them I would be the principal bassist (i got waitlisted in the end which is weird). The choate and hkiss music directors also wrote me personal emails to persuade me to go there.
I heard that both schools have similar signature programs, and I like lville’s better.
What do you guys think? I’m still intent on going to lville, but I fear that I’d miss out on stuff if i do… (sorry if it feels like a rant)
Honestly, there is no wrong answer. Both are exceptionally strong schools. One difference is that Lawrenceville has a well regarded interscholastic fencing program while Choate’s fencing program is, well, non-existent.
Assuming there is no issue with costs, if Lawrenceville is your choice, go there. Congratulations and good luck.
My son was a graduate of Lawrenceville (class of '18) and was an athlete. He also was accepted to Choate. He ended up choosing Lville because it was closer. The schools are very similar though.
One big consideration is saturday classes. This makes it difficult to travel for tournaments. You’ll need special permission to skip saturday classes. There are plenty of student athletes who manage to fit in time to train. But also note that you’ll have to do three sports at Lville. Not sure about the quality of the music at Lville though.
I don’t know the exact timeframe, but they’re thinking of eliminating Saturday classes; this term, there’s only three (as part of a pilot program). Still, it’s up in the air, so I wouldn’t hinge your decision on it.
I agree with the sentiment about tournaments. Lawrenceville’s music was a bit inactive in past years, but they’ve gotten a bunch of new music faculty this year who have really improved the program. The music scene here is mainly vocal, the fall musical (for which there is a pit orchestra—very rigorous experience, from what I’ve heard), and student-run bands, but I definitely see that changing. See this recent program: Dresdner Quartet Wins NJAST Quarter-Fest Competition | News Detail - The Lawrenceville School
With respect to Lawrenceville, you have expressed an affinity for its campus and fencing program.
A distinguishing attraction for Choate might be the arts center designed by I. M. Pei, in which, I believe, you would practice and perform your instrument.
It seems you know enough about these schools to make a fair comparison. You stated you “like lville better.” Consider trusting this impression.
Thank you for your suggestions! It seems like L’ville is improving it’s music program, which is great. I am going to try and contact to music director to find out about more info.
Does L’ville collaborate with the Princeton University Music Dept? I get the impression Yale and Choate are pretty tight when it comes to the Arts and selective other areas like environmental science.
In terms of the overall campus including athletic facilities: Lawrenceville has the edge
Interesting – I would agree with you @Zeography. I thought Choate would have the edge there. But, truth is I don’t remember their gyms well enough now three years later.
One thing I’ll add is that Choate has more of the “open campus” feel, while Lville felt more “enclosed academy” feel.
But again – all this is three years old in my memory.
Another thought: both have a meaningful day school population so it’s worth considering how that impacts the school culture.
It might be worth noting that, as a result of historical aspects related to founding dates and naming traditions, “schools” tend to be offset from their local towns while “academies” tend to be more integrated with their surroundings.
