<p>I know I'm thinking ahead but I was accepted to both these schools and they're both my top choices. I'm probably going to let the revisit days decide which one I'll pick, but in the meantime could I get some feedback on your opinions on each?</p>
<p>Hey! Feel free to PM me. I was accepted to both schools (Choate and Exeter) as well as Deerfield, however I think Exeter is going to be my choice. </p>
<p>It depends what type of learning environment you want-- Exeter if huge, but their size is their strength. Choate is smaller, more quaint. Both schools offer a large selection of courses and a high academic standard. I have also heard that Exeter's music program is amazing, as are their sciences. Exeter teaches by the Harkness method, while Choate is more of an original classroom set-up. Which ever school you end up picking, know that these are both amazing schools, each with its own qualities and experiences to offer a growing student.</p>
<p>"Exeter's music program is amazing"</p>
<p>As a current musician at Exeter, I...don't know about that. Exeter has great facilities and all but no concert hall. We also have weekly concerts by professional musicians (or something very close to weekly)...but Choate's program is better, with their arts concentration program. I think Exeter has great resources (other than lack of concert hall) but students don't really take advantage b/c they focus on academics. I mean... people practice maybe like 2 hours a week because there just isn't enough time. Whereas at Choate serious musicians can practice 3 hours per day through the arts concentration program. Or so I hear.</p>
<p>(please feel free to correct me anyone.)</p>
<p>So I don't know if you're a musician kmfansi or scigirl14 but if you are, that might affect your choice...good luck.</p>
<p>A few months ago I did a study of boarding school college placements and Choate and Exeter were two of the most cooperative and honest prep schools with which I dealt. You can't make a wrong choice.</p>
<p>i'm an exeter student, but my father went to choate, and he says he wishes he went to exeter....but that's just him. i personally love exeter, and my friend at choate loves it there, but i remember visiting choate and just not liking it as much, and he's never seen exeter.</p>
<p>just throwing that out there, as unhelpful as that may be.</p>
<p>I'm in the exact same situation. </p>
<p>I love how choate is, as scigirl14 said, "quaint," and I know that from experience because I took a summer program there just this summer and absolutely LOVED it. I know they're both really good schools and my friends are telling me that I should go to Exeter because it's supposed to be a better school, but I don't think that "being a better school" is necessarily going to do any good for me in the future. If I choose, I really want to choose somewhere that fits me. </p>
<p>My school right now is pretty small, so going to Exeter might come as a bit of a shock for me, but I adore the way they teach there with the Harkness method and everything. Augh. I don't know what to do. kmfansi, I'm sorry that I'm not being any sort of help whatsoever (I might have even made it worse), but I'd really like someone to give me (us) some advice. </p>
<p>Thanks! </p>
<p>And tuesdayair, your post about the music was awesome. Now, I think I'm beginning to tilt toward Choate again. :)</p>
<p>First, congratulations - both Choate and Exeter are outstanding schools.</p>
<p>Second, if you can you should revisit both schools and then trust your gut. One school may just feel like it's a better fit than the other. You're going to be spending the next four years at BS and you will get a top notch education at either school, so you should go wherever you think you'll be happiest.</p>
<p>Third, I know a lot more about Choate than Exeter because I went there for 4 years and currently have a kid going there. However, my sense of the two schools is that Exeter is a little more of a high pressure environment, which may be a positive or a negative, depending on your personality. Also, I would say that Exeter tends to have a lot of kids who are extremely strong in math and science, while Choate tends to have "artier" kids. Choate is also smaller in size.</p>
<p>As far as Exeter's use of the Harkness method, English and History courses at Choate are also usually taught around a Harkness table and tend to be very discussion oriented. Other classes, while they may use a more traditional classroom configuration also involve lots of discussion and class participation, so I'm not sure the teaching styles of each school are all that different. Again the revisit day should give you a pretty good feel for any differences in how classes are taught.</p>
<p>Great post, prpdd. My daughter is also considering a few schools, one of which is Choate. Sometimes it feels hard to get beyond the stereotypes when comparing schools. ie Even if a class doesn't use a Harkness table, it may be very discussion oriented - seating arranged in a circle, etc. </p>
<p>Also, we are hesitant to focus too much on the "prestige" issue. There are many amazing BS schools, one of which is Choate. Ultimately, each student's experience will be what they make of it - given the opportunity to study with strong teachers, a dynamic curriculum, etc.</p>
<p>WOW. Thanks, prpdd.
The thing about Choate also having a harkness-like-ish-thing sounds pretty cool. Another thing that tends to scare me about Exeter is that I'm a COMPLETE perfectionist, and slthough I probably will die at either school I go to if i keep being this way, my hope is that Choate will be slightly less challenging.
I'm an international student and my parents borh work full time, so they told me that I can't go back to the schools to visit on revisit day. I really wish I could, but my mom begins to give me a bit of a lecture every time i mention it... :( Oh well...</p>
<p>Choate it is! (probably)
ahh.
The second I typed that, my brain started going "NO, NO, NO, NO, WHAT ABOUT EXETER???"
bleargh.
Thank you all SOOOOO much though! I think I've made my decision.</p>
<p>I didn't mean to suggest the Exeter is also not amazing. It is!!</p>
<p>Ickleronniekins raises an interesting issue: for a perfectionist (of which there are probably many at the top BS), might it be preferable to go to a slightly smaller school with a somewhat broader range in SSATs scores (still with plenty of students at the top of the range)? For students who are used to standing out at their old schools, it can be an adjustment to being surrounded by lots of others who are similarly accomplished/motivated.</p>