My daughter was accepted today into both Choate and Kent, and waitlisted at Taft and Loomis. We are starting to weigh our options between Choate and Kent. Would greatly appreciate any feedback as this is my first child heading off to boarding school and she is entering 10th grade.
REEEE-visit.
If you can go to admitted student things at both schools, seriously do. It’s a potential eye-opener, e.g. how many new 10th graders there are, or how both schools fit in with and/or excel in your daughter’s interests.
That said, Kent is an excellent school, picturesque and prosperous, but Choate is one of the giants of the boarding school world. If that sort of thing matters to you–and don’t think it doesn’t matter to many folks partaking in the boarding school lifestyle–you(r daughter) got accepted to what the snooty-snobs would say was the top school on your list! Whether it is the top school for your daughter and your family…
I am also a 10th grader who was accepted into Kent and Choate. Kent has more community and a good environment but Choate is academically superior, not by much.
Hi! I am currently a 9th grader at Choate, so I could potentially be you classmate (daughter’s classmate). I am open to answering any questions you have!
@lefblu I would definitely use revisit day to answer any questions that you cannot get from CC. I got accepted last year to both Kent and Choate and at first I was really pumped to go to Kent,but in the end, I ultimately fell in love with Choate simply because it was the place for me.
Thank you. We will definitely be revisiting both schools.
Lucky lucky lucky. Congrats!
Definitely revisit. We were accepted at Kent, wait listed at Choate, accepted Loomis.
Things have worked out perfectly, and couldn’t be happier, but I wish we could have gone to revisit Choate. We really really loved it.
Both are great schools but each has a quite different feel than the other. Choate is bigger, has a higher number of boarding students and its campus is in town. Kent is medium-sized, predominantly boarding, and rural but with a very nice town a short walk away. I can’t speak with great knowledge but in my several visits I’ve picked up a certain intensity about Choate and really it is one of the most competitive schools so that makes sense. Kent is a bit more laid back. Entering sophomores make up about 50% of the class at Kent so assimilating may be a bit easier. Revisit days should help you understand which school is the best fit for your child. You can’t go wrong. (Full disclosure: I have a child at Kent and am an alum.)
Sorry, I meant to say that Choate has a higher number of day students.
Thank you! Appreciate all the feedback. We revisited Choate and we really enjoyed our day. The kids were super friendly to my daughter, and they could not have made her feel more welcome. My daughter, however, is still torn between the two. We haven’t yet been to Kent’s revisit day, although we have been to more Kent events, in general. I, frankly, think she would be happy at either school.