<p>Hi everyone.
I got accepted to Choate and Lawrenceville and I was wondering how these schools compare. Which one is better?</p>
<p>It really depends on your preference. I suggest you go to both revisits. I've heard Lawrenceville is in a nicer town, next to Princeton, NJ and Princeton University if you are interested in going there. Choate is next to Yale University. </p>
<p>One is in New Jersey (close to New York), and another is in Connecticut, basically in the middle of New York and Boston. You should get my friend Julia on here to argue this point. :)</p>
<p>Based on the kids .... that's a preference. Go there and see who's more welcoming.</p>
<p>choate :))))</p>
<p>You should go to both revisits. Choate is better known for the arts. Lawrenceville is better known for sports. I think they use harkness tables there, so classes are probably discussion-based. Both are very well-regarded schools, so it's a matter of finding the school in which you feel more comfortable.</p>
<p>That's why they have Re-visits.</p>
<p>They are similar schools in a lot of areas (size, reputation, stats, good programs ...) Its a matter of how YOU (not your parents, not your friends, and definitely not us) FEEL and the perception of how each school makes you feel (and I mean school administrators, students, even other parents). Ask a lot of questions (same as when you interviewed). Remember you have already been accepted to both of them. When you interviewed with them, YOU had to impress them; Now THEY have to impress you.
Relax and enjoy your re-visits.</p>
<p>Bottom line, You can't go wrong with either school. They are both great, great schools.</p>
<p>l'ville likely to have more kids from the south and mid-atlantic.Social element important to some, not to others.</p>
<p>"l'ville likely to have more kids from the south and mid-atlantic"
i think it's the opposite. Choate is better known outside the new england bubble..it's just the way it is. So it might attract more kids from far away than say lawrenceville</p>
<p>Bear, you seem to know some things about your school.However, I have ties to the south and to L'ville.There is a large southern contingent that just won't go north of NYC.Lawrenceville has a strong pull in NC, SC, Atlanta and Northern FL.Like I said the "southern" thing goes right over some peoples head.Where are you from.exactly.</p>
<p>u r probably right then i was just guessing... as i started with "i think..." LOL</p>
<p>Francis is correct. Lawrenceville has always had more appeal to mid-atlantic and southern students than its peer schools, because of its proximity to those areas. Many students in those parts of the country don't feel the need to venture all the way to New England when they can find an equivalent school slightly closer to home. </p>
<p>Historically, the same has held true to Princeton.</p>
<p>Do many kids go to Lawrenceville from New England??</p>
<p>Lawrenceville does not draw as many students from New England, simply because there are so many other excellent prep schools in CT and MA.</p>
<p>However, Lawrenceville does draw many students from NY (both Long Island and NYC).</p>
<p>That's great for me! I'm looking for a boarding school that has all the classes, conditions, and sports offernings as the top New England ones do, just elsewhere. I live in MA and preferably, I would want to be someone who adds "geographic diversity."</p>
<p>Jane, truthfully, geographic diversity isn't that much of a deal at prep schools unless you're from a different nation or from a very under-represented part of the United States. </p>
<p>A lot of prep schools, even Lawrenceville, have plenty of kids from MA. It's one of the most over-represented states in boarding schools. I wouldn't go to a school just to add geographic diversity. More accurate ways of choosing a school are:</p>
<p>Location (do you like the town?)</p>
<p>Size of School (are you a very social person; do you want a big grade, or do you want a more cohesive environment?)</p>
<p>Challenge: this is very important. Do you want a huge challenge, like A/E - do you want to be overwhelmed with work sometimes, or do you want a challenging environment with more of a focus on dorm life/social outings?</p>
<p>Sports: Some schools have very few sports; the top schools (AESDCHL) have plenty. It depends on the size of the school and the various interests. St. Paul's, for example, doesn't have a swim team, but they have a great English department and dance studio.</p>
<p>Yeah, I know "geographical diversity" isn't all that important when looking for a school but I'd just rather be elsewhere than MA...</p>
<p>You mean that you don't want to add geographic diversity; you want to be in a geographically diverse place.</p>
<p>You confused me there. I thought you wanted to go to a school outside of MA to add geographic diversity to their student body.</p>
<p>Do you mean you want to get out of MA just for the sake of it, the weather, what? You'll have the same weather in CT or NH. Do you just not like Mass.?</p>
<p>Please do yourself a favor and revisit both schools. Both are excellent schools but, one may fit you better than the other. I'm assuming you have no other experience with either school other thn visiting while interviewing. Good luck, you have two very nice options</p>
<p>olivia: What I really meant was I want to be in an environment that has fewer people that are my type. At schools like Andover, almost half the student body is from Massachusetts. I'd rather be in a school farther away instead of a close place with a bunch of Massachusetts white kids. I want diversity. I want to be friends with people that look different, dress different, speak different languages, and come from different backgrounds. Not that you can't find that there, I just feel that I would sense more of a boarding school environment if I were farther away from home. So I guess that's what I'm trying to say here. I apologize for any confusion!!!</p>
<p>I didn't read this thread, but I know Lawrenceville is beastly at lacrosse</p>
<p>Yeah, I know Lawrenceville is too.</p>
<p>Andover is actually much more diverse than any of its peer schools. Kids there hail from 40 states and 20 countries; I'm sure that you'll find a very diverse population there. Remember that the only reason they have a lot of people from Massachusetts is because they have day students. Same with all the other boarding schools.</p>
<p>If you go to Hotchkiss/Lawrenceville/Choate, you're going to get Massachusetts white kids, but a little more NYC/New Jersey/CT white kids too. Basically the same people, different places. The people that make the school diverse are the international people or the people from other parts of the US.</p>