<p>If you had to choose between St. Mark's (Southborough, MA) and Deerfield, which would you choose and why? We live closer to St. Mark's, and I've heard lots of nice things about the boarding environment there. </p>
<p>I'm asking on behalf of my nephew who is having a hard time deciding...</p>
<p>Thanks,
Gigout</p>
<p>My daughter did not consider Deerfield but St. Mark's has always been a top choice for her. It has, I think, a very strong community. The math department is great. We're going for a revisit on April 9.
I just was on the phone with a mother of a 10th grader who said her daughter started there in September and has been very happy. There were, of course, the normal boarding school adjustments, but, in general it has all gone very well. She did say that a large number of kids go home on weekends which I did not know.</p>
<p>Thanks very much! The situation is that he has been waitlisted at Deerfield and accepted at St. Mark's. His strengths are in math and science, he's a good kid, but not terribly sporty. The strong community is important to my sister (his mom). He can't go back to Deerfield for a revisit, which is what is making this hard...his dad wants him to stay on the waitlist, etc. I know he's going for the St. Mark's revisit sometime next week.</p>
<p>Both are great schools but I would probably lean toward Deerfield Academy. I'm not too familiar with St. Marks so I can't equate it with Deerfield. I actually used to attend a private school within walking distance of Deerfield and know the school very well. It's settled in a cute, historic town which is nice, but the small town environment is a factor to why there is little diversity and little access to things like a mall or shops. If lack of diversity is an issue for your nephew, you may want to go with Marks. Also, the courses at Deerfield are not as broad compared to other elite boarding schools. Overall, Deerfield is a nice school but I personally think they are lacking in a few departments. Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>My daughter is not into sports either which is why she did not consider Deerfield. We had heard that the Deerfield athletics program was very competitive. The math program at St.Mark's is very strong. I think the head of the math department came to St. Mark's from Milton. There is also a great classics program which my daughter is considering.</p>
<p>They're both fine schools. From an academic standpoint he will be challenged more at Deerfield than he would be at St. Mark's. Generally speaking his fellow classmates are going to be brighter at Deerfield than his classmates at St. Mark's would be. I'm not saying that St. Mark's doesn't have bright students, just that Deerfield would have more of them. Deerfield is considered one of the elite boarding schools while St. Mark's would be considered a tier or two below that. I have a son who currently attends Deerfield. Like him, the kids who go there have generally been accepted to schools like Exeter and St. Paul's - a notch up from St. Mark's.</p>
<p>Gigout--If he's waitlisted at Deerfield then he doesn't really have a choice NOW. He should deposit at St. Mark's (if that's his first choice among the schools where he was accepted) and then decide whether to accept a place on the Deerfield waitlist. Prep schools do go to their waitlists, although in recent years Deerfield has actually overenrolled and taken few if any off the list.</p>
<p>St. Mark's is an excellent school--a friend of my daughter goes there and she enjoys it very much. It is a small, tight-knit community; in the same sports league as Groton, for example. I think there is an affiliation with the Episcopal church still--someone correct me if I'm wrong.</p>
<p>Deerfield has a reputation for stronger academics than St. Mark's, but the only two kids I know who went there both got expelled for drinking so I have a skewed perspective on the school.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your answers! I'm going to call my sister later this morning and pass on your info, etc.</p>