<p>I am currently a student at Miss Porter's School, a small, all-girls school in Connecticut. (Just for the record, I love it!) But when I began of my school-search, I had no intention to applying to any same-sex schools - I was all for the co-ed experience. It just so happened that I did end up applying (and being accepted) to two all-girls schools as well as 4 or 5 co-ed schools. In fact, while Miss Porter's was clearly the one I eventually chose, it was a tough race between MPS and another co-ed school. Therefore, I know fully well the differences between the co-ed schools and the same sex schools, so I would be happy to answer any questions anyone has. So if you do have a question about going to an all-girls school or about Miss Porter's in general, please feel free to leave them below!</p>
<p>What is the culture at MPS for new 10th graders? My daughters are visiting next month. Is everyone super competitive or welcoming? How’s the workload, sports (soccer, cross country) and weekend activities? Any insight would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>I apologize for not replying before @Twinsdad499! New 10th graders are 100% integrated into the culture of the school right away. A large chunk does come to the school in 10th grade so it is not at all abnormal. New girl sophomores and old girl sophomores are completely integrated and by junior and senior year, you can not tell who was a new girl soph and who wasn’t. In terms of workload, it is pretty decent. For sophomores there are approximately 3 hours of homework a night (sometimes more, sometimes less). Because of Porter’s unusual arrangement of maths and sciences (Algebra 2, then Geometry, Pre-Calc and finally Calc), (Physics, Chem, Bio, and an elective), New girl sophomores will oftentimes be in math and science class with Freshman and other new girl sophomores for one year just because the order at their old school was different. (i.e. if your daughter is taking Geometry now, she will take Algebra 2 next year, a class that is normally for Freshmen, and then be back on track with her grade during Pre-Calc in junior year). The sports program here is fairly strong (especially soccer). My roommate is actually an amazing soccer player and made Varsity as a freshman. Next year the team will be even stronger and by the time your daughter is a senior, the soccer team will be a HUGE competitor. In terms of weekend activities, there is a dance with a bunch of other sam-sex schools at different schools almost every week. There are also weekly trips to the mall, the movies, trampoline parks, museums, target, etc. There is no lack of activities on weekends, that is for sure! I hope that answered the majority of your questions, and if you have more, feel free to ask! </p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the information. Both my daughters enjoyed their visits and sat in on classes too. They were a little bummed to see a lot of girls on their cell phones in the Daisy between classes. Is this typical? They will definitely be applying.</p>
<p>I am very happy they enjoyed their visits! The daisy is typically a place to unwind and relax, so cell phone usage there is definitely greater than in most places at some specific times. There are breaks on some days between second and third period, and that is when a large percentage of the school population goes and plays music and relaxes. This also happens during the two lunch periods. Meanwhile during other times, the daisy is quiet and a good place to study without many distractions. In terms of cell phones in general, I think that the girls are all very responsible about using cell phones. It is an unspoken rule that cell phones are not to be used in class or at the table at meals, and in all other times, that girls should be polite with their phone usage, and I have actually noticed that everyone is much less phone-obsessed than those at my middle school. Hope this helps!</p>