I consider myself a somewhat “average” person. I procrastinate, I love watching shows, etc. Typically teen.
I got accepted to concord. I heard this is a very demanding school. Can someone like me handle it? I play violin, and i heard the arts are very strong as well. How’s social and academic life in general?
Its a small but good school.
I got in too! I’m a science nerd… no arts. I think its a small school with a great community of individuals . College acceptances are great
I got in as well! Hope to see you in the fall!
As a CA student myself, I can tell you should be just fine. I felt the same way coming into CA last year, but I hope you take comfort in knowing that it is very easy to adjust academically, with a wide variety of course levels. Socially, you should be fine. I’m not exactly a social butterfly but I have managed to make a few close friends after only some months. Honestly, with your musical talent, CA will be a great school for you. All in all, you’re not really an “average” person if you got admittance into CA, and you should be hopeful about an education at CA. I hope to see you next fall!
Hey Taco,
I already posted this on your other thread but it occurred to me that people looking for info on Concord might miss it there so I’m reposting it here. Glad you are warming to the idea of Concord.
I have four kids who have been or are in boarding schools (Hotchkiss, Groton, Concord). They have all had phenomenal experiences at the schools they attended, but even in the amazing world that is boarding school, Concord has turned out to be special in ways we never could have predicted.
We were struck by how different Concord is from many of its peer schools when we attended revisit day. My son was choosing between two schools (the other school often ranked higher than Concord). The two student panels could not have been more different. The students were super smart at both schools but the students at Concord were more thoughtful both in terms of ideas and of each other. They deferred to each other and worked together as they answered questions rather than each trying to have their moment in the sun. They also focused more on ideas while the students at the other school focused more on how their experience was preparing them for college. It was our first introduction to the ways in which Concord students are less competitive with each other than students at many of the other boarding schools.
Like you, we were concerned about the boarding issue but my son’s boarding life is probably even richer than the boarding experiences of my other children. This is partly because the dorms are smaller and therefore very personal. The non-hierarchical relationship between students and teachers that is so important at Concord (where students all call their teachers by their first names) also contributes to the warm atmosphere. As you know, the dorms are on Main Street, so my son and his friends can just walk out the door and head to a café to study or just hang out, something that is far more difficult and therefore almost never happens at more isolated schools. And yet there are lots of hiking trails close by, so Concord students don’t miss out on one of the main perks of attending a more isolated school.
Like you, we were also under the impression that there was a boarding/non-boarding split. Actually the split is three ways–the local day students, the boarding students and the train students, who come from all over the Boston area. Having three groups prevents the sort of day student/boarding divide that often exists at other schools. Having day students from all over the Boston area rather than just from the local community means that the day students are an incredibly diverse group. And while initially we were not at all fans of the idea of closing the dorms during the day, this too has turned out to be a great policy. It apparently first happened by accident. Concord had to close the dorms several years ago during the day and discovered that the students became much closer during the period. They decided to continue the policy, a testament to how incredibly hard Concord works to forge community.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the athletic program. I watched a game in which my son made a mistake. No one on the team yelled at him or got mad at him, something I’ve seen at many an athletic event over the years. Instead his team mates kiddingly chided him. It was funny and sweet and yet it had the same effect. He won’t make that mistake again. This is typical of Concord where positive reenforcement seems to be the preferred approach in the dorm, in the classroom and apparently on the athletic field.
You should not worry at all about succeeding academically. Concord is incredibly supportive. All of the schools, of course, provide support. But there is often a bit of a stigma associated with support at other schools. At Concord it is woven into the close faculty student relationships. Concord even requires that all new students make an appointment with student services so support becomes something that is normal.
Hey Calrenoma, my son will be entering as a Freshman from California and your posting helps make it easier to swallow. Thank you.
Hey! I am a sophomore this year at CA, and don’t worry at all, you’ll do completely fine! I have two close friends who also play the violin, and they play in CA’s chamber ensemble, so I’m sure you’ll meet them! I play an instrument too, and I think our music program is great! There are so many ensembles you can join and really nice teachers. Everyone is really friendly at CA and welcoming. If you’re into sports, then being on teams is super fun as well! The academic workload is definitely no problem just as long as you focus on it and effort into your work. 20 minutes of concentration instead of 1 hour of messing around and partially doing work makes all the difference at CA (especially in english!)
I see that this thread is old now but wanted to echo what others have said about CA–it is an incredibly special place. We have two kids there who are very different and they both love it. Smart, interesting, kind students who enjoy learning because they are thriving in a supportive environment.
@momof2plus, what are your thoughts about a kid who is not extremely liberal… do you think they would be comfortable there? Is there room for diversity in ideas in the political realm? This seems to be the only potential drawback for our daughter… thanks!
I think all the schools in MA are now extremely liberal and politics oriented. My kids struggle with it as well. They can’t really express their opinions. And nobody cares if their feelings are hurt…
@yuor28 Yes, it’s an issue. Maybe some schools are more accepting than others, and I’m hoping CA is one of them… so far it’s the favorite of her choices…
Replying several months late (sorry!), but overall the feel at CA is politically liberal, but according to my oldest child, respectful conversation does occur among students of varying view points. I do think the Weld Republican prototype (fiscally conservative, socially liberal) would do fine; might be harder climate for someone who is conservative on all social issues. I can’t say enough about what a great school it is and how fantastic it has been for my children who are very different students with different interests–they each found a home at CA.
@momof2plus Having two children at CA, I wonder if you can speak to what drew you and your two different students to CA most? Clearly you speak of the supportive atmosphere. Are there other aspects of CA that you think make it stand out form other NE schools? Thanks in advance- we’re preparing to begin applications in the fall.
Does CA allow (or even encourage) an alternative voice to the overwhelming liberal voice that is readily apparent on the CA campus?
Will conservative Trump supporting students be bullied?
Bullying is not tolerated by and BS. Read the school handbook to see the school policy on bullying and consequences for that behavior.
@Individualist - Define"bullying". While he probably won’t be bullied in a way that meets the textbook (or handbook in this case) definition, he may find it a bit more difficult or it may take him a bit longer to find his “group”. There may be people that don’t hang out with him, but that isn’t “bullying”. I’d say downplaying the need to debate politics for the first few weeks until he knows people on a different level is probably a good idea (at CA or any other liberal school). It’s harder for someone not to like you for your politics once they know you in other ways.