<p>A lot of people have said that a good boarding school should have more than 60% boarders. We really like Concord for its liberal arts focus while being academically strong at the same time (not too strong on sports---which our daughter prefers)...it's just that there aren't enough boarders. Does this really matter a lot? Other schools she is applying to are Emma,MPS,Loomis and Blair. We are also considering Peddie but they have such low acceptance rates. Our daughter likes Concord but like I said earlier, they don't have enough boarders. Do we or don't we include Concord? Thanks for any help anyone can give us!</p>
<p>Have you visited? If it feels right after a visit, I would apply.<br>
You said "a lot of people say..." You need to go by what feels right for your daughter. I don't know a whole lot about concord, but the numbers aren't so low that it would be a ghost town on weekends, that would be my concern as a parent.<br>
Loomis by the way is 400 boarding and 315 day, so they are only 55% boarding (if I did the math right this early - LOL).</p>
<p>one more thing to consider is where the boarders are from. some schools have a high percentage of what I call "local boarders" meaning under an hour away- many of those kids go home a lot on weekends.</p>
<p>On the other hand, having friends that are day students has its benefits. My daughter is friends with some day students at her school. It is nice for her to be able to spend the night at her friend's house, have a home-cooked meal, and a mom that will drive the girls to mall or the movies, without having to sign up for a shuttle.</p>
<p>We visited Concord Academy when we were on tour based on the urging of 2 people we knew. Of all the schools we visited, Concord Academy was the most unique, and if it is at all possible, I urge you to visit it. My impression was that it is a rich intellectual environment that leans towards artsy. In fact, I saw academic (non-arts) classes listed side-by-side with the arts classes, and the 2 lists were almost equal. Fine arts and math are side-by-side, and I saw detailed renderings of sea shells outside the math class. </p>
<p>You should investigate the boarding life carefully. When we were in the waiting room, I saw lists of where the students came from, and the majority were from MA. In keeping with its unique ways, our tour was given by a day parent rather than a student. He pointed out that the boarders were not allowed to return to their dorm rooms during the school day because this would give them an unfair advantage over the day students. They could retrieve homework that might have forgotten to pack for the day. This struck me as inappropriate, and indicated to me that the day parents & students were dominant. </p>
<p>On the plus side, the school is right in the charming town of Concord. The dorms were in houses and seemed nice. For the right student, this would be a great school. Are you able to visit to evaluate for yourself?</p>
<p>If you have any questions about Blair, feel free to ask me. They do have athletic requirements that you should investigate. However, I think a student can take recreational activities like recreational golf or participate in the dance program or other physical activities that should be attractive to a non-athlete. Some terms activities can be substituted, like participation in a play, taking a video course, etc. </p>
<p>Good luck in your search!</p>
<p>
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....unfair advantage over the day students. They could retrieve homework that might have forgotten to pack for the day.
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</p>
<p>And with the number of helicopter parents increasing, who's to say that the day student can't call his mother and ask her to bring the homework he had forgotten on the kitchen table?</p>
<p>The rule of not being able to go to your dorm room during the day would be enough of a turn-off for me. If you have a free period, there is nothing better than be able to hang out in your room, collecting your thoughts, having a quick catnap, checking email, etc... My daughter has a free period every day, and it is the best time for us to chat--her roommate isn't around, she isn't rushing to a class, sport, or dining hall.</p>
<p>We visited in the fall of 2005. Perhaps that rule has changed since then. I'm hoping it has!
There was someone who posted occasionally on this board whose daughter went to CA. Perhaps her name was "shelby." You might do a search of "Concord" and find her posts.</p>
<p>Both my son and my daughter applied to Concord (although neither ended up attending). You should definitely take a look at the school, which has a lot to offer. </p>
<p>Previous poster is correct, boarders are basically locked out of their dorms during the day. I've heard a number of rationals for this, including wanting to foster a sense of community between borders and day students. Also, some concern that because dorms are basically in downtown Concord, security during the day is something of a concern.</p>
<p>In any event, the large number of day students is definitely worth thinking about. I questioned a number of students about this, and they did tell me that it was pretty quiet on weekends. However, school does make an effort to sponsor activities and some of the kids said smaller boarding population fostered a sense of closeness. Also the school does make an effort to create a sense of community among borders and day students by occasionally having weekends where day students are required to return to the school to participate in various activities.</p>
<p>Overall I thought Concord was a neat school (and my wife absolutely loved it). For some kids it would be a perfect fit.</p>
<p>Yes, the school is unique and you should visit before ruling it out, perhaps adding another area school to your trip. You could ask them about the opportunity to talk with a boarding student or dorm faculty while you are on campus. Concord is very strong academically, but also a very personal school. There are athletic kids there too, but they don't compete in the ISL or offer all of the major sports.</p>
<p>Regarding not being allowed in the dorms during the day, there are other schools that have this rule too, for a variety of reasons relating to community, time management, and safety/supervision. If the rule applies to everyone, I wouldn't worry about it, it just becomes normal.</p>
<p>Thank you sooo much for the wonderful advice and words of wisdom! It has definitely made things somewhat more easier...it's so hard when you've narrowed down to a select few that your child likes and everyone agrees with but then Mom has certain preferances and so does Dad. Our daughter is applying as a 10th grader and we're not sure whether applying to 5 schools or adding one or two more (that would be Peddie,Concord) would make a huge difference? I can't wait till this whole thing is over..it's driving me insane. Can't imagine what it'll be like for the REAL thing--college!!</p>