<p>My nephew is trying to decide between Deerfield and Lawrenceville as I liked both equally. He would like to send a first choice letter and would like to make a decision between the two. Anyone have any info about which one would be a better kid. He is amiable, always makes many friends, enjoys all sports, music, movies, just a regular guy. His academic record is good and he would make the academic cut at either.</p>
<p>Sorry for the type - HE liked both equally.</p>
<p>Of the two I only know about Lawrenceville . I think Lawrenceville's location is great. The town itself is lovely and it is just a short public transit bus ride from Princeton. I'm not sure where your nephew lives but the school is also close to Princeton Junction which is a major Amtrak station. It is also close to the Trenton and Hamilton stations for New Jersey transit.
The school has a wonderful reputation. There are a large number of day students. I think it is even more difficult for a day student to be admitted.
Good luck to your nephew.</p>
<p>Both are great schools, it depends on where he thinks that he fits better.
He should research the schools, and make his decision based on if he likes something particular about the school, what courses they offer, the location, etc.
Good luck to your nephew =]</p>
<p>Does he want to send a "first choice letter" prior to March 10? If it were me, I would just wait until March 10 and find out if he was accepted to either/both schools. He can then revisit the schools and see which one he likes better. Those revisit days are crucial--once you have an acceptance letter under your belt, you are able to judge the school more objectively.</p>
<p>It would apparently really help to do a first choice letter before admission decisions are made</p>
<p>I totally agreed with jennycraig. It's better to make decision after you revisit the schools. Is there any reason you are thinking about send a "first choice letter" to schools?</p>
<p>I don't think a "first choice letter" will carry much weight with admissions. For all they know your nephew sent the same letter to every school he is applied to.</p>
<p>I haven't heard of a "your my first choice" letter. I suppose it can't hurt to send to one school but I don't think it will significantly make any difference.</p>
<p>I agree that a first choice letter probably won't make a huge difference in his admissions decisions. If I liked both schools equally, my first choice would be the one closer to home.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any idea about the different cultures of the two schools and the academic rigor, etc.</p>
<p>No disrespect intended, but I think if a "your my first choice letter" really worked, people would know about it (there would have been threads on this board for instance) and all of us would be drafting letters to our first choice schools. As JB1 says, how does the school know you haven't written that letter to all the schools? At this stage in the game, the admin committee is reviewing all of their applicants, trying to figure out what students they want to build a community/family. I think the only time you could have written such a letter, would have been when you were writing a thank you note to your interviewer. And, I don't think you would necessarily say "your my first choice", but something along the lines as "I see myself as a contributing member of your community, participating in XXXX..." Just my two cents!</p>
<p>my son was accepted to his first choice, Deerfield and is ecstatic! He always reminds me not to "insert myself" into the process, although it is very tempting. I have learned that the enthusiasm and decision must come from the student, not the parent or aunt/uncle. By the way, what did your nephew decide?</p>
<p>Not necessarily in contrast t Lawrenceville, but I can say that DF has a very supportive environment, with many positive points of contact between adults and students every week - weekly advisor meetings, six or seven sit down meals with faculty per week, in addition to regular interaction with teachers and coaches. In addition, there is encouragement to try new things with a distinct focus on creating the well-rounded kid. If your kid is a violin virtuoso and wants to prep for Carnegie Hall maybe not the right place, but it is for our kid.</p>
<p>Personally, I'd be interested to hear if the OP's nephew did in fact get accepted to the two schools.</p>
<p>Got accepted to one of the schools. No first choice was declared however. I believe it cannot hurt and can only help to let a school know you will accept them BUT only if you are sure and that is difficult to do especially in a boarding situation as a revisit is so important. It is common practice in New York city private schools and usually people keep to their word - it is an honor code, I suppose. This helps a school increase their yield?</p>
<p>Deerfield wins</p>
<p>You posted something basically useless on a 4 year old thread. Uh…</p>