<p>Everyone seems to be going to the East this year
Is it just because of HADES?</p>
<p>Even though there are also many very competitive schools in the west
e.g. Thacher, Cate, Stevenson
so let me be straight...</p>
<p>Is anyone going to the West this year?</p>
<p>Sugarbear and Watertester, congrats on Thacher! My son looked at several of the HADES Schools as well as Choate, Groton and St. Marks (we’re from the East Coast) and decided on Thacher. It was the best decision he ever made. While we found the differences among the top New England boarding schools to be relatively minor (all are great institutions), Thacher was different in fundamental and wonderful ways. It offered all the academic rigor of the East Coast Schools, but with a wholly different set of values in a wholly different geography: the horses, the mountains, the camping, the warm climate, and the reality of the School’s principles actually being lived, “honor, fairness, kindness and truth.” I can’t explain it very well except to say that all of this, taken together, offers a genuinely different journey.</p>
<p>If you have any questions, or your parents do, I’d be happy to PM. In any case, congratulations on a job well done. It was almost impossible to be admitted this year. The number of legacy applications alone exceeded the available spots.</p>
<p>Cate and Thacher are fantastic schools. I agree 100% with ThacherParent's analysis, and even though Cate and Thacher had a record number of applicants this year, I'm surprised the volume wasn't 10x greater. These two schools must be the best kept secrets in the boarding school universe (contrary to popular belief on this forum, the world does extend beyond a 300KM radius of Boston). I wonder how long it took for the masses to realize Stanford was a top notch university?</p>
<p>My son was fortunate to have been accepted by excellent schools, East and West. He likely will attend Cate School next year.</p>
<p>thanks so much for your reply!!
I am so looking forward to spending the rest of my high school years at Thacher!!</p>
<p>we live in california. We visited Cate and Thacher and know people who have attended and who attend right now.
these are terrific schools
very different from their East Coast 'competition' and from each other
absolutely serious candidates
and if you're from the East Coast you may as well learn what great weather really is :)</p>