<p>hey! does anyone have any information about the above four schools? :) especially about
1. rigor of curriculum (especially on math courses - what happens if a student completes all the requirements/advanced courses before graduation?)
2. student life
3. quality of any outdoor and service programs / visual art courses?
4. any flaws, in your opinion, that the school might have?</p>
<p>also, if you know of a school that is academically very challenging, with a solid outdoor and service program, and amazing visual art facilities and courses, please suggest :) !!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Check out Thacher.</p>
<p>NMH sounds like a great match for you. If you want to talk about NMH feel free to PM me! ~NewEnglandPrep1</p>
<p>I go to Emma Willard school- I’ll be a junior next year.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Emma Willard has an EXTREMELY rigorous curriculum. If a student completes the required courses, they can take electives, other classes, or even a practicum (the independent study program).</p></li>
<li><p>Student life is fantastic. Really, I could not imagine a better place to be. What I love most about the students, is that everyone there is smart, motivated, and friendly. Everyone has their place at Emma.</p></li>
<li><p>What do you mean about outdoor life? I have yet to take a visual arts course, but I have heard great things about them. There are tons and tons of options to take, however.</p></li>
<li><p>Hmmm… I can’t think of any major ones, but for me, it is sometimes hard to find time for all the things I want to do during the day. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Let me know if you have more questions about Emma Willard, I’d be happy to answer.</p>
<p>Not sure I can help too much since I will be a new student, but I am going to start Episcopal in the fall, and since we almost never hear about the four schools on your list, I want to jump in.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I think the curriculum is very rigorous, and I hear that especially after freshman year, it gets a lot tougher. Not everyone at EHS wants to go to Harvard, but the upper level and honor classes are for real, from what I can tell. pretty sure that there are independent studies available for kids who advance beyond the curriculum, but math is not really my thing so i never asked about that.</p></li>
<li><p>Student life…I wanted to be near a city, since I come from very rural New England. I love the thought of going into Washington D.C. with my friends on the weekends. Also, I really liked the 100% boarding. It seems like they always have a lot for kids to do, and the kids are really friendly and not competitive about academics. I think that was one of the most important things for me.</p></li>
<li><p>I heard about a lot of service programs, and not all just the fancy glossy foreign trips they take to Haiti and the Dominican Republic and Kenya. They seem to do a lot locally on the weekends. Outdoor wise, they make the entire freshman class do a week of outdoor hiking and camping, and they offer kayaking as a sport, which is pretty cool, I think.</p></li>
<li><p>Every school has flaws. But if you mention them on CC when your school already is out of the running for <code>most perfectest school on the planet OMG!!!</code> it just becomes ammunition for the crowd that thinks you must be stupid if you dont want to go to Andover. I know that my new school wont be perfect, but I wont know the flaws till I get there. No matter what, it will be miles and miles and miles better than my current school just because the teachers are so much better.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>good luck finding a school for yourself.</p>
<p>Sorry if I wrote too much. Forgot to mention the gorgeous and still basically new Arts Center. seems like photography and ceramics have the strongest programs, drawing and painting seemed smaller. Nice classrooms for everything. The pictures from their theater look amazing to me. My tour guide had never heard the band, though.</p>
<p>I’d recommend Berkshire. I only visited once so I only have a limited knowledge of the school but they have an interesting outdoor program that most likely cant be matched by other schools. [Berkshire</a> School: Ritt Kellogg Mountain Program](<a href=“Ritt Kellogg Mountain Program | Private Boarding Schools New England | Berkshire School”>Ritt Kellogg Mountain Program | Private Boarding Schools New England | Berkshire School)</p>
<p>They are also in the process of building a new art center that should be completed by the end of next summer. [Berkshire</a> School: Fine Arts Center](<a href=“Page Not Found”>Page Not Found) Their visual arts curriculum is pretty extensive offering three years (6 semesters) of courses in studio art, ceramics, digital art, and photography separately. There are also two filmmaking classes and two AP Studio Art classes. Probably one of the most extensive art programs of a school of its size.</p>
<p>The school is in the process of building a new Math/science center that should be open by the fall. Berkshire offers two math classes that are beyond the AP BC Calculus level along with a math/science research program for interested students. </p>
<p>I couldnt comment on the student life or any flaws since, again, I dont attend. I hope this helps!</p>
<p>Thanks guys!</p>
<p>@EnragedCamel - Do you know anything about the academic program at Berkshire - both in terms of the quality of the courses / faculty, as well as the culture of the kids there? :)</p>
<p>@bigcelticsfan - Nah you didn’t! 
It was really great! Could I PM you if I have anymore questions? :D</p>
<p>I think this thread got lost in the Canadian Tidal Wave…</p>
<p>@blehjoints…sure you can pm me if you like. I dont check CC a lot so sorry if it takes me awhile to get back.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>