more dress code info: http://thenews.choate.edu/article/dress-code-revisions-deans-allow-flexibility
This may sound like a very silly question, but how is Choate officially pronounced by students/teachers there? Is it “sho-ate”, “ko-ate”, “cho-ate”, or “shote”?
It’s pronounced like “coat” only with “ch” (like “cheese”). One syllable, long “o”.
@weiqian Thanks for math team/club info. How often are practices? How much help from faculty preparing for competitions? Is there a faculty advisor for the team?
Practices are once a week, and are around 45 minutes long. There are two faculty advisors for the team, the main one being the head of the math department. As for prepping for competitions, while you the weekly meeting does certainly help to an extent, I’ve found that if you really want to excel you will likely need to do significant studying outside of practices. That said, a lot of the competitions we attend aren’t very competitive, barring a few such as HMMT or New England’s. To truly do well on AMC’s and AIME’s though, you will need to prep outside of practices.
Also, what cloth should I bring the first time I go to choate. Should I bring both winter and sumer cloth? I am an international student. I think I will go back to my home country before winter again but am i suppose to bring all the cloth I have and store it in the dorm, or bring only summer cloth and when I have breaks, bring the summer cloth home and bring the winter cloth to campus?
@weiqian Thank you so much! About how many kids are in varsity and junior varsity?
There are 10 kids on varsity and maybe another… 10? on jv
@Choatie2019 @kaibab3 I think podslove already answered both questions, but feel free to ask or PM me with any more concerns. I agree that the math team competitions are not super competitive, nor are the practices especially helpful in terms of preparing for the AMC and AIME, but I think the experience as a whole is very enjoyable and the math team coaches are very friendly, knowledgeable people. 
@mexusa I’m not sure if you were looking for a response from a parent; if you were, sorry… We only know our grades officially twice a term: midway and at the end of the term. Besides that, it really varies from teacher to teacher. Most of my teachers have done a pretty good job of handing back things regularly (and I’ve had a few teachers who hand back essays/tests back the next day, which is really nice, not to mention impressive), and as a result I know pretty well where I stand throughout the term. As with I think any school, there are a handful of teachers who do their own thing and never hand back assignments, which is frustrating for the students and the parents. However, I think those teachers are the minority, and I think all or almost all of the teachers here will gladly tell you how you are doing if you make an effort to ask them, or you can ask your dean or adviser to help you figure out where you stand.
Thanks, @weigan, that was helpful!
Also, what cloth should I bring the first time I go to choate. Should I bring both winter and sumer cloth? I am an international student. I think I will go back to my home country before winter again but am i suppose to bring all the cloth I have and store it in the dorm, or bring only summer cloth and when I have breaks, bring the summer cloth home and bring the winter cloth to campus? @weigan @ChoatieMom @weiqian
@madswimmer132: The first few weeks of BS in New England are usually hot and humid, so lighter, summer clothes will carry you through those early days. The weather will start to get cooler by the end of September and will be pretty cold by November. You will need winter clothes more than summer clothes during the school year so, if you aren’t going to be able to go back home, I’d say bring your winter clothes with just enough lighter things to carry you through the first 3-4 weeks and the last couple of months. You can ship clothes back and forth if necessary. I don’t know how many clothes you own, but I would definitely advise (everyone!) NOT to bring everything you own. There isn’t much closet or storage space in those dorm rooms.
We live almost 3,000 miles away from Choate in a warm climate. Our son keeps with him all year the equivalent of two suitcases (one large, one roller bag) in his dorm room, swapping stuff out when he comes home over winter and spring breaks. I can assure you, less is more when you’re living in a dorm.
This might be a strange question, but does anyone know if Choate allows unnatural hair colors? My hair is dyed bright red at the ends, and I’m definitely prepared to change it back if necessary, but I couldn’t find a dress code handbook or something similar on the school website.
I do not think there is an issue. Boys are now allowed to have ponytails at Choate, so I cannot imagine it being a problem.
For guys, how is the dress code? What do people normally wear and what kind of cloth should I bring when I go to Choate
Shirts with collars, so polos and button down shirts. No T shirts, no jeans, no shirts with messages written on them. Pants are cords, chinos. Ties are not necessary on a daily basis, but you should bring a few for special occasions. Also bring a couple of blazers, again not for daily use.
There is a laundry service that picks up and drops off on campus, not sure how much it costs. Campus is large and will be lots of walking, so bring comfortable shoes. Need to buy snow boots for winter, or other types of boots. Look up the dress code in hand book.
As a swimmer, practice is every day except Sunday, so bring enough swim suits for that. There is NO swim store nearby, so if you need more suits, goggles, etc, order them online. (swimoutlet.com is pretty good and has free shipping at $49.)
Also, September is usually a warmer month here, so shorts for the first 3 weeks of school. @Choatiemom has already written about this, so find her comments. She has a lot of info, so read her posts! I will have my DD PM you, she is off from school today.
Thanks for your post about the math team, @weiqian. I am wondering about the robotics program. . . is this a club that a third former could join, or is it a by-invitation team? I see that they are involved in a lot of competitions seem to do quite well!
@madswimmer132 @mexusa If you’re a swimmer, I also recommend swimmerschoice.com, along with swimoutlet.com. I’ve gotten Speedo Endurance Plus (+) swimsuits (I am a female) at SwimmersChoice for less than $40, which I believe is 60%+ off retail. For instance, the “Speedo Aqua Sites Flyback Endurance+ Female Swimsuit” is approximately 80% off retail and it comes in a lot of sizes, which is nice! I thought the prices were a little too good to be true when I first saw the site, but I’ve ordered large shipments from them twice now and the suits arrived successfully and in good shape. 