Exeter, Deerfield, St George or Hotchkiss?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
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<p>Our son has been accepted to several schools and we have narrowed our choices to all the above and it is turning out to be a rather difficult decision! They all seem to have similar academics courses and standards, the facilities are slightly different but it seems that some children would do better at one or the other based more on the child's personality and intrinsic strengths. </p>

<p>Our son has an extroverted personality and loves to try new things. He is an A student in public school and had SSAT scores in the 99th percentile with what we considered little effort (mainly parent directed). However we are concerned about his maturity level and lack of time management skills. He is also quite absent minded (yet not a nerd) and capable of losing his coat in the middle of winter, etc. We are worried that he may get "lost", but of course all the schools say that won't happen. </p>

<p>Any insight or advice from someone who has been in a similar situation? </p>

<p>We do not think that the school visits gave us enough insight to the peculiarities of each school (spent 1-2 days at @) which is why we are asking for your (subjective) opinions. From what we could discern
St G. has the smart bd technology, which seems cutting edge but a very casual dress code. E has that incredible science bldg and the students seem all confident (Is Esa typical of their students?) D is opening it own new science/tech lab later this yr and seems to do more hand holding. Hotchkiss seems to have some incredibly enthusiastic teachers, however their facilities seem a tad dated.</p>

<p>Help!</p>

2

<p>My youngest son is currently a freshman at Deerfield while an older son graduated from St. Paul's a few years ago. He loves Deerfield and has zero regrets about his decision to go there. He also applied to and was accepted at St. Paul's and Exeter. In his particulr case the revisit had a significant impact on his decision. The facilities at all of the most elite schools are outstanding - yes, one might have a nicer science facility while another has the new state of the art athletic facility. Obviously facilities are important, but at each one of the schools you're considering the facilities are first rate. </p>

<p>In my son's view the students at Deerfield seemed to be the most outgoing of any of the schools he was considering, and I think that's ultimately why he chose to go there. The students at all of the elite prep schools are terrific no doubt, yet Deerfield's for him seemed to be having a more enjoyable experience. </p>

<p>One comment that he has made a number of times since the beginning of the school year, that is, that he doesn't know how his older brother survived in an academic environment that has classes six days a week. This is from a student who was the top student in his middle school class before arriving at Deerfield (private day school/ affluent community), and who has made the honor roll at Deerfield.</p>

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<p>Most people think my list of school's I decided to apply to is weird (Andover, Exeter, and St.Paul's). I was also going to apply to Deerfield and Hotchkiss to have large schools, small schools, and medium ones to choose from. I decided I didn't like the really small school because they tended to be 45% white, 45% Asian, 5% African-American, 5% Hispanic, which is not very diverse. I would advise you to look at the things that really matter to your son. For me its was diversity and science (Andover and Exeter's great new science buildings). Make criteria and the revisits will definetely help.</p>

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<p>The boarding schools you listed are all rigorous schools that require a certain level of both intellect and maturity. Based on your son's test scores and grades, he probably can swing the intellectual part, but the maturity sounds like it may be lacking. These boarding schools have assertive students who come in ready to kick butt and he may not be able to hang with them. Time management and meeting deadlines is HUGE at boarding school and if he does not possess the ability already to do either of these two things, he will get left behind. Honestly, boarding school may not be the right move for your son. If he is constantly losing his winter coat and not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to his mind, it may be best for him to stay at home where he won't get left to the sidelines. Good luck with your decision.</p>

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<p>My brother graduated from Exeter and is at UPenn right now. I also applied to Exeter and Deerfield among other east coast schools, and have a pretty good knowledge of most of them. I ended up getting waitlisted at Deerfield, turning down an offer from Exeter, and am currently at the Hill School right now.</p>

<p>Exeter: My brother likes to say that he likes being from Exeter but hated being there. Academics are top-notch, but it's a pretty competitive sink-or-swim environment. Stress runs pretty high due to night classes and Saturday class. Most students are proud of their time at Exeter, but it seems to be a very strenuous experience. A lot of the students, for the most part seemed to be introverted, but extremely bright. I applied mainly because of my brother and it's reputation, but the school just seemed a little depressing to me(wouldn't be able to stand Sat. classes and the campus looks like a dungeon). There doesn't seem to be much room for a social life, and I honestly don't think the students there really care much. However, I think it would be a really great school for people wanting a strenuous but education-packed environment.</p>

<p>Deerfield: This school, personally, was one of my top choices. The first thing that struck me was how awesome the campus was; the dorm rooms were by far the best i had seen during my b-school visists, and the school buildings and architecture are really astounding. The students seemed more outgoing and social than the normal boarding school crowd too, as it is a very athletic school. The academics seemed a lot more toward my style; I was told the teachers try to be available after school and that nobody in class was left behind. It's a really prestigious school and is known as one of the best schools in the country. Cons were the sit-down dinners(ugh) and the strict dress-code. Apparently, the school is very tradition-oriented and the student body seemed to be more conservative than usual(politically). Overall, I really liked it.</p>

<p>Hotchkiss: Didn't apply here, but I visited and thought it was eerily similar to Deerfield. The campus is really nice and the students dressed very preppy. The students were friendly and generally a good looking crowd, but not as athletic as Deerfield's students. Hotchkiss, along with Deerfield, has a reputation of being a rich kid's school, but surprisingly I've heard the two schools are the most generous financial-aid givers in new england.</p>

<p>St. George's: I wish I applied here. What a great location, right by the water. I have friends who love it there, and it seems like a really fun school. It's reputation(if you care) isn't really up to par as the other three schools, however.</p>

<p>I'm in my junior year at the Hill school, and I've grown to really like it here.</p>

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<p>I would disagree that St. George's reputation isn't on par. A much more accurate statement would be that they're reputations are different. St. George's is really the odd school out compared to Exeter, Deerfield and Hotchkiss. It's 300 kids compared to 500 and 1000 (basically); thus the schools are COMPLETELY different and extremely hard to compare. St. George's is, in my opinion, one of the top 3 "small" (for argument's sake under 400) school's, along with Groton and St. Paul's. Basically depending on how much of a high-school/college feel vs more of a small community feel the sizes will dictate a different group of schools.</p>

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<p>Wow. This past year i applied to preps. Way to stressful for a mere middle schooler! Anyway, i was waitlisted at Andover, but didn't apply to any of the above schools. However, based on what i've heard in regards to each school, Exeter seems the best in many ways. It has the best reputation, amazing academics, unlimited extracurriculars and the town is really nice (i live close). I've heard that Hotchkiss is in the middle of nowhere, Deerfield is certainly elite, but a bit too old fashioned for my taste (I also don't like location) and all I know about St. Georges is that it's in Newport, RI (I think?) . I'm sure your son will make the right decision and will be thoroughly happy wherever he chooses to matriculate. Good Luck!</p>

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<p>prepschool9, St. Pauls is not under 400 in student body. I have a d at middlesex, and I put mx in the top three of smaller schools.</p>

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<p>That's why I said basically.... as you know St. Paul's is in the ISL (under some size, i don't remember what, and doesn't allow pg's), and thus everyone I know who goes there and has gone there would agree that it has much more in common with the ISL schools than Hotchkiss, Deerfield and Taft. Middlesex may in general have smarter kids these days (Middlesex's matriculation is impressive), but St. George's is traditionally more prestigious (older, has a larger endowment, more establishment graduates - Prescott Bush, Hugh Auchincloss, Vincent Astor, John Jacob Astor VI, John Nicholas Brown, Claiborne Pell...). Plus St. George's, like St. Paul's and Groton was founded as an Episcopal school and has a gothic chapel (as do Groton and St. Pauls, although I presonally think St. George's chapel is the grandest and most beautiful). The fact that these three schools are rooted in the Episcopal church sets them apart from Middlesex which as I'm sure you know was founded to be somwhat progressive.</p>

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<p>prepschool9, I would agree that all four of these schools are very impressive. SGS is not exactly ancient compared to MX, it's about 5 years older. Arguably Mx has an equaly impressive list of grads. I believe they clumped the episcopal schools and MX, and called them St. Grotelsex.</p>

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<p>I say deerfield for its well rounded experience (though i loved exeter)</p>

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<p>I dont think the fact that he loses his coat occasionally means he'll get lost. He sounds pretty smart, some things you just have to chalk up to the fact that he's still 13.</p>

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<p>Hi! I'm new here on CC. Anyone who has been accepted to Exeter: What were your SSAT scores? </p>

<p>Thanks, It means a lot to me.</p>

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<p>my SSAT scores were 99% on everything. I got accepted but didn't go to exeter. hope I helped</p>

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<p>see messages...</p>

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<p>ok..I am new, so I don't know if this is where I post. But anyways...I am applying to Deerfield, Exeter, Choate and Andover. I have A's or A+'s in every academic subject (A+ in French and Algebra 1, and A in English, Chemistry and History). I am also a very advanced ballet dancer, with other strong extracurriculars as well (varsity field hockey, swimming and basketball). However, my SSAT scores are NOT EVEN CLOSE to the 99th percentile, as all of you above. Oh boy....do I have any chance? How much do the SSAT scores wiegh in if you are an outstanding student in every other area??? </p>

<p>Thanks!!</p>

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<p>You might try posting this in the prep school area...</p>