A question for those in the know:
If you had the choice between the two, which would you favor and why?
I would choose the one that accepted me. What I would not do, is engage in such an exercise until March 10, assuming I had acceptances to both. At that point, I might solicit opinions, while simultaneously providing my own pros/cons for each. Keep in mind, though, that what one person considers a negative can be a positive to another. “Fit” is, IMO, an important part of the decision process.
In terms of applying, if both interest you, apply to both.
For the mindless diversionary game, a thread already exists:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-cafe/1482088-would-you-rather-boarding-school-edition.html#latest
Hi Skieurope!
Thanks for the response!
Maybe I should have asked this question differently, but I’m new to CC so bear with me, LOL.
Granted, it would be AMAZING to be accepted by either BS- as well as soooo many more. Just today, I learned about the Kent School because someone was comparing it unfavorably to Choate. Parents chimed in in favor of the Kent school, and their responses caused me to put the Kent school on my list of schools to check out. All the same, I’d like to get a better understanding of how people feel about the Exeter and Choate - especially if they’ve attended the schools or have children there. My understanding of Exeter is it’s huge, and it seems you could never outgrow it. Choate seems to have fostered a friendly environment.
@marileigh, if you are at a point in your search where a school like Kent has just today hit your radar, tell us what you are looking for and we can give you ideas.
There are many amazing schools out there, few of which are secrets. (Certainly not Kent!)
Use the search feature here to read old threads.
Both schools are large, and “friendly” is subjective.
Responses from those who have attended neither school are worthless. Responses from those who have attended only one will most likely favor the school they attend(ed). I doubt you’ll get any responses from anyone who has attended both though that input would be most insightful. How people feel about Exeter and Choate will run the gamut and will not be relevant to your decision-making process should you need to decide between these two on M10.
For example, our son loved Choate but, if I had been the student, I would have chosen a different school. My opinion on the school I favored was irrelevant even to my own child. 
Do your own research by delving into the website of each school you’re interested in and come back here with specific questions you couldn’t find answers to there. We’re happy to help, but which school any one of us favors is not the place to start.
Thanks!
And go visit the schools. A visit will give you most of the information you need. On the visit, listen to your gut. If you thought the school looked great on the website but didn’t feel right during the interview, then it likely wasn’t a good fit for you. Move on. It doesn’t make sense to apply to schools unless you are actually interested in attending. There are so many great schools out there. Open your frame of reference and include schools which interest YOU. Good luck.
@Happytimes2001 advice to visit the schools you are interested in is the best way to get your questions answered and get a feel for each community. Again, people here are happy to share their experience but, ultimately, only you and your daughter know what’s important to her and your family and will make the best choice based on that criteria. You can start comparing the schools you list by looking them up on boardingschoolreview.com and/or each school’s website to understand how they compare on hard data (size, location, teacher-student ratio, test scores, curriculum, etc.) and then come back here to delve further but, again, with specific questions.
For example, our son loved Choate but, if I had been the student, I would have chosen a different school. My opinion on the school I favored was irrelevant even to my own child.
Thanks for this, @ChoatieMom. Gave me a nice chuckle.
As I, and other users, already noted, each person’s experience will be different. I visited both when I was going through the process. I loved one and hated the other (and no, I won’t be more specific 
), but ended up applying to neither.
neither. dont want to say why publicly.
Thanks, everyone. Is there a way to dm any of you?
Not until you have 15 posts. But if a user PMs you, you are able to respond to that user.
Our son visited both schools and I can echo Skieurope’s comments he loved one and we really hated the other. Looking at sites and rankings really don’t give you the complete picture, we strongly recommend you go and visit both, talk to students (not only tour guide) look at their faces see their interactions among themselves. It will tell you a lot about the school and the environment.
Seeing how the students interact with one another and reading the school newspaper will give you an excellent window into life on campus as noted above. Also, see if kids greet one another. At one school we visited, kids seemed standoffish.
@MariFeigh , you can ask folks here to do you. Most will respond.
You can add my child to the list of people who had a strong preference for one of these schools over the other. DC loved one of the schools almost as much the one DC now attends. DC didn’t “hate” the other school–that would be too strong a word–but DC very strongly favored the first school for reasons that had everything to do with perceived fit. As others have said, fit is subjective and one person’s positive may be another person’s negative. Ultimately, you want to be able to see yourself living there.
My D20 visited and did not apply to Choate. We weren’t feeling it and it may have been the crazy Friday before a holiday that we visited. Tried but could not connect with coaches or teachers.
We visited Exeter, applied, she was accepted, and chose another school for a better fit.
We loved Choate. By midway through our Exeter tour, we knew it wasn’t for us. So…Choate!