Funny Viewbooks/Websites/Videos

<p>Hi I know there have been various posts about this, but I've been searching for boarding schools and can't help laughing at some of their tactics to entice you into applying. For example, Exeter's (this has already been the subject of posts) admissions video was trying way too hard for the "cool" effect. "I am Exeter" time 30 was pretty annoying in addition to unhelpful as to seeing the campus life, etc. But I did get a good laugh. I checked out Pomfret's viewbook and they had this huge page about there mascot, a griffin. Hilarious. And the "I Love hill School" one. What was with the egg shakers throughout the entire video? I have nothing against these schools but I find their "advertising" amusing. Has anyone else seen anything worth mentioning?</p>

<p>The “I am Exeter” thing actually turned my son off to Exeter when he first saw it. It made him think that everyone was really self-centered. Of course, once he visited, things changed and I think (not sure) that he even brought it up with his interviewer. He is now a member of Exeter 2014 so promo materials aren’t everything!</p>

<p>Mercersburg has a funny video about their library on their website.</p>

<p>It’s funny, because the Exeter package was the first one to arrive at our house and I thought the DVD was very well done (editing and footage wise). I was initially inclined to like the school because of college friends who attended, but the materials helped. I might even say I found the materials even more compelling than the school itself.</p>

<p>My daughter thought the Choate brochure that had the trading cards in the back was cool. I’d have to agree, but felt their DVD was not as “professional” (FWIW, I make my livelihood in the marketing field) in presentation — though it did tell a bit of a richer story than Exeter’s.</p>

<p>Madeira’s (all-girls in VA) viewbook was perhaps the most modern and tried to have the biggest “concept” about it. But the school’s focus on the horse program and what seems to be a very strong tie to government (externships/coursework) was not really what we are looking for.</p>

<p>In hindsight (it was not on my original short list based on materials/website alone but it was on my wife’s), St. Paul’s materials were also very nicely designed. Very clean, upscale, and more modern than you might expect from a traditional NE boarding school. They also sent a lot of information…my wife felt like she knew the most about SPS from the materials alone. </p>

<p>Groton and Miss Porter’s materials were nice enough in design and photography.</p>

<p>Andover’s offering (we received just a mini viewbook) was weaksauce in comparison to the others, and Milton’s arrived so much later (despite me requesting materials from all the schools at roughly the same time) than the others that I pretty much disregarded it.</p>

<p>FWIW, though not an official school vid, the video that I liked best of all was the one of the SPS student who came out during a chapel talk. The courage it showed, the supportive environment that it was evidence of, and even his (the entire school sang along) rendition of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” were really really inspiring. Look it up.</p>

<p>I thought the layout of the Exeter viewbook [for the '08 application season, anyway] wasn’t really well done. It looked kind of cheap compared to the viewbooks from Groton and SPS, though it did have some humor.</p>

<p>^^ Andover should send you a bigger viewbook soon. I first received the smaller one and thought it was pretty disappointing, but then they sent me a larger one, like the size of a chapter book that I spent 2 hours reading along with a course catalog. </p>

<p>I thought the Choate trading cards were a little stupid. No offense to Choate (I love Choate!) but I thought it was a joke at first. I don’t think anyone will break them apart and trade them with their friends. haha. They are similar to the Exeter trading cards from last year, which had information about each department.</p>

<p>I loved Exeter’s seventeen minute long video. If I was basing what school is my top choice just off they way admission materials are presented, I would choose Exeter over anywhere else. Deerfield’s video was good, but as I mentioned in another thread, it had an obvious mistake in it and was clearly staged. As for the view books, I loved Exeter’s view book. Andover’s view book was okay, but not nearly as good as Exeter.</p>

<p>I loved Exeter’s viewbook. It made me much more interested in visiting the school and provided with lots of info. I still go and look at it at times to get an idea of the uniform and so on.</p>

<p>@2010: I didn’t even know those things in the Exeter viewbook were trading cards! I thought they…I don’t even know what I thought. :D</p>

<p>The OP put “advertising” in quotes, but I think the marketing materials (including the website) ARE important…for people who have never visited a specific school or who don’t know someone who went to a specific school, the viewbooks and associated materials are pretty much all you’ve got to make a decision whether to visit/apply.</p>

<p>I agree with you. I do think that viewbooks, videos, and especially websites are valuble sources for learning about the schools. In fact, like you said I am mostly basing my opinion of the school on their viewbooks. Though Exeter’s video kind of turned me off, I really enjoyed the viewbook. I felt that I got an good inderstanding of the school and what it is all about. By the way, I also find Choate appealing but the trading cards were pretty funny.</p>

<p>I loved Exeter’s video and viewbook, and Andover’s viewbook was almost as good as Exeter’s. I thought the best websites were either Exeter or Choate. Honestly, Choate’s website needs to get worse because the campus is kind of a let down after the pictures on the site.</p>

<p>They have done a lot of campus upgrades this summer at Choate.</p>

<p>Okay, we just received the Cate materials today (see, Thacher/Cate parents, you are getting through to some of us East Coasters!)…</p>

<p>And I’m only half-joking when I say that Cate’s materials pwn (do kids even use that phrase anymore?) nearly all New England schools’ materials. At least those that I have seen. A great letter that highlights a uniquely Cate tradition. And a well-designed and written brochure. Very nice.</p>

<p>@SevenDad - Glad to hear you’re taking a closer look, and I hope you and your family get an opportunity to visit the campus and meet the people. Upon visiting it should become easy to understand what Mr Cate meant when he described, “the spirit of this place… all compounded of beauty and virtue, quiet study, vigorous play and hard work”. </p>

<p>Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.</p>

<p>My daughter (an Andover student) watched the video on the Cate website (can’t remember why) and I thought she was going to cry. I think she’d be tempted to transfer, as another Andover student did last year, if she weren’t already halfway through high school.</p>

<p>We have a new winner. The Thacher kit arrived today (they had told me it would be arriving in Sept. when I requested it in Aug.). It looked like an Arts & Crafts movement monograph…with a beautifully embossed cover in the Craftsman style. Well written and art directed. Printed mostly (or wholly) on matte/dull coated paper, which IMO feels more upscale than glossy stock.</p>

<p>I think the California schools must feel a need to really wow interested parties — to overcome the distance issue and NE BS juggernaut. If I were to narrow schools by their marketing materials alone, so far we’d be down to just Cate, Thacher, and St. Paul’s. (Oh, and probably Madeira.)</p>

<p>There’s a funny video on Cate’s website this week. It’s a tradition that each Tuesday morning the Cate students and faculty meet in the school chapel for “Tuesday Talks” to hear a personal message from someone in the community, usually one of the senior students. The presentations are often thought provoking, inspirational, humorous, and more. Here’s a link to this week’s talk - <a href=“http://www.cate.org/news/detail/?id=1831[/url]”>http://www.cate.org/news/detail/?id=1831&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>@SevenDad - glad you liked the written materials you were sent, you’ll like what you see in person even more if you make the trek to Ojai. My first visit to the school was also my first visit to California (I’m ashamed to admit) and for me it was really an “aha” moment. The beauty of that state is something to behold. The little town of Ojai, for instance, sits in a valley that runs East to West, which means that sunsets are breathtaking as the mountain tops fade away in bright pink. Along with the smell of orange groves and sage, the physical experience of being in that town (and at the School) is one of overwhelming beauty. Good luck with your hunt!</p>

<p>Well, Andover’s “big” viewbook finally arrived this week. And it’s pretty formidable. My D used the word “stout” to describe it. I really wish they had sent this back in the summer…</p>

<p>Additionally, the Hotchkiss viewbook (which I requested after reading some thread here by another parent) is a near clone of the Andover one, perfect bound instead of saddle stitched.</p>

<p>In a fit of “maybe NE is too far away for us”, I also ordered the St. Andrew’s viewbook. Great photography and cover…but a bit more conventional than the two mentioned above.</p>

<p>So, my professional opinion on the materials: Thacher still has the nicest viewbook/intro package.</p>

<p>I will say that right about now, it’s all a bit too much information…they start blurring together a bit, making it hard to say “we will apply to only these schools”…sigh.</p>

<p>Update: Hotchkiss DVD is really really good. Best DVD of the three we’ve received (Exeter, Choate, Hotchkiss).</p>

<p>Yeah! Go, Bearcats!</p>