Hello,
I’m posting this on behalf of my parents (non-English speakers). My sister has admitted into Governor’s Academy and Hockaday. They are the only schools that my sister were admitted out of 6 that she applied. While they are drastically different schools, my sister is eager to attend Governor’s Academy solely b/c it’s co-ed. I don’t think that’s a fair comparison. If parents or past student can answer any questions below, I would be greatly appreciated:
Hockday:
- What is Hockday boarding life is like? How do they deal with friends who are day students?
- How would you rank its academics?
- How is all girls-environment differ from co-ed?
- What is it like being in Dallas?
Governor’s Academy:
- What’s Governor’s Academy dorm life like?
- How do you deal with snow storms and East Coast winter?
- How would you rank its academics?
Also since we are outside the country, we are trying our best to make a trip to visit these schools. In the case we aren’t able to, what are your advice on learning more about a school w/o visiting them?
A little bit about my younger sister:
- Attending international school in South East Asia, has IB program
- SSAT: 2127 (80% percentile)
- Grades: B- B+
- Sports: Varsity Swimming (used to compete), JV Volleyball and crosscountry
- Personality: Bubbly and quick-tempered. She can be a bit melodramatic at times. Overall, sweet kid.
Thank you!
Your sister might not love either of the schools. They both clear out on the weekends, leaving international students and students who live far away very isolated. Hockaday is in a city, Govs isn’t, so if your sister likes having independence go with the former. From what I hear, all girls school can be caty. Hockaday also has a crazy low percent of boarders(7%) and only 3% international students. Those other 4% probably go home on the weekends but live to far to be day students. Govs in comparison, has 65% boarding and 14% international. I don’t want to give my own opinion, as this is a very personal decision, but if I were in your shoes I would go to Govs.
Hock Adam is an excellent school with excellent academics. Dallas is a wonderful city (not your typical New England or European city that is built on top of itself)… it is spread out and there are trees and grass everywhere. So there is a lot to do and yet the school has a hometown feel.
Also, the school is literally just a few minutes from an airport. It is in a very chic part of town. Lots of shopping and restaurants nearby. We have old classmates who now go to Hockaday. They love it. They have not had problems with it being all-girls (they switched from coed). They are Day students, though. The day student population is high, but many boarders tend to do things with the Day students many evenings and on weekends, so it is less segregated boarders/Day students than you would think. Also, the boarders there are true boarders. Anyone who knows Texas knows parents drive an hour or more (70+ miles) each way for school, hockey practice, dance, etc. So, there are no (or at least very, very few) local boarders who leave on weekends.
DS applied and toured at Governor’s. It is more isolated and the campus more spread out than Hockaday. It is coed. It is about an hour from the airport. We found the people to be very nice. Although they have more boarders, we learned the majority of the boarding students to be “local boarders”, so the campus also can clear out on weekends.
We have not attended either as students but have been on both campuses. We know people that attend both schools. They are both excellent schools with very different vibes.
I’m not sure if this helps…because it is hard to choose a school sight unseen. But I did want to give you the perspective from someone who has been to and experienced both schools.
My daughter attended Govs and graduated a few years ago. I cannot say enough good things about it. The faculty, administration and students are warm, friendly and caring. My daughter had academic ups and downs, and they always believed in her, encouraged her, and worked with her to get her back on track. She had emotional ups and downs (just common teenage girl stuff), and they were understanding. Health center staff and counselor were wonderful. There is a range of academic abilities, and there will be something for everyone. It is not a pressure cooker, but there are plenty of very serious motivated students. There are a lot of local boarders, but there is still plenty going on during weekends. We are a little more than an hour away, and my daughter chose to stay at school most weekends. The campus is relatively rural and beautiful, but Newburyport is a 5-10 minute cab ride away (or a bike ride if your sister is ambitious). It is a wonderful seaside town with great restaurants and shops. East Coast winters can be tough if you’re not used to them - stock up on warm clothes. However, the campus is beautiful in the snow!
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Closing thread. Your sister needs to ask her own questions. For privacy reasons, users are allowed to ask for themselves and/or their dependents. Everyone else needs their own account to ask their own questions.