<p>For all of you interested, Gene Kelly was one of the greatest movie stars of all time. A true icon, he was as good as Astaire in his own way. Other than Singing In The Rain (one of the ten best movies ever made), you should also experience, just for starters -- Brigadoon and An American In Paris.</p>
<p>Or not.</p>
<p>As a Groton parent I can tell you it attracts a wide range of kids, a good number of whom are on scholarship. They have in common all being extremely bright and willing to work hard (or they don't stay.) It has a number of International students (Korean in particular), minority students, a number of students from New York and New England, and a smattering from other parts of the US.
Looking at the kids you will not be able to tell who is on scholarship, and who is from a wealthy family. Being showy about money, or talking about it, would be considered bad form.<br>
I think its the smallest of the New England top boarding schools, so it does not attract as much attention.</p>
<p>That's what I'm trying to gather...what type of person does Groton attract? We will be starting the process in the fall and since Groton is one of the few that starts in eighth grade, it's at the top of our list. Also, I really like what I've read from their students. The mission really seems to jive with ours. I recently read a speech that an alum gave about defining success for yourself that actually brought tears to my eyes, it came so close to what we try to teach our children. My son's reaction to the website and view book has been, "What's the catch?" I guess that's what I'm trying to gain perspective on...what's the catch?</p>
<p>Seeker, we must be posting at the same time! Thanks for your thoughts. </p>
<p>My son is unassuming to the point of self-depreciation. He's just never been with peers, other than his sister. He's willing to try anything. We live in a small village. It's not that I want him in a "big pond" so much as I want him in a stocked pond.</p>
<p>He loves debate and theatre and history, plays piano and loves a good story above all things. He was homeschooled from grades 3 -5 because our public school was pointless.</p>
<p>My husband went to BS. He, and others I've talked to, have said that BS was the only thing that really made a difference in who they are today. It was that formative. Pretty strong stuff.</p>
<p>From my research when I applied to this school was that it is very small school (i think around 250 or 300 students). Their soccer teams (i only know about boys) is very very good. Their other teams are usually par or below par. But don't let this throw you off for a not very athletic school. Considering how tiny the school is compared to other schools, they have a good record. Their arch rivals is St. Mark's, and if this matters, they win a lot against them. Bigger schools can load their teams with good players because they have so many people to choose from. Colleges ~ percent wise, as good as any of the top schools. I had the same reaction to Groton as neatoburrito's son when i first looked at the school. But now, after I visited the school, done more research, I would say I love the school. The campus is the best of any school since it's gorgeous and has THE CIRCLE where all the buildings surround the lawn. Hard to describe, but all the students mettle going from one place to getter, so you'd have the closest friends. </p>
<p>So what kind of person does it attract?
My guess is very smart and talented kids. Not as much as athletic as smart though. Well, it certainly changed from my dead last school (out of 10 schools) to actually one of my top 3 choices. It would be definitely 2nd choice if they accepted me (i got waitlisted). Well, I'm going to Exeter now (top choice), but would had the worst time choosing over groton, exeter, and andover. Considering I'm a avid swimmer and Groton doesn't have an interscholastic swim team, that's say a lot. I was so impressed with the school during my tour. My advice, give the school a good look! Work hard since even some of the faculty's 7th grade kids can't get into the school for 8th grade.</p>
<p>Thanks! It's reassuring to know that sports isn't the main focus. Sports is probably the least important thing to him, though he loves the idea of crew we do play tennis occasionally. He's more into the humanities. As a matter of fact, if he isn't accepted for 8th grade, he'll apply to SPS (among others) the next year</p>
<p>neatburrito: it sounds as if your son is looking for intellectual and spiritual fit. Both are equally important and I would urge you to visit both Groton and SPS before you put either at the top of your list. Both are fantastic schools, both attract the same sort of clientele and both are astonishingly beautiful. I would be asking only one question at this point, which place is my son ready for? How far away will he be from home? The essential difference between SPS and Groton is not that SPS is slightly larger but that it is 100% boarding which forges ties among students which are absolutely unique. The best advice however is go visit the place, walk the grounds, visit the chapel and the library. This spiritually and intellectually is what these places are about. Check out the music programme. The model for either school is really Oxford.</p>
<p>We are about 3 1/2 hours from both schools. Maybe a little further to SPS. Groton is at the top now for the simple reason that it starts in 8th grade. Looking at the calender, I think the longer he would need to be at school without the opportunity to come home would be two weeks. I like that it is more structured than SPS, especially for the younger students. </p>
<p>We will visit at the earliest fall date and then take it from there. If he applies and is either not accepted, or doesn't feel comfortable with it, then we'll make applications for 9th grade the following year. Our options will be much greater, of course, and will include many more schools. He has stated that he does NOT want to be at a large school. It's interesting that you mentioned that both were modeled on Oxford. When we were studying medievel history he was particularly intrigued by Oxford. He loves tradition and history because, as he says, "It makes me feel like a part of something bigger." </p>
<p>Yes, he's a very spiritual child who, while he frequently questions his faith, still considers it a large part of who he is. We are Catholic but I am organist for an Espicopal church. He's equally comfortable in both traditions. I just feel like I've got to get him out of the mediocrity of our public schools and I want him taught by SCHOLARS, not people with education degrees. </p>
<p>I feel certain he can handle the academics they throw at him and look forward to him actually having to work for good grades. He's very used to bringing home a 100 on a paper, only to have me "re-grade" it down to a 75. He knows his current school is something of a joke and I don't want him to start thinking he'll be "smarter" than everyone he meets. </p>
<p>Peers....peers is what I want for him.</p>
<p>Sorry my posts are so long....I type very quickly and get carried away.</p>
<p>my son was accepted to groton and sps, among others. he weighed the two schools intently, and he decided to attend groton next fall. in terms of evaluating these two schools, i personally had a tough time making a decision, and i am glad my son was mature enough to evalute both and go with his "gut". from my perspective groton is smaller and more structured than sps. sps doesnt have mandatory study periods "freedom with responsibility" and young kids are housed with older kids. groton houses kids by grade, and they maintain structured study halls. groton's administration, admissions, etc. is making an affirmative commitment to bolster their athletic programs. athletics at sps seem to be inconsistent. hockey and cross country are big at sps. a football coach at a rival bs stated to me that sps had the worse football program he has ever seen in his 23 years of coaching! sps offers more courses than groton (6 languages), and appears to have more academic resources (5 telescope domes). sps is big on humanities; they combine history and english classes into one (similiar to the history & lit major at harvard). science is taught backwards at sps - physics first, then chem, then bio. groton teaches the basics. size is a big difference, and groton seems to exhibit a warm community feel to it. both schools rank tops in the ivy +mit+stanford ratings- sps #1 at 34% and groton #4 at 32% admittance. both schools are very similiar but uniquely different. apply to both and hopefully you will get into one...since this will make your decision so much easier!</p>
<p>Under very similar circumstances, the solution for us was to combine grades 8 and 9 and to consider Groton, St. Paul's and Exeter. If your son is mature enough to go to boarding school, he is probably mature enough to skip grade eight. The only thing you would be giving up is grade eight Latin at Groton but he can easily learn enough latin on his own to compete for a place in the classical honours class at either school. The defining programme at St. Paul's is the integrated humanities programme. The level of instruction at St. Paul's, Groton and Exeter is very similar, much better on average than most universities. Exeter sounds a bit too big. The pleace to dream is SPS with the Vaughn chapel ( to my mind the most beautiful neo-gothic chapel in America) facing the most beautiful library in america both mirrorred in a library pond. An education in itself. Groton is beautiful--it also has a splendid Vaughn chapel but to me Groton feels like a school. SPS feels like a village. Go check it out and choose where the earth feels warmest to your son.</p>
<p>science is taught backwards at sps - physics first, then chem, then bio
^^
I think this is the direction schools are headed in. Most of the public schools I am aware of in New England are moving in this direction. </p>
<p>SPS does provide some "freedom with responsibility" but I would not call it a sink or swim school. It has a close knit community and there are safety nets in place to catch kids from sinking. </p>
<p>Both schools are very good - it's just a matter of preference.</p>
<p>I do think the 100% boarding makes SPS unique. Also, I think SPS is a good size - not too big or too small. The size of Groton might seem welcoming and comforting in 8th or 9th but I would think it could be stifling by 12th grade with so few kids. Having more kids allows more diversity at SPS - all kids seem to fit in and there are many kids who are quite individualistic.</p>
<p>NMH does physics first as well. They were doing it in 1999 when my oldest went. They do bio next then chem. Our local public (in NH) does Earth Science, bio, chem, physics.</p>
<p>It makes perfect sense to do physics first, since you need physics to truly understand chemistry and biology is almost entirely chemical in nature.</p>
<p>I don't think I want my son skipping eighth grade. I skipped my last year of HS to go to college and regret it....certainly not because I needed another year of HS, but because I could have used another year to grow both personally and musically, even though I was largely self-reliant at home. I was just barely 17 when I started college and my son would be in the same position. I like the idea of five full years at prep. </p>
<p>I see the point of the size being a bit restrictive as one gets older at Groton. </p>
<p>I wonder if it would be possible to visit Groton informally, you know, no interview. Just nose around a bit? Perhaps we could go to the Spring Drama production. I will call the admissions office tomorrow.</p>
<p>You have all given me much to consider and I thank you.</p>
<p>neatoburrito - another option to consider are junior boarding schools like Cardigan Mountain School and Eaglebrook. They are both feeders to excellent boarding schools. Your son could go for 8th and 9th and then transfer to a boarding school in 10th. It is done very often with success for many kids.</p>
<p>Groton is wonderful. I went to ST. Paul's. My son goes to St. Paul's. But one of my best friends went to Groton. His son graduated 2 years ago and his daughter graduates this year. Both great schools, teachers, preperations and atmospheres. Good luck in deciding. Visit talk and analyze, then go with your instincts. I went in 8th grade, but that is increasingly not an option.</p>
<p>I wouldn't suggest that your son skip the 8th grade and I don't think too many schools would be looking to admit a 7th grader into their 9th grade class. If you are going to look at Groton, why not look informally at a few other schools too, even if they don't have an 8th grade. Then, if your son still likes Groton, he can apply there and expand the list the next year if it doesn't work out. I would not get a false sense of security from required study times, though. Doing decently at any of these top schools takes discipline and working beyond the required study hours.</p>
<p>That's our general plan. We'll look informally at others. I want him to have five full years of boarding. I also want to avoid shifting him around, i.e. going to a junior boarding, then transferring. He'll appreciate having roots. </p>
<p>He needs the academic challange desperately. It might be a shock for him and I'll be glad of it. If he comes home with another 100 on a test he didn't crack a book for I'll scream, or a 95 on a paper to which I'd barely give an 80. My understanding is that a lot is expected of these kids (at all these schools) and that's what he needs. </p>
<p>We'll visit several schools informally, visit Groton formally, make the application (or not, if the place creeps him out), then wait and see waht happens on March 10, 2009.</p>
<p>I think Groton is fantastic. My daughter had a hard time deciding between it and her ultimate choice (SPS), and there is much about it that would have been a good fit for her. Groton is more similar, in some respects, to the school she left, at least in terms of class size. I think, for that reason almost specifically, she felt that while it might initially be more comfortable for her, it might feel too small by the time she was a senior after 4 full years. Who knows? We know kids at Groton who are completely happy. The academics are fantastic, and the setting is beautiful. The small school size means that whatever sport your son is interested in, he will likely be able to play. (Although this has been the case for my daughter as well at SPS, a larger school. However, we know a talented athlete who did not make the soccer team at Hotchkiss....and ended up running cross country instead.)</p>
<p>I particularly loved Groton's new Black Box Theatre - a much cooler auditorium than SPS's.</p>
<p>Momtoanundecided: Have you been in SPS's Black Box Theater? I was there for a performance last Saturday. It is pretty nice and my son vastly prefers it to the cavernous Mem Hall stage.</p>
<p>Winterset: No I have not. Where on the campus is it?</p>