Happy to answer questions about Deerfield Academy!

Prep School Admissions
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You can have a very high level of engagement in a classroom in which the desks or tables are arranged to face each other and class will go by quickly. It won’t be called Harkness but it’s pretty much the same thing. And with prepared students and good teachers, it sure beats sitting in rows listening to the teacher lecture. A good teacher knows how to direct a conversation and when to inject actual knowledge and facts.

I suspect Harkness was radical when it was originally introduced. Imagine! Assuming young people knew anything! In an era of memorization and regurgitation, this was pretty forward-thinking.

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For those of you wishing a virtual tour, there are videos (a series of videos) available online via YouTube. Once on YouTube, you can see the package of videos. Here is one to start. Deerfield will be hosting an online panel for information this Sunday. CONGRATS & WELCOME!!!

https://youtu.be/lxxQd-VuJu4

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What a valuable thread. Thank you! Since we don’t have the chance to re-visit I have a few questions about incoming sophomores…

  • What's your best advice in terms of course load, co-curriculars?
  • Does Deerfield have a cell phone policy?
  • When do they determine things like math placement?
  • Do most boys use a laundry service???
  • We live across the country from Deerfield with 3 younger kiddos...is it detrimental to new students if their parents aren't able to visit often? What's your advice here....

Thank you! We are ecstatic about our son’s choice to attend DA!

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Hello @pendulum ! Welcome & Congratulations on the acceptance to Deerfield!!

Answers for you @ your incoming sophomore:

  • Best advice for course load and co-curricular activities? First, this depends on if you are repeating a grade or already coming from a rigorous school where you are used to the work load. If you are repeating, you may already have some of the required course under your belt. Most students take 5 or 6 classes . There are 7 “hours”, so you want to have “free periods”. Probably, as a new student, you may want to start with 5 periods so you have 2 “free periods”. Most Sophomores take Chemistry, English, Math, Foreign Language and a History (if your coursework from your old school didn’t carry over. Do check online and review the School Profile (see link in above post). There are NO Saturday classes (yay)!
  • EC’s - Most students at Deerfield have at least one or two sports. There are several sports (eg soccer, lax, squash) with multiple levels. So, if you want to try a new sport or just want to do “rec” you can. Some students are involved in Performing Arts, as well. Many opportunities for dance, theatre, orchestra, jazz, etc. There are also many community service opportunities - great experiences as EC’s after school.
  • Does Deerfield have a cell phone policy? Yes - kind of. Generally, don’t get caught on your cell phone walking along the paths or in/around academic buildings. Faculty might yell at you “Get off your phone!” - happens to parents on campus too! At night, during study hall hours in your room, Sophomores are asked to put their cell phones outside their door. The internet shuts down weekdays around 11:30-Midnight for Sophomores. On the weekends its later.
  • What determines placement in Math & Foreign Language? You will be sent a link in May for placement exams in Foreign Language and Math. Don’t worry, however, because if you don’t feel it’s a good placement fit there is a drop-add period the first couple weeks of school. Many students change levels or courses during those first couple of weeks.
  • Do most boys use laundry service? Yes - most are signed up for laundry service. Do they actually use it? Depends on the student. Uniforms are laundered by the athletic center.
  • Live across country from Deerfield? You will meet MANY students from across the country and across the world. How much you visit your student at school really depends on your personal situation and your family. We live far away and don’t see kiddo until Parents Weekend in mid-October, then again for Thanksgiving. We talk or FaceTime at least once a day. The social support system is great at school, so I think the students seem to deal with it well. Remember, most BS students (at all schools) are busy and really active. I think that while some kids may experience homesickness, most get over it fairly quickly and adjust well during the first semester. There are some West Coast families that visit school once a month - some even find apartments or houses to rent. If you have a large family, you can find some nice places on VRBO that are cheaper than staying in a hotel for a family visit. As we have heard from many on CC, your younger children may decide they want to attend BS also in the future.

HOPE THIS HELPS!!

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Question on learning support at Deerfield- any experience with that? Only some minor learning differences…

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Also what dorm room furniture do I need to get for Deerfield. Do people bring their own beds and nightstands etc or is it already there ?!?

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@Londonkid - you don’t need to bring dorm furniture. Your dorm comes furnished. You may want to buy a small desk lamp. Some students prefer to buy their own desk chair instead of the standard wooden one supplied by the school. You can order a really comfy-for-the-back desk chair from the school’s store, Hitchcock House, online and they will have it waiting for you when you arrive in September.

Re: Learning Supports? I believe some kids may qualify for extra time on tests - but have previous educational/psych testing to support this accommodation. You should contact the schools academic office to ask this question.

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@Londonkid
Most schools have policies regarding furniture and usually it is that you are not allowed to bring furniture. You may also find (although I don’t know specifically about Deerfield) that the room is simply too small for any extra furniture like a bedside table.

Anything you decide you need can be ordered from Target/Amazon/Bed Bath & Beyond when you get into your room and see 1)What you are allowed to have 2)What will fit without annoying your roommate.

To the desk lamp, I will add the suggestion for a smallish fan (unless @Golfgr8 tells me the deerfield kids are super spoiled and have air conditioning?). Also useful - the stick on command hooks for hanging up wet towels to dry, big coats, etc (but these can easily be ordered once you are here).

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@Londonkid - you will receive a packing list from the school over the summer. Everything from a hamper to hooks is on the list. The dorms are well appointed with very spacious dressers to hold most of your clothes and also a closet. As my friend @one1ofeach recommends, you may also want to bring a small desk fan and do bring “command strips” or hooks.

Depending on what year you are, the space in your dorm room will vary. Most Sophomores - Seniors have enough room for a small bedside table. I also recommend a small 3x5 rug to have near the bed. All of the dorms have large gathering areas and a kitchen area.

  • You can order everything online from Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart and pick it up in the nearby town of Hadley-Amherst. UMass Amherst is a very large ;university so there are many “big box” stores within a 20 minutes drive from Deerfield. I highly recommend ordering items in advance for easy pick-up. There is also a Staples nearby the campus and the school store has supplies. You can go to the online Hitchcock House store On the Deerfield website to order supplies, gear, desk chair.

Yes @one1ofeach - I think one of new dorms for boys has heated towel racks. No boots? No worries, Deerfield has heated sidewalks!

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@Londonkid - here is the packing list from last year!

FWIW…don’t stress when you read it! You will not need a lot of this stuff on the list! For example, you may need a desk lamp more than a floor lamp - also you may not have room for a floor lamp. Also, you really don’t need a camera because everyone has cell phones - unless you’re into photography. Even then, cameras are provided. For those of you lurking on this thread, this is a good list to check out.

https://deerfield.edu/campus-life/comforts-of-home/packing-list/

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Thank you @Golfgr8! So incredibly helpful. We can hardly wait.

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We look forward to welcoming you in September!! Look for us in front of the Deerfield Door! We will have the CC T-shirts on!

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Thanks for all this helpful info- my sons instinct is Deerfield but we are all still stressing about how much more difficult it is to get to from London than Lawrenceville- only a few more days to decision time -

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FWIW @ Londonkid - It really is not a big inconvenience to get from the Boston Airport to Deerfield. The school has a bus/van service that picks students up and drives them to campus. It is about a 2- 2.5 hour drive depending on traffic. There are many kids from across the country that fly into Boston (from California, TX, OR), as well as from around the world. There is also private van service that can pick your kid up or take them to the airport when it’s not scheduled vacation times. You kiddo will not be alone taking the shuttle service from Boston/Logan airport to school.

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Hi, I just committed to Deerfield and I am super excited about going there next year. I have a few questions about what classes I can take.

I’m coming in as a repeat freshman from another BS. I took AP Physics 1 already so will I be taking freshman physics or will I able to choose another science course?

Thanks,

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YAY!!! CONGRATS @33deerfield !!!

How can I be of help? If you took AP Physics 1 already, you will not need to take Freshman physics - you can go into Chemistry or choose another science.
Please contact the Academic Dean’s office for more information.

FWIW - the computer science courses are fantastic. Chemistry with Mr Crosby is great. AP Chem is great. Calhoun and Harabot for math are great - very fast paced - you won’t be bored. The architecture course is amazing. Anything with electrical engineering or biomedical engineering is great.

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Hello! I will be an incoming freshman to Deerfield in September, and I have a few questions:

How intense, academically, is Deerfield? How do students get the work done? I was thinking through course selections, and 5 courses w/ a double period science class, then another p/f arts or health class… and I don’t have any free periods. Is this manageable? @Golfgr8 - I think you mentioned that some classes were “GPA suicide”, are there any examples?

Also, what can we expect from the school between now and September? I’m assuming placement tests and room surveys, what else? Is there any recommended preparation?

A couple specific questions about ECs: for theater, is student written/directed work performed (and if so, when)? Is Deerfield’s basketball program strong? As an experienced but not great player, will I be able to compete at at least a JV level? I understand that rowing is a big thing at DA, how big of a commitment is it?

Lastly, does the school help out with finding community service opportunities, summer internships/programs and so on?

Sorry for the bombardment of questions — thank you!

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Congrats @ecowell and WELCOME to Deerfield!!

Here are some answers.

  1. Deerfield is rigorous, but manageable. I don’t hear of anybody not being able to handle the work. The teachers also realize that you Freshman have study hours each night between 7:45-9:45 with lights out at 10:30. The internet goes off at @ 11:30 in the Freshman dorms. So, they keep that in mind.

  2. How do students get work done? Most students learn how to manage their work. They do work during “free periods” and on the weekends. There are no classes on Saturday (yay). My student did work on Saturday mornings before athletics and all day/eve on Sunday. Most kids “chill out” on Friday night and Saturday night with activities.

  3. Courses vary by difficulty and time commitment. To my knowledge, there are no double-period courses for Freshman. Most Freshman ease into Deerfield and take 5 courses with 2 free periods. Remember, you will have a half-day on Wednesday! A common Freshman schedule will look like this: Math, Science(Physics), English, History, Foreign Language. Some students take a 6th class - like a visual art or music, but most take 5.

  4. Course choices to keep you sane: Do not go “Jonesing” for the toughest schedule or most advance classes as a Freshman. You have enough stress as it is just transitioning to BS (especially if you’re coming from a different country or different culture). What I mean by GPA suicide is this: There are some courses at the school that just get the best of even the most driven student. This includes AP Chem. There are some kids who have never taken chem before- except maybe a course at their JBS or who are “repeats” or transfers and who want AP Chem because it will look good on their transcript. Do not choose a course that is in the “deep end” just because it might look good on your transcript. You know what looks good on your transcript? A’s! You will hear from people a whole lot smarter than us swamp-folk the following tag-line from advisors and other parents on here: “Take the most challenging courses you can get an A in”. How did that work out for them? There is a WHOLE thread on this, if you can find it.

  5. Course placement in Math and Foreign Language is decided by placement tests you will take online sometime in May -maybe June this year, so relax. This will determine if you are placed in Honors Spanish 2 (for example) or Algebra-2Honors or Geometry Honors (for example). There are Honors, Accelerated and Regular math. The Algebra-2Honors course was really fast paced and advanced for our Freshman who came in with having earned a 98 average in Geometry Honors down in the swamp. So, it may depend where you took your previous math courses on how well you can handle it. Accelerated Physics is also very fast-paced - they used the AP-1 workbook when my kiddo took it. Some kids are coming from places where they never had Physics and some kids are coming from schools with grounding in it.

  6. Don’t Sweat It! There is a drop-add period during the fist 2 weeks of school. If you find yourself dog-paddling in Honors Physics or drowning in that Honors Pre-Calc class that you though you could “coast”, you can switch classes. Likewise, if you thought you wanted 6 classes - drop the elective.

  7. Deerfield’s basketball teams (boys & girls) are strong. The coaches are fun also. I wish I could tell you if you will make JV - but a lot of kids try out. I do know a lot of kiddo’s friends do make JV (if this helps).

  8. Crew is big at Deerfield. In the Fall, you can take Crew Conditioning as an EC (after school). There are boys & girls Varsity and JV teams. The coaches are well known and have great experience developing the students for winning teams. No experience necessary. How big of a commitment? I don’t think it’s more of a commitment than any other Varsity sport during the regular year - pre-season training, conditioning a few mornings per week (if you choose), scheduled events Wed/Sat afternoons. But the Crew team has gone to larger events beyond their “season” because they win.

  9. Student Performances: Yes - there are many student-led performance opportunities. I wish Deerfield did a better job of communicating about this! One of the reasons, kiddo chose Deerfield was for the opportunity to do student-led choreography and performances. There are showcases for students, concerts and something called “KFC”. You can check on YouTube for videos - try searching Deerfield KFC.

  10. Community Service. Yes- they will help you! There is an office for global studies and community service, the GSCS. Tons of CS experiences at school and in neighboring communities. There are opportunities each term for community service and these experiences are fantastic! You also have the opportunity to COMBINE global study with community service during vacations or if you hope to take a year abroad. There are also research opportunities and funded research/study around the world, or around the neighborhood.

WELCOME!!!

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FWIW - Kiddo has taken Honors Sciences and Math classes - now going into AP. The 2-block classes you may be seeing in the course catalogue are generally those for 11th-12th grade students.

I will say that the math is rigorous at Deerfield, but it prepares you well for SAT and the SAT-II subject test (Math-2). The computer science courses are great! The science classes have been fast-paced. If you are coming from a school where you had minimal exposure to Physics or have had no Physics, I would recommend that you check out an online intro course or get your hands on the AP-Physics 1 work book over the summer.

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@Golfgr8 Thank you so much for your thorough response! This was very helpful.