<p>I got accepted into both schools and I have no idea which school to pick! I need more opinions! or you can probably list the pros and cons of each school. I like both schools equally, but by april 1st i need to make a decision :( HELP PLEASE!!!!!!</p>
<p>At the new student and family lunch last fall, Deerfield Head of School Margarita Curtis read a parent letter written to her about how wonderful Deerfield was for both of their children. The letter extolled the virtues of the school and emphasized how it was the best place for their children.</p>
<p>The parent is…an administrator at Choate!! True story, enough said. :D</p>
<p>Are you going to revisit day?</p>
<p>Was either school your real 1st choice? </p>
<p>I asked every student tour guide we we visited schools why/when did you make your final decision…90% said on revisit day.</p>
<p>My daughter had a sure 1st choice, though she didnt share it with me until after decisions came in…in remarking about her choice she said she felt like she 'fit".</p>
<p>Only you know and make the decision of where you fit.</p>
<p>But understand, her “fit” wasn’t the least expensive for me…2 other school are offering full ride, we will revisit but I believe her thus our decision is made.</p>
<p>I will repeat…what is the right FIT for you:-_</p>
<p>Good luck</p>
<p>CK, what did the letter actually say? More details?</p>
<p>140626: Alexz825Mom is correct. You will know after revisits. Deerfield was my son’s second choice before revisits, but the revisit clinched it for him.</p>
<p>Benley: Sorry, I only remember snippets of detail. It mentioned the community and friendships formed through sit-down meals, the school spirit, and the well-rounded student body. It also mentioned the strong student/teacher relationships and the tremendous support in the college process for their older child that had recently graduated. Oh, and it emphasized a several times how “nice” everyone is there.</p>
<p>Both are great schools. I never applied to Choate (don’t believe in applying to rivals) but I got admitted to Deerfield, my top choice. I think Deerfield gives you a more “old-school” boarding experience whereas Choate seems to be more modern. No dress code, sit down meals etc. Deerfield is situated in the middle of nowwhere and quite a ride from both Hartford and Boston but on the other hand they have an amazing campus. What attracts me in particular about Deerfield is the notion that it’s one of the best school but it didn’t give me the feeling of the same kind of extreme competitiveness as Exeter for example. Also there’s the Koch center and well I’ll just let that speak for itself… Furthermore I think that commitement to traditions at Deerfield is truly amazing.</p>
<p>As you probably can see I’m extremely biased but I’m just giving you the reasons for which I’ll go to Deerfield.</p>
<p>Good luck in ur decision!</p>
<p>Both are great schools…just would like to point out some errors in DeerfieldSwede’s post. Choate DOES have a dress code, it is proper (no blue jeans, t-shirts, etc.), however not as formal as Deerfield’s may be. Also, there is sit-down lunch twice a week.</p>
<p>DFS: I like how you omitted SPFLD, Northampton (of all places 8O), Greenfield, Pittsfield etc and included HARTFORD of all places! I mean who really cares that much about Hartford? No one really goes there except for like West Farms…occasionally…every 3 1/2 yrs…on a dark and stormy night…in October…yeahhh</p>
<p>Please ppl, respect the WM. Granted Deerfield’s area is…less than populated, we have many many good things!</p>
<p>I mean how long have you been going to DF? You must have picked up SOME knowledge of at least Northampton!!! <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>Sorry for my hijacking rant</p>
<p>I’d go to Choate, but my opinion’s biased:).</p>
<p>I would choose Deerfield because they don’t have Saturday classes, classes don’t start until 9 am, and everyone has the same the laptop.</p>
<p>CLASSES DON’T START UNTIL 9?!?!?!</p>
<p>omg heaven…</p>
<p>OMG is right 9 is when classes start…my d gets up now…5:15a, out the door 6:15am to train and bus, arrives at school about 8a…classes begin at 8:11a.</p>
<p>I can picture it…up at 8am or 830a if no breakfast, walk to class by 9—heavenly…plus I dont have to wake up at 5:15a either—WOW</p>
<p>Alexmom congrats on a job well done i’m truly happy for u</p>
<p>“I think Deerfield gives you a more “old-school” boarding experience whereas Choate seems to be more modern. No dress code, sit down meals etc.”</p>
<p>If you want old-money, blazers-and-skirts, stuffy traditions and, from my experience, rude students, pick Deerfield.
I’m not going to bash my school’s rival, but I have to say, I’ve had my fair share of interaction with Deerfieldians as a Choatie, and they’ve never been a helping hand, or even polite, like I see Choate students doing every day. I was SPIT at on Deerfield Day, there were fights between coaches and students, and altogether I rather regret visiting Deerfield (I had to, I was on a junior varsity sport). Bleh.</p>
<p>P.S. There may very well be better schools than Choate, but I don’t believe Deerfield is one of them.</p>
<p>Deerfield!</p>
<p>A difficult choice indeed. Let’s face it, any student getting into any of the schools on this board is fortunate, and each school has something unique to offer, so I find these types of comparisons very difficult. But…my S is at Choate (and we didn’t apply to Deerfield-- for size and distance reasons only), so I can’t compare, but point out the things about Choate that drew us in. </p>
<p>We were looking for a larger school environment, so that is one true difference between Choate and Deerfield, since Choate has about 850 students. If you want a smaller environment in a rural area, Choate is not for you. We liked that the town of Wallingford is part of the campus, and students are free to go into town for meals, movies, etc. Another thing is that the student body is fairly diverse, with about 25% of the students from abroad – so this may be a plus or negative for you depending on your perspective. But my son’s best friends are from all over the world, and will remain so for life. There is a strong emphasis on giving back to the community (it is said that JFK’s famous line of “ask not what your country can do for you, but what cou can do for your country” emanated from a line that his Choate headmaster had said at a gathering). </p>
<p>And finally, adademically, you could not find a stronger environment (this also has its downside as Choaties do generally carry a heavy workload), and classes start at 8am. In 2009, 8 students advanced to finalists in the National merit scholarship competition. There are also some unique programs, like the Science Research Program (which one applies to) and enables a student to carry out specialized lab study for 3 semesters. Four students were named Semifinalists in 2008-2009 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology and two of these students were also semifinalists in the 2009 Intel Science Talent Search Competition – all had participated in the SRP program. Also, I think Choate has the strongest offerings of economic courses for any high school program, and last year, the Choate Economics and Fed Challenge Team won the national championship. </p>
<p>If one is more interested in cultural activities, the performing arts program is top notch, and the Mellon Arts Center has frequent productions that draw in top talent as well. So these are some unique things about Choate, and I am certain there are wonderful unique aspects at Deerfield. I’m sure you’d be happy at either place (we would have been happy at any of the schools my S applied to), but I can truly say that Choate has been a very special and right choice for our family.</p>
<p>I would also agree that revisits are key, and you’ll really get a strong sense of your preference once you have a real oppotunity to participate at both schools. </p>
<p>Best wishes in your decisions, and either way, see you at Deerfield/Choate day!</p>
<p>Well I shouldn’t have left out Springfield as it’s a REAL city but the other cities mentioned are indeed quite small and rural. I know Northhampton has several colleges etc. but they have 30000 inhabitants not a rook real city in my book atleast. Hartford on the other hand has a metropolitan area of over 1 million inhabitants a culturals scene, shopping dining etc. on a level that WM cannot compete with.I’m sure that WM has it’s qualities but it’s fairly the heart of MA is in the east with Boston. You can’t really compare Northhampton with Hartford, that’s ike comparing a Montrachet with a bottle from Wal-Mart. And remember I live in Sweden one of the most sparesly populated countries in Europe and with a capital with a pop of 2 million, not too much in the US.</p>
<p>I’m not attending Deerfield I’ll enroll this September.</p>
<p>I apologize regarding my misinforming facts, but as I said I didn’t apply to Choate I’ve just visited the website (to check out my new rivals) and therefor I’m not by any means a Choate expert…</p>
<p>ello, Saer I’m not gonna brag or anything just gonna present some facts. I fit in on most of your description however I don’t think it’s fair to say that I’m a jerk just bc of it. I’ve got quite a lot of friends and I’m well liked by almost everyone and I never say no to helping anyone. This is the impression I got from Deerfield and I don’t think it’s fair to judge an enire school based on ONE day. I believe that Deerfield and Choate are both great schools, (Although as a future Deerfielder I feel that I have to give Deerfield an edge =P) but it’s never fair to judge a community based on a few individuals. Cya on Choate Day I hope!</p>
<p>It’s all about fit as has been previously mentioned…Like for me, Deerfield is a better fit…go to revisit day and you’ll see which one you’ll like more…</p>
<p>the heart of MA is in the east with Boston</p>
<p>O.O i beg to differ. Most people I know don’t even like Boston that much really, and if they do its only b/c it’s the closest ‘big’ city.</p>
<p>I know none of them can compare, but you have to acknowledge- no one really goes to Hartford all that much. For future reference when talking about WM, note the things we DO have instead of skipping over to CT. I mean c’mon- Deerfield is isolated but not THAT isolated! Northampton doesn’t have that big city, but it has the artsy shopping vibe going for it and its also really fun.</p>
<p>PS- GO TO NORTHAMPTON! Come early and GO! Get some school stuff or something! Absorb (lol) its …vibes</p>