Hi,
I am new here, but there seems to be a ton of great answers here! So I’ve been fortunate to be accepted to MX, L’ville, Loomis, Taft and SAS.
Here is my current admission status:
MX: Accepted but no FA 
L’ville: About 1/2 FA
Loomis and Taft: Full ride
SAS: About 1/2 FA
I’m WL by two other top schools but I guess I should count them as rejects given the competition this year.
I do not want to cause too much financial burden on my parents, so I am leaning towards Loomis and Taft.
I have been quite academic in the past but am looking to pick up a sport or two in BS, perhaps some clubs too. Both schools seem to have great reviews and the only (slight) difference is the size at about 720 vs. 600.
My parents would like my BS education to lead to good college acceptances (they did not go to top schools and felt that this could be important for me), but I told them that school culture is almost important.
Any advice or feedback on these two schools would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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Every one of the schools on your list prepares each of their students well for any college they choose to attend. There is zero distinction there, so let any concerns about college results go. You can get anywhere from any of them. I see no reason at all not to accept one of your full rides. CONGRATULATIONS on two such stellar choices! You hit the lottery.
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I think you’re right to focus on LC and Taft. You’ll probably be happy to have the $ when college rolls around and you’re not giving up anything by going to either of those.
Why did you apply to each and what do you see as the pros and cons for you?
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Hi @ChoatieMom @gardenstategal thank you for such prompt responses.
Background: I’m a bit of an introvert and was looking for a more supportive environment, hence I decided to look at smaller schools such as MX, SAS and Groton (I was waitlisted by Groton) as my top choices.
For mid-sized schools, I applied to SPS and Taft, also because of the community vibes. SPS put me on the WL but I’m not hopeful.
For slightly larger schools, I chose Loomis and L’ville due to overall rep. I avoided Exeter and Andover because I believed I would just become an invisible cadet there - if I were ever accepted.
My choices/decisions have not been as thorough or informed as I’d have liked, because physical visits/revisits have not been possible this past year. However, I feel fortunate to be able to get all the insights here (still getting up to speed as I am new).
Thanks again and I look forward to more feedback!
I’m a current LC student, so let me know if you have any questions. I feel like Loomis and Taft are pretty similar in culture, so it could boil down to your specific interests (athletics/academic/ECs) or just instincts.
Hi,
Thank you for the message. Honestly I’m quite torn between the two schools, but I also realize that very few people have attended both LC and Taft so it’s really hard to make comparisons.
I am currently in 9th grade and will be going in as a 10th grader. Do you have lots of sophomore transfers? Do they face social issues when they first arrive?
Also, how big is the day student population now? Our interviewer were told us it would come down, but the ratio is still a bit high?
I am looking to make some friends, pick up maybe LX or hockey, play sax in the jazz combo or try theater.
I wonder if you could share what you love the most about LC and what changes you’d might like to see at the school in the near future.
Thanks again!
Congrats!
I may be a little biased. I am enrolled in Taft for next year as a freshman. Taft showed me so much love all the a/o coaches and some students all called or zoomed me. I live in CT and have visited both campuses. I personally think Taft has one of the best Campuses out of all the Prep schools. I live 20 min from Yale and Taft is nicer than Yale lol! The historic buildings and state art classrooms are off the charts!! I had such a good vibe at Taft. Loomis is in Windsor in low flats near the river. I personally didn’t get a good vibe from the campus the area etc but this is just my view. Also, Taft has a true rival in Hotchkiss comparable to Army Navy Yale Harvard rivalries! so much school spirit and sense of community I can hardly wait till September! Go on web site it is so professional compared to other school sites, and their videos give you such a good look at the school especially in the virtual tour. Good luck I hope this helps!! Go Rhinos!!
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Just a quick note about “picking up lax” at Taft…they have a very intense lax program. A lot of the players have been playing for many years and play club outside of school. My nephew is a sophomore at Taft and even though he’s played a few years of rec/school lax, he opted not to play this year because he would be sitting on the bench (this decision was made last year prior to covid). I’d guess the same might be true at LC, but I’m not sure.
Having said that, Taft is an incredible school. My nephew loves it there and it was one of kiddo’s top choices when she toured. I don’t think you can make a mistake here.
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Taft also has a really cool improv program. Hopefully a current Taftie can chime in, but I believe once a week there is a students only (as in no teachers are allowed in the room) improv show which is supposed to be really funny.
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To offer a different perspective, a close friend’s 2 kids recently graduated from LC. One was very STEM oriented and quite athletic. The other was a theater kid, interested in FL, and game to try new sports. Both had a great experience and both had excellent college options.
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I think we had around 50 sophomore transfers my year. I was a new sophomore myself and the transition was pretty easy with the orientations and other activities in the first few weeks.
The day student population is somewhere around 30%, not sure about how much it will change though. To be honest, I don’t feel that much of a divide as a boarder who have a lot of day student friends, though this year was a bit different since day students can’t come into the dorms (COVID regulations).
For sports, the boys hockey JV might cut people depending on how many people sign up, but we do have thirds lacrosse (I have no clue about their skill level, but I’d assume you can join without previous experience). My friends and I have taken up quite a few new interests (sports, theater, etc.) and it’s been really fun.
This is probably true to all schools to some extent, but I really loved the support I have gotten from faculty and my friends. Many faculty are really passionate about what they teach, about teaching, and about the students. It’s easy to build relationships with teachers and to seek academic and non-academic support from them. The student body is also large enough for me to easily find many amazing friends, but also not necessarily limiting myself to just one group of people.
One thing to change: I think Loomis administration should give its students more freedom in student organizations, dorm regulations, and do a better job involving students in their decision-making (not that this is an issue unique to LC).
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