<p>We have narrowed it down to Blair, Kent, Loomis, NMH, Choate (wl) and Hotchkiss (wl). We were blown away by the revisit at Blair. Words of wisdom, please. Signing up for any of the first four involves relinquishing any opportunity at the last two.</p>
<p>How far are you from the schools? I love being able to drop in on my daughter an hour away.</p>
<p>Very very far from all of them, so location is not a deciding criterion. We are below the Mason Dixon Line. Like most other people, I guess I have a hard time seeing beyond brand names, so it is with some regret that I feel Choate and Hotchkiss slipping away. We are full pay.</p>
<p>Congratulations on having such great options! I guess the decision is among Blair, Kent, Loomis and NMH if you cannot continue on a waitlist after contract signing.</p>
<p>Does your child have a favorite? Are there certain sports or ec’s that s/he wants? As you probably know, I think highly of Blair. It is a wonderful community. The faculty will make an effort to get to know your child, so s/he will become an important member of the community. They offer challenging academics, and many opportunities to try new things. Interestingly, it has the smallest student body among your choices, although 440 is not small. If your child was blown away at revisit, then perhaps it would be a great place for him/her! </p>
<p>I don’t know enough about your other 3 choices to give you meaningful pros and cons. I can comment about Blair if you have any questions, and I am happy to do it.</p>
<p>Note: I just saw catg’s comment below, and there is probably some truth to it. Anyway, if you drive, the drive is a little easier. And if you fly, you can select to fly in and out of NYC, Philadelphia or Newark. Newark is the closest. There is also a small airport in the Lehigh Valley in PA, but I’ve never seen it.</p>
<p>being from the south, your kid may feel more comfortable at blair</p>
<p>Thank you grejuni, catg and burb parent! You are all very helpful!<br>
Burb, do you have much direct experience with Blair? Are the academics as good as any? Naturally, a school of 450 students cannot offer the number of courses that a school of 1000 can, and I realize that my S could never take advantage of so much variety anyway. Just like you point out, my sense is that the faculty at Blair get to know a lot of the students.</p>
<p>I’ll send you a pm.</p>