<p>applications are coming up and it had been my goal to start applying to schools as soon as I could get my hands on those applications but now I still dont even know exactly what schools I want to apply to. I limited myself to 6 and here's my list:
Middlesex*
Thacher*
Emma Willard
The Hill school*
Deerfield
Berkshire
Westminster
Millbrook
Westover
Peddie
Choate
the ones with the * are the ones I definately am applying to.
All of these schools I feel are right 'fits' for me but I don't want to apply to too many so if anyone could please give me any good information about these schools like what you liked or didn't that would help out ALOT. thanks :)</p>
<p>I don’t really think anyone can pick the right school for you. I would advise going to visit them and seeing which ones you like the best, then find the best ones.</p>
<p>Two suggestions . . . </p>
<p>First, read all the reviews you can find on [Boarding</a> School Review](<a href=“Boarding School Search Results”>Boarding School Search Results). </p>
<p>And then, second, do a thorough [url=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/search.php]search[/url”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/search.php]search[/url</a>] on this forum for past threads and/or posts about the schools you’re interested in. (To make your life easier, start by searching for entire threads, rather than going post-by-post.)</p>
<p>Don’t forget to include predictable typos when you do your search. One of the most helpful threads I ever found on this forum was titled “School —” and had the name of the school misspelled!</p>
<p>@PlainJane,</p>
<p>You say that “the ones with the * are the … right ‘fits’ for me.”</p>
<p>What criteria do these schools have that make them ‘fits’? Is it size? Location? Casual/Formal? FA? A Particular sport? etc?</p>
<p>Try to be specific about what it is you want in a school, and that should guide you in making your list.</p>
<p>I went to Emma Willard, and the education is first-rate, if you’re comfortable with the idea of a single-sex school. I heartily recommend that you visit schools, and get a feeling for each one. You have a diverse selection, which is good, but you might want to change it to focus on schools that serve your own needs. Without knowing your academic and/or athletic qualifications, I can’t comment on whether you have a good mix of “reach,” “match,” and “safe” picks.</p>
<p>thanks guys 
I think what you guys said was all true but I think I phrased my question wrong D: I like all of these schools and they all fit my needs in some ways but I wanted to see how others experience was with these schools. kinda like what you did or didn’t like about the schools and then I would see how that helps me (and I love getting every single detail about schools even if it doesn’t really have to do with me).
@stagemum I’m not sure I can visit the schools but I’m trying really hard to be able to plan a trip in the new englad area. Do you think you can tell me more about Emma willard? I like the idea of a singe-sex school but don’t really know how everyday life would be since I come from a school that’s like 70% boys.</p>
<p>I’m at a public girls’ school now, and I really enjoy it. I don’t know how different it is in terms of boarding, however our lessons are always a lot more focused. I think it’s also nice to be with just girls as it a lot closer between friends and a lot easier to be yourself when there aren’t any boys around.
sorry for the bad grammar, my excuse i that its 7am here :)</p>
<p>I echo what stagemum said about visiting schools. This is especially important, I think, for boarding schools, since you’ll be living there. When I applied to boarding schools back in the stone age (well, in 2004), I was lucky enough to have a choice, so I visited the schools to which I was admitted. I found that when I visited Andover, I had a very strong gut feeling that I belonged there. If you do manage to visit schools, listen to your gut. Can you imagine yourself living at that school? Do the students around you look like people you’d be comfortable being friends with? To that end, definitely visit during the semester, if possible. You want to get an idea of how the school feels during classes. Are the students happy? On a tour, you’ll get the sugar-coated version of life at a school, but if you just sit in the mailroom, or wherever students gather, and do a little bit of eavesdropping on conversations, you’ll get an idea of whether students really are happy there. You might even politely ask some random students what they think! They’re bound to be happy to talk to you. </p>
<p>Good luck! :)</p>
<p>I can’t tell you much about life at Emma Willard in the past 35+ years, but I’m impressed that they seem to have maintained high academic standards and to continue attracting talented, motivated girls despite the competition from co-ed schools in more attractive locations. I was the fifth daughter in my family, and simply knew I was going there from infancy on; I never visited any other schools, and so I have no way of knowing whether it was the best fit for me. None of my nieces applied there, and I don’t know whether I would have encouraged a daughter to go (I have 2 sons, both at another boarding school now), if she wanted a co-ed school. Troy is a dreary town, but the campus is beautiful, and the neo-Gothic buildings are splendid. The dorms will spoil you; very few colleges provide such nice rooms. The campus has been used for some films, including “Scent of a Woman” (Al Pacino’s Oscar vehicle). They’ve revised the curriculum since I was there, in order to strengthen science, math, etc. It was unusually flexible and progressive in the '70s, with very few requirements, but they retreated from some of that later on.</p>