<p>Everyone has a Top Choice. It's the school you feel the strongest connection to. Maybe you noticed the connection the first moment you set foot on campus. Maybe it's a school that started off low on your list (that surprised you) and moved up to top spot! Perhaps it's a school your parents weren't terribly fond of and you had to rally hard in order to apply. There are endless scenarios, but most kids have a definite favorite leading up to M10. </p>
<p>My kids always surprised me with things they loved about a school (that somehow I missed ). Sometimes it was that certain something that couldn't be found in a brochure or school website that really captured their imagination. Sometimes.... it was one or two things in plain sight! </p>
<p>Here is the question: Highly Selective School or Hidden Gem- Which school is your Top Choice and what are some features that make it Number One? Base your answer on feeling (take a break from stats!) and share one or two things about your "Dream" school that really captured your imagination. Here's your chance to show a little school spirit.... You never know- your observations may resonate with someone else applying this year or next!</p>
<p>Even though I love Andover… I have to say New Hampton School. The campus is CRAZY BEAUTIFUL and under the White Mtns. Curriculum is really strong and has the IB program. Alot of great extracurriculars and sport options. Pretty small school with a strong sense with community, which I loved (60% acceptance rate and need-blind FA is calling my name also)</p>
<p>When we did school search, Thacher became our dream school. </p>
<p>I liked Thacher because it encourages ‘calibrated risk-taking’ and promotes it seriously. I thought it would match perfectly why I wanted BS education for my child. My son liked Thacher for a different reason. He loved the fact that it had 3 beautiful soccer fields. I just shook my head.</p>
<p>Just wanted to say–I REALLY like this thread. What a great idea. We are still a year away from our next likely go through this cycle, but one of the schools that is on my list–and probably even beyond the purview of most “Hidden Gems”-- is the Verde Valley School in Sedona, AZ. The southwestern setting is amazing. The horseback program is probably only rivaled by what is available at Thacher. I would guess that it might be even more low key than either Cate or Thacher, but it is also has the IB curriculum so I think the rigor is there. Not everyone’s cup of tea (no crew, no squash), but for a kid who loves the great outdoors and maybe isn’t up for Nordic pursuits like snowshoeing, this might be the proverbial “opportunity of a lifetime.”</p>
<p>It might be highly selective, but Deerfield is my top choice. The lacrosse program there is one of the best in the country, and I know people who went there and are raving about it. The campus is beautiful, especially in the fall, and I can imagine myself there, participating in the variety of classes there.</p>
<p>Loomis Chaffee. Honestly, if I get into Andover, I’d probably go there, as my parents are all about the “brand name” schools, but when I went to Loomis, it was like a perfect fit.</p>
<p>I sort of grouped my schools into 3 levels: tier 1 (will definitely go if accepted), tier 2 (ok, still go if accepted), tier 3 (um, maybe, maybe not?).</p>
<p>After my AMAZING interview with Lawrenceville (tier 2 before), it’s now tier 1.</p>
<p>I want to post in this thread, but not before March 10. I’m too easily identifiable. Good luck to everyone, and I hope you all get into your first choices!</p>
<p>@abcd: That’s exactly what I do! Lawrenceville, Hotchkiss, and Loomis are my first tier, with NMH and Kent as second tier, with Mercersburg on the third tier.</p>
<p>I’m trying to get away from “chances”, “tiers” and “stats” (for a moment) and focus on other things that propel a school to Top Spot. It doesn’t matter if it’s Groton or Pomfret- Andover or Kent (name a school! Any school!!) : Everyone sees things through a different lens. Sometimes the things people love most (about a school) are not readily apparent to everyone else. It’s like looking at a painting…</p>
<p>One example could be a certain chapel that took your breath away. Or maybe the school traditions you learned about from your tour guide. It could be anything.</p>
<p>Hotchkiss’ lake is so cool. But then the cemetery kind of counters that. I mean, why have a cemetery in the school? Still, one of my top choices.</p>
Good luck to everyone, and I hope you all get into your first choices!</p>