<p>I want to apply for millbrook.</p>
<p>How about the academic of this school?</p>
<p>Thanks~</p>
<p>I know Millbrook. Nice campus and nice kids. Academics are also strong. It’s not far from Hothckiss, Salisbury and Kent.</p>
<p>I love that it has its own zoo on campus, run mainly by the students. If a kid had any interest in a career in animal science, I would imagine this would be the best place for that child.
My son applied there several years ago and he and my husband were very impressed with the maturity of the kids there. (I unfortunately didn’t make that trip.)</p>
<p>Great school, definitely a “stealth” school (flies under the radar).
zp</p>
<p>I spent a day at Millbrook recently (I’m a teacher who was interviewing for a job), and I thought it was a really nice school. I observed a student-run all-school meeting: one boy serenaded a girl, another read a poem he wrote about homework, two girls stood up to talk about the girls’ hockey team. It was loose and relaxed, and the kids were not afraid to look silly in front of one another, and they were generous in their applause and support for each other. The teachers stood at the back of the room and they were laughing and smiling; clearly they know their kids well and they really like them. I saw this in dozens of student/teacher interactions throughout the day. Even the disciplinary cases were handled with compassion. The campus is small and pretty, and the school takes community service very seriously. This is a great school for kids interested in giving back. and the Zoo is great! They also have a week-long Intersession, where they all get to study something new for a week, which is a great way to break the stress of a long, cold winter. At schools like Millbrook, there’s a range of academic abilities among the kids, but there are also a lot of very talented and dedicated faculty members who really know their stuff. It’s possible to graduate from there with a great education. I was impressed by the intellectual level of the department head I interviewed with. The school encourages kids to be a little bit of everything: a student, an athlete, a conscientious citizen, an artist–it’s not an academic pressure cooker. The fact that the school is a small community and very close knit was evident to me from my first moments on campus. The other thing that struck me was that the school’s website gives a really accurate picture of what the school is like. Watch the video clips of the school tour as well as the silly ones they did for the Green Cup. If you like the vibe and think you’d fit in, go for it, visit and apply! I didn’t end up taking the job there, but I told them I would continue to sing the praises of the school wherever I went.</p>
<p>I know Millbrook well. It’s a great school, with an excellent headmaster, a supportive Board, a beautiful campus (lots of acreage in Dutchess County - rolling horse country), new facilities and even more renovations underway now. I agree with Albion that the academic capabilities of the students vary, but at a minimum they’re strong. College placements are solid. The Zoo, which is fully accredited, is unique among high schools. Community Service is woven heavily into the School’s history and self-identity. Kids run many critical functions, including the Bank, the Store, the school snack bar etc.</p>
<p>It’s a great place.</p>
<p>Millbrook is a nice little school. Agree with those who like the Head, and the vibe of the school. The Zoo, meh, kind of a gimmick. Dorms are pretty crappy, and the rest of the campus is OK at best. Nice athletic center, already dated. Decent at best matriculation, and the school is underendowed. When we looked at it we heard repeatedely that it was a small Hotchkiss - not even close. Lots of NYC types.</p>
<p>The Zoo has been a thriving, huge part of the School back as far as the 50’s when my Dad attended and in the 40’s when William F. Buckley attended. It’s one of the School’s core characteristics - the opposite of a “gimmick.” I read fif’s review like a “C.” I give the school a solid “B” to “B+.” Unlike Hotchkiss, another School I know really well, Millbrook stands in contrast for its small school advantages and disadvantages: it’s more intimate, friendlier, students are known personally by all the faculty, the Community Service program knits the entire school together and the kids come to think of “giving back” as a totally normal, desirable habit (i.e. graduates way fewer self-centered types), not as well endowed as Hotchkiss, less academically capable students, but not by much, not as many facilities, not as many courses. Hotchkiss has all the big school advantages.</p>
<p>Now this is just opinion, but I know maybe 10 Millbrook grads and 15 or so Hotchkiss grads. The generality is this, and it’s remarkably obvious: Millbrook = what can I do for you and Hotchkiss - what can you do for me? </p>
<p>You’ll get a world class education in world class facilities at Hotchkiss. At Millbrook, you get a little less of those (although still pretty good), but a lot more of this (tap heart).</p>
<p>All I know about Millbrook is from a graduate I know. She is one of my favorite persons (people?) to be around - kind, hysterical, smart, not afraid to speak her mind but quick to praise when it’s due. She must have graduated in the 80s.</p>
<p>Parlabane, I think you just hit it - what can I do for you vs what can you do for me. Thank you - my thinking is now focussed!</p>
<p>We visited Millbrook with our daughter but decided not to apply after a mediocre visit. Ended up at St. Andrew’s School in Delaware. Millbrook seemed like a nice school but was not a good fit for our daughter who wanted more rigorous academics. Dorms not all that nice but the science building was outstanding. Pretty nice facilities for a small school but nothing to compare to other more well endowed schools. Having said that don’t let fancy buildings alter your opinion because what you are really looking for is a place where you will be comfortable and quality teachers.</p>
<p>I would say that Millbrook is tough if you’re applying for financial aid. My younger son was very interested in Millbrook, his academic record was excellent (graduated from middle school as a Presidential Scholar With High Honors), test scores were higher than their averages, and he had very strong extracurricular activities. We were shocked when they rejected him. We applied for financial aid, but might have figured out a way to pay had they accepted him with no aid (as Northfield-Mt. Hermon did). He received a very generous aid package elsewhere, and seems happy where he is. Millbrook is beautiful, but it is isolated; sometimes it’s nice to be able to walk into a town from campus, and that’s not really possible at Millbrook.</p>