<p>I am a sophomore right now and most of the people in my grade turned 16 this year so you would probably be better off applying as a freshman. I think repeating 9th grade would be better because then you will be the same age as your peers and also you will get to spend 4 years at Choate rather than 3! Freshman year here really is the fundamental year and teaches you how to be a successful Choate student.
No, there are not a lot of cliques which is something very hard to find nowadays. Given, people have their friend groups, but its not like only athletes talk to other athletes and the theater kids only hang out with other artists. Everyone supports everyone which is really special especially in high school. I’ve never felt like I couldn’t go up to some people and introduce myself without being judged: it’s extremely comforting to know that all the students at he school will support you and are eager to meet you. Sports-wise we are very strong (I mean, we did beat Deerfield in almost every sports game this past Deerfield day). But as you will soon learn, we are student-atheletes. We give as much effort in classes as we do in sports and when the school day ends, you are expected to not slack off in sports and dedicate yourself to your team. Regardless of your ability, you have to try hard and because everyone around you is also trying hard, mentally, you will too. You have to play on 2 teams I believe (intermural or interscholastic, it doesn’t matter) throughout the year and in your third term you can do other activities that the school offers. Don’t hold me to this answer though because I am new so I’m not too sure. Also, being in a student production (fall play (usually 2 of them), winter play, spring musical) counts as a sport. Yes! If you would like to begin playing a sport we have thirds teams which teach the fundamentals of the sport but are seen as any other team on campus. Thirds teams still play games against other schools and still have practice everyday except for Wednesday and Saturday (game days) and sunday.
About getting in, it depends. We have a low acceptance rate so many qualified students still don’t gain admittance. Stellar grades, good EC’s, high SSAT score, great personality and ability to interact with new people are all necessary but really you need to be different. It is what you do that others don’t that will set you apart.
Yes, for the most part, everyone here is very smart but also dedicated to learning. Choate students are comfortable with their weaknesses and are confident enough to tackle them with the help of teachers and advisors.</p>
<p>I am applying as a new sophomore too! Not for Choate, but it sounds like an amazing school. I’m so nervous for M10.
Yellow, I know you go to Choate, but where else did you apply, if any? Did any other schools seem esp. welcoming to new sophomores as well?</p>
<p>i was just wondering how is it when you have to balance sports and academics and music? i play piano and have to practice an hour a day and i play a sport in the fall and spring and sports practices or games take like 2-3 hours plus practicing another hour for piano and then homework…
how do you manage?</p>
<p>Im currently in a day school and applying to a bunch of boarding school.
Is bullying common in boarding school? I know that it’s not sth rare but does it happen a lot? like,you just unintentionally make someone mad at you and they just start something unbearable? really making fun of you in front of a lot of people …so on and so forth.</p>
<p>I appreciate your thoughtful answers and can tell you are thriving at Choate. Where else did you apply last year and if you don’t mind answering (can be private reply) were you accepted at those schools too? What were the key factors that made you choose Choate?</p>
<p>hello everyone! i am going to get back to all of your questions soon i promise! i’m going to be without internet for a few days on my way home for break but i WILL reply to the last few questions before M10</p>
<p>@sallygirl124 Good luck! I applied to 5 or 6 out of the ‘top 10’ boarding schools. to be quite honest, no. none of the other schools seemed as welcoming to the new 4th formers as choate did. one of the schools only got 8 new 4th formers this year even though it has an amazing reputation. this was one huge factor in my choosing of choate and i was actually quite shocked as to how some schools handled new sophomores. @ylaxw1123 the 2 most important words in high school: time management. If you really want to do piano plus your sports, its on your plate. part of being successful at choate or any other boarding school is learning how to make your own schedule. now with this being said, tons of students participate in multiple singing groups/ plays and varsity sports throughout the year. its completely possible but you have to want to do it for yourself because no one is going to hold your hand and show you what to do. it sounds brutal but its one of the best lessons and skills that a school can give to us.<br> @amberqin
not much bullying goes on at choate (i dont know about other schools) because honestly we are all so busy with work, sports and EC’s that who has the time to bully people? plus, the students at choate are extremely nice so the bully would have to be really unhappy at the school which doesn’t happen often. @zenrose i will inbox you and, as to the second part of the question pretty much everything i have said on this thread explains why choate was the perfect school for me. great size, intellectual student body, lots of international students, innovation courses, top sports…the list goes on and on.<br> @2011BSACCEPTED not particularly. i think the lowest is maybe around an 82/83 which by ssat standards is not low at all.</p>
<p>Hi I’m applying as a new Junior and I was wondering if you had any friends who are new Juniors who could perhaps enlighten me on some of the more tough challenges they had to face (especially international ones).</p>
<p>Hey! I am friends with a few of the new juniors though I do not believe any of them are on CC. From what I can tell it is a much harder transition into the school but after a few days all of the new juniors felt accepted and fit right in. Socially, being a new junior is fine. Academically it is a bit harder because you will have missed the first two year which are primarily the ‘building blocks’ if you will, of how to be successful at Choate. The work load increases tremendously and I’d bargain to say that it is much much much more than the average high school. Though, if you are accepted (M10 so soon!! good luck!) then the school is confident that you will be able to undergo the transition.</p>
<p>Hi I just got accepted to Choate as a new sophomore!
Choate has been my dream school since I found out about Boarding Schools.
If you go to Choate as a sophomore, how does your freshman grade carry on? like my current school’s GPA system is different. Also does Choate rank your GPA?
How do you like Choate dorm?
Thanks :)</p>
<p>I just got accepted to Choate as a freshman! How hard was it to go away to a boarding school? How did you cope with leaving your parents and friends and everybody?</p>
<p>Congrats HAdes and texasgirly. To answer your question, I am also a new sophomore at Choate. For the GPA system, the registrar keeps a record of the transcripts from your previous school and keeps it separate from your Choate one. So your Choate cumulative will not take into account your previous school’s transcripts. However, they will send ALL the transcripts when you apply for colleges.</p>
<p>Dorm wise, there are two fantastic new dorms (built in 2008) that are for sophomores only. There is the Tenney House for guys and South House for girls. Rooms are nice, bathrooms are cool, and it looks like a hotel. Prefects are awesome too. I didn’t get to live in that dorm, but I am in a small dorm near the science center and the arts center, the two places I visit the most. It houses sophomores all the way to PG’s, so everything is really chill. Depending on where you get into, you can live with 40 other sophomores (like Tenney/Soho) or 5 other sophomores (like my dorm).</p>
<p>I’ve personally been boarding since I was in sixth grade, so coping wasn’t very hard. You’ll meet a lot of great people in the very first few days, and many diverse people who feel the same way as you about leaving home. I think that the homesickness is usual for everybody, but once you get to experience what Choate has to offer, you’ll feel it go away.</p>
<p>i brought the essentials (clothes,school supplies,storage bins) as well as mattress pads. i also brought 2 desk lamps, a rug, posters, a wall tapestry, lots of pillow and blankets and anything to make my room more colorful and bright! my room mate and i went out after the first few days of school and picked up some other storage items that matched so it made the room look like one room, not 2 separate sections. My room this year is one of the biggest doubles on campus actually. most dorm rooms are a fairly good size and can easily be inhabited by 2 people (if you have a double) and if you have a single the rooms are still a good size. some rooms are going to be smaller than others but i don’t think you’ll ever feel ‘squished’. most dorms have a few really big rooms (even triples sometimes) but it all depends on the dorm. in regards to dorm sizes, dorms run from 5 students up to around 45 so it depends. your first year you cannot chose your dorm or your roommate but choate does a really good job of matching people up. i was nervous about living this year with someone i didn’t know and we turned out to be really good friends. i probably would not have seen her much around campus otherwise since we take very different classes but since she’s my roommate that friendship has been able to flourish!</p>
<p>hmm i am a new 4th former so i am not too sure about freshman but i believe that most if not all freshman are in doubles. 9 or 10 girls live in squire and all the others (45 maybe?) live in nichols. there is one triple in squire</p>
<p>How is Choate’s: (<em>in terms of their size, scale, student interest, and accomplishments</em>)
drama/theatre department?
speech & debate experience/rankings in competitions?
Model UN?
mock trial?
music program?
acapella/singing programs?
foreign languages (studying several at once specifically- is it commonly done)?
Varsity Volleyball (G)?
Crew (Boys with G cox)?
Newspaper?
Student government? (is it very involved and does it have a presence and prestige on campus)
What kind of entertainment productions do Choate students put on - such as Mr. -nameofschool- pageants, date auctions, talent shows (less professionally talented, more students making glorious fools of themselves and enjoying it), etc.?
GSA program/support?
Varsity Water Polo?
What gets more attendance - sports games or school productions/plays/etc.?
How many APs are taken on average? Which ones are taken and fulfill a diploma requirement?</p>