<p>I recently got admitted to a few boarding schools in the north east. However, my preference for these schools fluctuates (one day its groton, the next its PA). I originally liked pa and deerfield, but am worried that if i go to pa that it would simply be too competitive (both academically and athletically) for me to distinguish myself for college admissions. On the other hand, deerfield has a slightly lower ivy matriculation rate, but perhaps i might be able to stand out academically?? I am aware that all these schools are competitive but i would really appreciate any advice that would potentially facilitate this whole decision thing. (btw none of these schools really seem like a 'perfect fit' for me)</p>
<p>if you don’t think you can hold up with competition, go to the smaller school</p>
<p>Don’t pick the prep school on the basis of where u think u might have the best chance of ivy matriculation. Pick it on the basis of where u think you’ll be happier. This place is going to be your HOME. </p>
<p>Ivy matriculation from these schools often have little to do w your academic competitiveness:
<a href=“WSJ.com - For Groton Grads, Academics Aren't Only Keys to Ivy Schools”>http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/golden1.htm</a></p>
<p>Grrrr… Stupid new CC interface uploads duplicates of my posts and won’t let me delete them ~X( </p>
<p>^^^ All 3 schools have great matriculation rates-- exact percentages don’t matter – it’s how YOU do. You’ll do best where you are happiest. Really. Go to revisit days and think about the next several years, rather than college. All 3 of these schools lead to great colleges, if you take advantage of your time there.</p>
<p>Revisit days usually provide a light bulb moment, so if you’re able to go- go. The heaviest competition you’ll find at any of these schools is among the triple threat Varsity athlete - brain trust - legacy types. Ignore them and do your own thing. Run your own race (on your terms) and you’ll be fine no matter where you go.</p>
<p>My best advice is to put Ivy matriculation, academics and overall competitiveness out of your mind for now. Look at this decision like buying a house, car or a couch. Think comfort, feel and where you’d like to spend the next four years of your life. Concentrate on the fun stuff: Campus beauty and vibe, food, dorm atmosphere, EC’s- quality of life stuff and don’t fret too far beyond the next four years. All three schools are great ( even though Groton is considered the Holy Grail ) and the hard part is over- You got in! Congratulations!!!</p>
<p>And for the love of Pete: Don’t obsess over things that really don’t matter right now. (Check back with us Junior year and tell us how you’re doing). You have a very full and challenging four years ahead of you. </p>
<p>@OP: Check out the admissions websites of your “dream colleges”, and find out what they are looking for. That’s the best practical guidance you can have. There’s a lot of noise around this topic, but the bottom line is that every year many students without “major hooks” get in the top colleges. Don’t carry that cynicism with you before you haven’t even started high school yet. </p>
<p>That said, it makes sense to have college as the primary goal for the next four years if you are going to be in a school where you have little to gain and are really unhappy there, but it doesn’t if you are in a school where you are surrounded by inspiring teachers and peers and can actually have “a life”. Boarding school is supposed to be in itself a valuable experience, and NOT a step stone for a great college only. Otherwise, you wouldn’t feel it’s worth the cost and trouble because chances are you could find a “cheaper way” to achieve the same goal. </p>
<p>The choices you have are all excellent, but you’d be misguided and maybe disappointed someday if your focus is to find where you feel “happiest”. The truth is that no place (not among the three choices you have here anyway) will guarantee you a happy 4 years of high school. If that’s what you are for, then sooner or later you’d second guess if you have made the right choice and if you’d be happier in a different place. What you need to do is to revisit why you wanted to go to BS, with which peer groups you feel you can learn and grow the most, which provides you most opportunities for your interests/passions… The good news about college is that with any of these schools, if you work hard and make good use of your time there, you’ll end up in a fine college even though it may not be one of the most selective ones. </p>
<p>Isn’t pinning your hopes on certain colleges in 9th grade a little premature? Sure, it’s nice to have goals and Ivy aspirations but I think it’s akin to putting the cart before the horse- especially when you’re talking about these three schools ( and certain others). That’s why I put a premium on comfort because one can assume (by the three dream acceptances ) that the academic piece (for now) is taken care of. I like to emphasize backdrop, survival skills and fun in the beginning and save college discussions for when everything shakes out a little more. Most kids have no idea what they’re walking into… and I do think there should be a level of comfort and happiness in order to be successful. Chances are you’re going to feel like you just got run over by a bus either way… so why not like the view and the campus vibe, too…</p>
<p>Photomom, I understand what you are saying. Surely, if one from the start dislikes the school or the peer group and doesn’t think he/she would be happy there, there’s really no point of attending the school and they shouldn’t expect good outcomes. However, I do think the premium some people place on “happiness” is a little overrated. One could be perfectly happy and feel so at home on the revisit day, but once they start the journey and with time “so many problems” come up and they may find the “happiness” they felt earlier isn’t that true after all. It takes a deeper understanding of what a great BS education is about and realistic expectations to be able to succeed in a school like OP’s choices.</p>
<p>I would go to Deerfield if I were you…everyone I know that went there is either in Harvard or Stanford, except for one who went to MIT</p>
<p>Benley- I think we agree more than we disagree. If the ultimate goal is a great education, it will work out at any of the three schools mentioned above. For my kids, the objective was always finding the right backdrop/activities ( to compliment or offset the hard work before them), so they’d feel at home while they were having their butts handed to them on a daily basis 
.</p>
<p>The more non- academic reasons for attending a school- the better. It gives students other things to look forward to when the going gets tough. At least that’s how I see it. It’s all about balance- anywhere you go!</p>
<p>“I would go to Deerfield if I were you…everyone I know that went there is either in Harvard or Stanford, except for one who went to MIT”</p>
<p>And how does that affect YOU personally?</p>
<p>@eric99: I was under the same impression as well. Make sure you read the College Profile for each of the schools you are interested in. Here is the school profile for Andover:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.andover.edu/Academics/CollegeCounseling/Documents/PhillipsAcademySchoolProfile2013-2014.pdf”>http://www.andover.edu/Academics/CollegeCounseling/Documents/PhillipsAcademySchoolProfile2013-2014.pdf</a></p>
<p>One thing to note is that there is no class rank generated for PA. Also on this profile you can get a sense of how ‘competitive’ PA is for grades. From the histogram on page 4 you can see that approx 40% of students have a GPA in the high honor range (5.0-6.0), 55.4% of students have a GPA in the honor range (4.0-5.0), and only 5% of students have a GPA in the good range (3.0-4.0). No students (0%) of students had GPAs in the satisfactory (2.0-3.0) range. This means that 94% of PA students have GPAs above the ‘honor’ range. To me, this indicates some serious skewed data.</p>
<p>Most of this probably has to do with the incredibly bright kids that PA attracts, but rest assured that you will most certainly not be struggling to get high grades. The lack of ranking can be either a plus or minus in college admissions since most officers like to see the rank. Some college admissions counsellors will try to estimate rank in cases like this. But it seems like if you keep up with the work, that it is fairly easy to obtain a grade of 5.0 </p>
<p>Here is a link to the Deerfield profile:</p>
<p><a href=“http://deerfield.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/DA-profile_4page_2014.pdf”>http://deerfield.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/DA-profile_4page_2014.pdf</a></p>
<p>Looking at the distribution of the grades, it looks like 45% of students have a GPA > 90, and the rest have a GPA between 80-90 (55%). This looks a lot like Andover, but instead using the traditional 0-100 grading system for GPA. This will be more understandable to college counsellors. Deerfield does not publish a class rank either.</p>
<p>Bsadvisor’s reply fits Deerfield almost exactly as well. The part that FEELS most competitive is getting in. However, all those kids who expect to continue their straight As, along with picking up all the sports and ECs of boarding school (as mentioned, especially of you come form a middle school without a big work load), may be if for a shock. Look closely ay the stats on the links sgopal2 sent-- you’ll see at both schools that fewer than 10% of kids average in that “high honors” range. You will work your butt off, and you will not see the grade inflation rampant in so many (not all) schools. On the other hand, college admissions people know these schools VERY well and understand exactly what those grades mean, and what honors level classes mean at these 3 institutions (as well as at so many other BS discussed on these boards). </p>
<p>bsadvisor’s description is a generic summary of all the selective boarding schools (and probably many of the less selective schools as well).</p>
<p>^ If you say that Deerfield is better in terms of having a higher chance of getting into a good college, I say that it depends on the student’s determination to get good grades and to be more involved.</p>
<p>All of these schools are very competitive. </p>
<p>To me, and this might be an unpopular opinion, it sounds like you just are not the sort of person who enjoys the fierce competition that can be found at any of the GLADCHEMMS schools. If this is the case (and those are your only three options), I would attend revisits at all three but seriously debate Groton and even Deerfield. Those are smaller and more individualized, as well as not being as super famous and prestigious (though they are). And, to me, it sounds like none of those schools are a great fit, so it might be time to look at other boarding schools who can offer similar matriculation and SAT stats with a smaller and more peaceful atmosphere if you don’t care for Groton, PA, or DA after revisits. Some that come to mind include Loomis Chaffee, Hill, Concord, SAS, NMH, and more; there are even smaller GLADCHEMMS like Hotchkiss, SPS, or Middlesex that might be better for you. Some of the aforementioned small schools even have rolling admissions, so you could still apply for next year, particularly if you are full pay.</p>
<p>The important thing to remember in this process is that standing out or even college matriculation doesn’t matter a huge lot. You seem extremely bright and like you will succeed in getting into a college, whether it be HYP or a Top 25 LAC. Additionally and finally, any boarding school will offer a gateway to a fantastic college, particularly the top Southern schools and any NE schools. But in order to use those opportunities, you need to be happy and well-rounded, and you can only get that if you go to a school that feels right. And it’s fine if the school that is right for you isn’t the top school in the nation that’s known internationally.</p>
<p>Andover has a larger student body so more groups to join. @robyfeingold</p>
<p>Putting everything else aside and just taking about college - Assuming the kids in PA and DA are equally strong and have the same percentages of students with the kind of profiles competitive for top colleges, then <em>statistically</em>, attending PA will not decrease, or attending DA will not increase, one’s chance for top colleges because historically PA has had at least as many students <em>in percentage</em> that went on to the most selective colleges. Same rationale can be used for all the other <em>peer schools</em>. Now, if you are comparing PA with a school with fewer as strong competitive college prospects where you have a better chance of standing out as a tipsy top student (because that’s usually what it takes to get to the most selective colleges in such a school), then yes your chance will be improved by choosing the other school over PA. </p>