<p>If anyone wants to know something about Lawrenceville school, just ask, I study here(there to you)..</p>
<p>Hi Plank101,
Great to see you enrolled at Lville!</p>
<p>Are there a lot of kids from NYC?</p>
<p>What opportunities does Lawrenceville offer that differs from other boarding schools? What made you choose it? Are the kids generally friendly with each other, or is there a lot of bullying/hazing?</p>
<p>Hey GMT! Thanks for your advices and help in the admission process! It certainly helped.</p>
<p>@coconutcake: The House system is simply amazing. It may seems kind of trivial, but it DEFINITELY is not. I visited almost all the GLADCHEMMS, and there isn’t any school that has dorms like the ones in Lville, there simply is a sense of loyalty and friendship in the house. Academically it is challenging, I always have at LEAST two hours and half of homework. And all the classes use the Harkness approach, even math is harkness, although sometimes it might not be in an oval table. The English and History electives are breathtaking, take a look on the course catalog. The religion department is strong, and if you are a math or science guy(let me know I can give you more details about the department), the higher courses are amazing, the teachers are REALLY intelligent!
Lawrenceville also gives you the option to do an independent study and if you are really good you can take classes at Princeton University.
It is really easy to make friends(it depends a lot on each person), people are extremely friendly( i did not expect that). Sincerely, I have never seen bullying yet.</p>
<p>Hi Planck101,</p>
<p>Why did you choose Lawrenceville even after visiting many other GLADCHEMMS schools? Is there something that drew you to the school? </p>
<p>What do you think about the extracurricular selection?</p>
<p>What’s regular dorm life like?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Are there a lot of NYC kids?</p>
<p>Do you have any idea of the admissions rate for incoming juniors? Thanks.</p>
<p>Yes there are some kids form NYC but it’s really far from the majority.
@POPS: No idea. You should email the admissions office they can tell you.
@Lumini: Mainly the house system and the opportunity to take classes at Princeton Univ. Sincerely, I think that all the GLADCHEMMS have almost the same academic quality. Oh, and Lawrenceville has a GORGEOUS campus, probably just St.Pauls can be compared to it. There is a great number of extracurricular activities. The regular dorm life is awesome, we have a really big common room, so people usually play pool or just hang out in the porch with people from the house and outside the house. But, there is a LOT of homework! About 2 to 3 hours usually, sometimes more.</p>
<p>I know there has been a lot written about repeating years at BS, but I’d like to throw this out there to see what people think. My son is currently in 10th grade at a small BS in CT that is known for its hockey. He is a very smart kid, who did very well in 9th grade with all As and Bs. He took all honors classes last year and has been placed in all honors classes again this year. In his third term last year, he made Dean’s List, which means straight A’s. He is a year ahead of his peers in Math and the only 10th grader in Spanish Lit. He scored 85% on the SSATs when he took them in 8th grade. He played classical viola until this year. He also loves to play hockey, which is one of the big reasons he chose this school for 9th grade. He is a very good hockey player, who was one of only two freshman who made the JV team. The JV team is very competitive, with most of the kids, my son included, playing at the AAA level. He is on a AAA split season travel team this fall. He will not make varsity hockey as a 10th grader because the varsity team at this school is extremely competitive, almost off the charts. The school generally has about 3 spots open on the varsity team each year for walk-ons. Given the highly competitive nature of the team, and the relatively large number of hockey recruits at the school every year, it is uncertain that he will make the team even as an 11th grader. He really wants to play varsity hockey, so he is considering transferring to another BS. My wife and I want him to look at schools that are stronger academically than the one he presently attends, and that are not so hockey-centric. I was initially resistant to the idea that he might repeat 10th grade, but if the chances of being admitted to a top flight BS would be significantly greater if he repeats, then I’m becoming more open to the possibility. One last thing – FA is not required. Do people think he has the creds to get into a top flight BS (e.g., Lawrenceville)? Should he apply as a repeat 10th grader? Any thoughts are appreciated.</p>
<p>POPS24, I am not an AO but if I were I’d love a kid like yours for one reason. The fact that he’s done very well in a boarding school makes him a “much surer bet”. I think you should start exploring if that’s what your son wants too. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks. I’d like to see him at a school like Lawrenceville or Hotchkiss, though I’m not sure his grades are quite what a school like that is looking for (he got some Bs in the first two terms of 9th grade). Maybe the hockey will help.</p>
<p>Good grief! No school, no matter how insanely selective, requires straight-A’s. The schools know the applicants are middle school kids, not cyborgs.</p>
<p>Actually, if his current school is reasonably rigorous, those B’s may work for him instead of against him. The school should like to see a kid overcome the initial setbacks and work his way up to where he is.</p>
<p>GMT and Bentley: Good points, thanks. I don’t really know what these schools require in terms of grades, but I’m sure you’re both right that even the top schools do not expect perfection. I’ve seen many posts on this website, though, that refer to students with GPAs of 4.00 or better.</p>
<p>Don’t waste your time reading the ridiculous Chances threads. The reason that subforum exists is to keep the main forums from getting clogged w chance-me spam.</p>
<p>Point taken. Any view on whether my son should seek to repeat his sophomore year? That’s a really important matter that we need to resolve.</p>
<p>I think repeating is a good idea. Most schools take very few new juniors. The odds of getting in as a sophomore are probably better. And it’s a reasonable approach since your son is transferring to a more academically rigorous school.</p>
<p>@POP, the decision to repeat doesn’t have to made in a vacuum. Discuss the topic w the Admissions Office at your son’s interview. They will offer guidance.</p>
<p>Thanks. These posts really are helpful.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info on the house system. I also didn’t know that students can take classes at Princeton. That sounds like it could be very advantageous! I might start a thread asking if any other schools have an arrangement like this.</p>