<p>Just got a "congratulations" email from Lawrenceville. S is waitlisted at Hotchkiss. Is it worth the effort in trying to get him off the wl? Could cc members list pluses and minuses of both schools?</p>
<p>I would pick Lville in a heartbeat, but that’s because I’m biased. Wy son’t you just take the offer, since waitlists are just so hard to get off?</p>
<p>S loves both schools. I was just wondering if for whatever reason Hotchkiss is a much better school, worth fighting for (for other reasons than just his love). (eg as parents we liked the food at Hotchkiss better, not our S though). Thanks.</p>
<p>I don’t think the schools are that much different. Similar in terms of college matriculations. Hotchkiss is medium size whereas Lville is larger. I think the arts department is better at Hotchkiss but Lville’s humanities is unrivaled. My friend went to both revisit days and liked Lville food better.</p>
<p>Oh, Hotchkiss is in the middle of nowhere, whereas At Lville you can take an 8 minute bus ride to Princeton on the weekends.</p>
<p>My daughter got accepted at Hotchkiss and rejected at Lawrenceville (1st choice). Hotchkiss has a good science program and well as a performing arts program. Lawrenceville seems to be a more balanced school, where the kids are not cooked under pressure.</p>
<p>For obvious reasons (see my name), I’d go with L’ville. 
Did you also apply to NYC schools, nyparent? We’ve just gone through that process for my 8th grader, but didn’t apply to L’ville (or any other boarding school). We offered it as an option to him, but he wasn’t interested.</p>
<p>Visited both schools with my DS Lville was our second favorite school to the school he matric. Hotchkiss beautiful school, middle of nowhere. Not even a phone signal</p>
<p>Congratulations on the acceptance to Lawrenceville! It is a fabulous school and my child and I feel so grateful to be part of the community. In the spirit of Loving the School that Loves you, I wanted to share with you why we love Lawrenceville. </p>
<p>Diversity. 50% of the kids are non-white and in a spirt of having a truly diverse community Lawrenceville works to make sure that no kid feels different and they all feel connected to the community. From day 1, my child really felt like “everyone is friends here.” He loves his school more then I thought was possible and of the few parents I have spoken with, it is always the same sentiment. Lawrenceville has a dean of residential life, which gives thoughtful focus on making the time outside of the classroom meaningful. </p>
<p>Academics: No denying Lawrenceville has amazing academics. Someone on this forum has created a site that analyzes matriculation and Lawrenceville is among the top at placing kids at top schools. It is also on a list of top 20 prep schools published by Forbes a few years back. Maybe you can find the link to the matriculation site on a different post. The classrooms are engaging, the teachers top notch, the kids excited. As a parent, during Winter Weekend, you can go to your child’s classes and even participate in a harkness style class of your own, on a topic of your own choosing. </p>
<p>9th Grade Acclimation: The transition for a new 9th grader is wonderful. (I’m sure it is also great for older kids, but I’ll speak from my own experience.) Kids have their own dorm room, which I think is wonderful. It removes any drama that could possibly happen from having a room mate with different habits. Yet at the same time, the kids have the great balance of the common rooms and visiting each others rooms. There are no grades the first semester, except for Math and Language. You get progress reports and report cards each semester and also a Housemaster report each semester that includes information from the house master and advisor. I really feel like I know how my child is doing academically and socially. I agree with the post before about it not feeling like a pressure cooker (at least not so far.)</p>
<p>My child’s pre-prep school sends about the same amount of kids to Hotchkiss and Lawrenceville and I know both schools are wonderful. Lawrenceville has been wonderful for my child and I feel very connected to the community as well. I can’t imagine ever looking back, and wishing for something different.</p>
<p>By the way, I was the one who created that site. So, L’ville of course got bumped up a few percentage points in every category! 
Just joking!</p>
<p>[Matriculation</a> Stats](<a href=“http://www.matriculationstats.org%5DMatriculation”>http://www.matriculationstats.org)</p>
<p>Well it seems your son has made his choice I would say accept the offer and if hotchkiss takes him off the waitlist then consider that if it happens.</p>
<p>Another person loyal to L’ville stepping in here, but I was in the exact same situation last year, except with Milton Academy, so I know how your family must be feeling. I did end up getting moved off the waitlist of Milton in late April, after I had already made a $1000 deposit and signed the Enrollment Agreement at L’ville. I hope you understand that the chances of getting moved off waitlists is very small and undependable, but there is hope. I ended up following the “love the school that loves you” and chose to stick to my decision to attend Lawrenceville. Now I am a student there and having the time of my life. :)</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for replying to my post. We indeed accepted and S is going next year. He is elated. Now, I will be creating a different thread–tips on how to survive and do well the 1st year. Cheers.</p>