Lawrenceville vs Deerfield

Prep School Admissions
1

Hello. I was recently accepted to both Deerfield Academy and Lawrenceville School, and I am very grateful to have these two options, however now I am completely torn. I understand that there are many threads on these two schools, yet after reading them I still have many questions. I would greatly appreciate if you could give your opinion and information you may have on these two schools.

I understand both schools are very difficult, but Lawrenceville does not weight GPA’s. Does this affect a student’s college chances? Which school is easier to maintain a good GPA?

Also, I would really dislike a school which has a very prevalent jock culture, like a public school. Which school has less of this type of vibe?

Lawrenceville’s location is amazing, compared to Deerfield being so isolated. Does Deerfield’s isolation every get extremely boring. Should location make or break a decision?

Are either of these schools sink or swim schools? If so, which one is more?

Again, I would really appreciate any input. Thanks in advance.

2

Does cost matter? Will they cost the same for your family?

3

I am FP. Lawrenceville is a bit more expensive, but both schools are manageable for my family.

4

Sorry, what is FP?

Also, are you ready to accept some stranger’s decision on where to spend next four years of your life?

I’d suggest you check out their packages, websites, maybe get in touch with an alumni or your interviewer and take a firm decision yourself. High school is the start of the toughest times of your life and in future you will have to take decisions all on your own.

Sit back, relax, and think deeply. You will realize that there’s one school which instantly excites you. If you don’t feel anything, then keep exploring. At one point. you will realize where you really want to go.

After this you can take any stranger’s suggestions to have further insights. In my opinion, taking suggestions before deciding for yourself will disrupt your vision and the real feeling from the inside won’t come. Who knows a good persuader can persuade you to do to a school you don’t feel a connection with?

5

Lville is more than just a “bit more expensive”. It is A LOT more expensive. Lville charges for a multitude of things, big & small (books, feeds, athletic snacks, yearbook-- the list is endless), that are included at DA.

Plusses & minuses for each school. DA has more school spirit. Lvllle has more house spirit. DA sit down meals really foster a sense of community, Lville is more casual. Neither school weights GPA. Both schools have excellent college counseling. As for sink & swim, academic support is only good if students avail themselves of it.

I wouldn’t make a big deal out of the rural location of DA. Fun is where your friends are,

I strongly suggest you go to both schools’ Revisit Days to decide.

6

@edccrv Thank you for your reply. FP is full pay. And I’ll take your advice and try to think about it myself too. I like certain things about each school which is why it is so difficult.

7

@GMTplus7 Thanks for the insight. The gap in cost of attendance is something I will discuss (again) with my family, and see how they feel about it. I wish I could attend revisit days, but unfortunately they coincide with plans that were made months ago.

8

Here are some thoughts to think about:

Deerfield: more rural location, fewer % of day students. Because of this, the students form quite tight bonds, as there isn’t much to do off campus. There are buses to the Walmart in Greenfield on the weekends, and Boston is 2 hours away. No Saturday classes, but they do have sit-down meals. Athletics is highly valued (esp lax), and dress code is preppy. Excellent facilities and teaching. House feeds happen more frequently than at Lville (I believe they happen a few times a week whereas at Lville happens only once a week).

Lawrenceville: Saturday classes are somewhat of a bummer. More focus on the house system, about 1/3 day students. Princeton is about 15 mins away, and lots of stuff to do off campus. But you probably won’t be going off campus a whole lot at either school. Facilities equally as impressive as Deerfield. Slightly larger student body. New headmaster is in his first year.

Regarding which school is it easier to maintain a good GPA: sorry I don’t know much about that, but both schools have excellent college placement. Ask to see the college matriculation lists from both schools. You can also ask them to send you a list of the GPA distribution and compare the two. Unfortunately keep in mind that colleges don’t look at weighted GPAs, they tend to focus on the unweighted GPA.

Regarding jock culture: both schools pride themselves on athletics. But I got the sense when visiting both schools that there were a lot of high caliber athletes in the Lax program at DA. This tends to rub off on other aspects of school life. Lville has a lot of successful sports teams as well, but I don’t think they stand out as much as the Deerfield Lax time does. If you are a non-athlete, I’m sure you’ll fit in fine at either school.

9

@sgopal2 I do play a couple sports; however, I don’t really want to attend a school where social lives primarily revolve around athletics. From your reply, it seems like both schools are pretty well rounded. Thanks for your input!

10

Lawrenceville GPA system is technically unweighted, but was different from my LPS in that the “+” grades add .3 and the “-” grades subtract .3.

I’m at Lawrenceville as a junior right now, feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions you’d like answered.

11

@mrnephew Thank you!

12

Hi @afzfsf, I’m at Deerfield so I can help answer a few of those questions.

Deerfield’s average GPA is an 89, with most students falling in around the 90-91s. For me, academics have not been too much of an issue, but it does require hard work to maintain good grades, as with any school.

I don’t think Deerfield has a jock culture to where our social lives primarily revolve around athletics. I used to go to a large public high school in Texas where football and sports was such a big deal, so I was also concerned about this aspect in boarding schools. At Deerfield there are so many other things to do/watch besides sports and the community responds to that. For example, our cheerleaders don’t just go to support sports games, they come to every theatre, dance, and music production as a group. So, as a musician who hasn’t participated in sports, I really love the support the community provides.

I agree that Deerfield is more isolated, but I don’t think it’s made it the least bit boring. We have so many weekend activities off campus where the school provides free transportation. There are trips to Greenfield every Friday and also trips to Hadley and Northampton, all places where you can eat out with your friends. There are also trips to the ski resort, movies, corn mazes, dances, mall, and many other places. Furthermore, students have advisors who are basically your surrogate parent, and many advisors often take their advisees out during the school week.

In the end though, I really think you should go visit both schools. Both are fantastic places and it really just depends which one you feel more comfortable in. I personally love how close-knit the community is at Deerfield, not only between the students but the faculty as well. I think the relatively smaller student body and idea of sit-down lunches/dinners really help foster a strong community bond. And, the teachers and opportunities here are just phenomenal.

Anyways, feel free to message me too if you have questions!

13

@Snowfire88 Thank you for your detailed response!

14

@afzfsf I’m also a student at Deerfield, and I personally loved and chose Deerfield because of the fact that it wasn’t really close to everything and that would help me focus on my studies (and treasure all the off-campus activities!). Like @Snowfire88 said, we still get plenty of off-campus opportunities even with the location so I don’t think it’s that much of a problem. Regarding the sink-or-swim school thing I don’t think DA is one - all my teachers are there to help you realize your potential and your advisor especially provides you with a lot of support.

Feel free to ask me any follow-up questions you have!

15

Take it from poppy, both are sink or swim schools. The fact that the schools accepted you means that in their opinion you can swim.

16

Is one school closer to home?

17

@piedmontsardinia Yeah, the location could be looked at as an advantage in some cases. Thanks!

@Optimyst Thanks, thats slightly reassuring haha.

@doschicos No, both would be about the same, as I would have to take a flight to whichever I pick.

18

Are u an int’l student? If so then don’t think twice; pick Lville-- you’ll thank me some day… Int’l arrivals to JFK & EWR. For domestic flights, there’s also PHL & LGA. I think Delta also has int’l arrivals to PHL.

BDL is a PITA for int’l commuting. BOS is a long drive.

19

We’ve got shuttles to Newark and Philly Airports, which actually just makes commuting a lot easier.

To JFK it’s mostly trains that we use.

20

DA provides shuttles to nearby airports and New York, so don’t let that deter you! I’m an international student and I’ve managed to survive - it’s not great but it’s not bad either :slight_smile: