<p>Hi, in September I'll be attending Deerfield Academy as a repeat sophomore. Can someone tell me more about Deerfield that is different from what I have already heard on the tours and such. It can be something small or large, anything will help though!</p>
<p>yeah this would help! can anyone post?</p>
<p>As a DA mom of a new sophomore this year, what would you like to know?</p>
<p>It has exceeded my wildest expectations in what I was hoping for. Is it perfect, no, but I have found a loving environment, strong academics and students that my d finds wonderful and interesting. </p>
<p>Ask particular questions and I will share my insight!</p>
<p>Welcome to the DA family!!!</p>
<p>How was making friends? I won’t be entering as a freshman either, so I am most concerned about making friends and adjusting into the community. Were the people welcoming, and did she make friends right after the orientation day even though all dorms are singles? I’m super concerned about struggling to make friends and dealing with snobby people.</p>
<p>Also, how was the academic adjustment? I know for sure that Deerfield will be harder academically than my new school. How hard is it to adjust and mantain high grades. The same goes for athletics and community stuff.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Those are the exact questions I have. I am entering as a repeat sophomore so I also am a little nervous to getting adjusted.
And also, what happens after I commit to Deerfield. Like when do they send placement exams and help us set up our schedule etc…I’m so confused and feel left in the dark about that.</p>
<p>If I may, I might be able to answer these questions as well! I am a current senior who entered as a new sophomore, so I know many of the questions to which you are referring to. </p>
<p>@teddy: Just like any school, coming in during the second year will have its difficulties in the friends department. I firmly believe that Deerfield does a wonderful job at facilitating the connections. They work hard with “hall” relations in the first few weeks, making built in friends in the living environment. Once you get into your cocurriculars and classes, making friends comes much easier. Many of my close friends today were made on my hall that first year, as well as in the two sports I played, Swimming and Softball. The people are extremely welcoming, and I always felt like I had someone in my corner, looking out for me. I was pretty homesick in the first couple weeks, but my hall resident and my admissions officer from the year before offered great support. Within the entire community, we keep everyone afloat. Deerfield prides itself in the community we offer, and I can honestly say that it is one of my favorite things here. There will be all types of people at every school, but almost everyone I have met here have been quite warm and welcoming.</p>
<p>The academics at Deerfield are challenging yet manegable. One thing I loved when I arrived was the lack of a constant competitve atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong; everyone wants to do very well and excel in their classes. At the same time though, classmates are more than happy to help out a struggling peer, or celebrate successes with friends in the classroom. You are not thrown in to the academic pool without support though. The teachers want you to succeed as much as you want for yourself. They are very accessible for extra help, and they are always eager to help you succeed. This can be applied to sports as well. In lower levels (under Varsity), the coaches tend to help hone skills and work on team building to help those atheltes who think they would like to get to Varsity at some point. For those students who want sport for fun rather than level, the experience is just as rewarding and exciting.</p>
<p>@Brooke: Over the summer, Deerfield will correspond with you many times, detailing the process. You will take foreign language and math placement exams sometime in July I believe, and they will help you choose courses. If you have any questions, feel free to ask your admissions officer or any student at your revisit day.</p>
<p>I hope I have answered both of your questions adequately, and I can answer any more you have!</p>
<p>Can you reach the teachers for help in the evenings and weekends or only during office hours?</p>
<p>Teachers have duty nights, like office hours in colleges. Depending on where they live (in a dorm like 90% of the teachers, or off campus), they will have 3 nights or so when they are on duty. Usually they are always available during study hall (7:45-9:45) on those days. Each specific teacher has their own policy though.</p>
<p>As a DA parent, I must admit that their proctors are AMAZING!!! My d’s proctors have made such a difference in my d’s life and experience. I am not even sure they realize the impact they have on the underclassman. They are selected and trained beautifully.</p>
<p>The only sad part is that all proctors are seniors…so as they graduate, they leave a hole in their proctee’s hearts that will never be filled.</p>
<p>At least this has been our experience:-).</p>
<p>Can student’s keep bicycles on campus? Is it worth it to bring one? Do bikes get stolen?</p>
<p>Bikes are totally a personal preference. There is nothing on campus that is not within walking distance, but some students like having them for afterschool and on weekends. No one really bikes between classes though. Bikes sometimes have a tendency to get “borrowed”, or someone riding them from one dorm to another, but for the most part, nothing happens. All bikes are registered with security, so they are found pretty quickly. Also, a lot of students have bike locks, so stealing doesn’t happen.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice about bikes, cmurray33.</p>
<p>No problem! If there are any other questions, let me know!</p>
<p>thank you! that was very helpful!</p>
<p>Brooketrout, is there storage for ski equipment? At the Revisit Day, the coach said there is ski storage for kids on competitive ski team. But as entering new student, don’t know yet if S will make the team. We live very, very far away from campus, so we’d like to transport as much stuff as possible in each visit to the campus. If S will be tripping over all the stuff that he has to store in his dorm room, we’ll bring some stuf later.</p>
<p>Hi, I had a question about the social aspect… how welcoming are people/ how diverse is the school? I got a vibe that it seems as though deerfield, out of all the boarding schools, has the largest population of wealthy new englanders; is this assumption correct or is there more diversity (economic as well as location from where the students are from)</p>
<p>I think part of DAs preppy image comes from the dress code - which DA students where for class, academy events and any school trips off campus including to athletic contests.</p>
<p>Can’t say how you would determine which BS has the most wealthy NEnglanders. That would be a close contest and not really relevant. After all some wealthy NEnglanders are actually nice, smart, talented people - imagine that! </p>
<p>That said my D1s 5 best friends at DA: 1 from MA, 1 from TX, 1 from CA, 1 from NJ. D2: 1 from MA, 1 from OH, 1 from NC, 1 from NY, 1 from MD. So lots of geographic diversity. With significant FA there is also a fair amount of economic diversity. Most students are welcoming and supportive, however, it is HS so there are a few exceptions. Most important thing to socailly integrate at any BS is to be open yourself to befriending people from many different backgrounds and geographies.</p>
<p>Thank you, that was really helpful! I’m definately open to meeting new people from different backrounds, thats one of my main reasons for wanting to attend boarding school. From the sounds of it your daughter’s friends are from a lot of various places though so that reassures me. That literally is the only negative I can find to Deerfield haha, my parents told me to write a pro con list to decide and thats the only con I could think of examining.</p>
<p>xxDAxx-- Our S will matric at Deerfield this fall, and our family is neither wealthy nor from NE. In fact, had to explain to S what lacrosse is about. LOL.</p>
<p>What do you have against wealthy NEglanders? Some of my best friends fit that description.</p>