My daughter is on the waiting list for Loomis and Kent. I have made a lot of research about both schools and found some contradictory information on the reviews. Can a student or a parent clarify this questions for me? Some reviews say that Lommis student body is preppy and somewhat snobby, but others say they are friendly and surprisingly down to earth. When I viisited the school they didn’t look like a preppy student body to me at all. On the contrary. Is it true that the boarders are the preppy type and the day students are the more layed back type? Does the feel of the school change a lot from day to night when only the boarders remain? Can somebody tell me what is the type of student that gors to Loomis? I love the school but want to make sure it’s the right fit for my daughter. She is mostly the clean cut, traditional, intellectual type. Would she fit in and find other kids like her? Is Loomis considered a top school? Regarding Kent, is it considered a top school? Are the rumors about drugs true and the talk about it being dominated by wealthy NY kids? Is the campus friendly for a sensitive, nice and smart kid? Thanks for your help!!!
When I revisited Loomis, the kids I met were the sweetest and most down to earth kids I met on a school visit. They made me feel incredibly welcomed and I got to know them throughout the day. The teachers and faculty I met were also amazingly kind and helpful, just based on their classes I watched. I am so happy to have picked Loomis. I was also really impressed by Kent and I found it to be decently warm in terms of student attitude. However, it just couldn’t compare to the feeling I had at Loomis. It’s an incredible place and I can’t wait to attend this September!
Hi Happymom123,
My son is a sophomore at Loomis this year, he is a boarder and loves it there. Teachers and dorm heads have certainly made an effort to create a friendly and down to earth atmosphere at this school. Kids are not preppy, or individualistic, they have lots of friends and are very study-oriented. Boarders are not separate from day-students. They stay together, participate in the same activities, work and play in the same clubs, support each other on sports teams. When we come to drop off my son to Loomis in September, bringing a full car trunk of his school stuff for the year, those kids who came earlier rush to help to unload the boxes and do it smiling, they are happy to be helpful. We visited classes at Loomis during parents week-end, and I am very happy to say, that teachers and students “have an understanding”, they work together, they search for answers, look for ideas. I have a very warm feeling towards Loomis. It is a nurturing environment for a kid away from home, but it is also a very disciplined community, where everyone is busy following his/her schedule in order to succeed. I know, I am biased, and I’ve never been to Kent, but Loomis is a very special school and I would recommend it to any good kid eager to learn and find new friends.
Yes, the rumors are true about Kent, Unfortunately. I know this because my family member lives in the town and I live very close to the school. Kent has problems!!
Sorry to respond so late, but the majority of Loomis kids are indeed down to earth. This is in part because the admissions office tries to keep the environment one in which everyone feels safe to do what they like, and partly because once there, it is the “uncool” thing to be that shallow kid, and the few that are admitted later change into more caring individuals. Loomis is considered a top school. It is ranked #17 in the country for boarding schools.
Also late to the thread, but want to point out the danger @solargem of furthering rumors. As a parent of one current Kent student and a recent Kent graduate, I can tell you that Kent is a wonderful environment. My kids have both loved it and done beautifully there. Kent is unusual because it’s a one strike school. One incident with alcohol and/or drugs and you’re expelled. And the students all know this. So when the rare incident occurs, everyone knows about it. At other nearby boarding schools, you may not hear about these incidents as much because they’re dealt with quietly with multiple chances given to stay in school. I know of several kids who were caught drinking and/or smoking pot at other boarding schools and were simply put on probation. At Kent, they would have been kicked out. Teens will be exposed to all kinds of things no matter where they attend high school. The important question is how does each school address an incident – head on or sweep it under the rug? By offering to further “rumors,” posters may actually interfere with a kid going to the school that might be best for him or her. That would be the real “problem.”