<p>Hello Everyone,
My daughter is enthusiastically interviewing at three prep schools--Loomis, Deerfield and Pomfret, and would be starting as a 10th grader. We are really looking for a place that has opportunities for her to try new things (classes and sports) and is not extremely clique-ish. Can anyone please help us:</p>
<ol>
<li>Compare the three schools--academics, social life, fun factor</li>
<li>Tell us roughly how many kids come to boarding schools as sophomores and how easy or difficult that transition might be</li>
<li>She's interested in crew, dance, art and trying new sports (maybe field hockey and volleyball); we know L-C doesn't have crew, but any other thoughts you have would be appreciated. </li>
</ol>
<p>I can answer some of your concerns for Loomis only. My daughter is currently a freshman boarder. Loomis puts great care in orientation for all new students whether or not they are freshman. My d is not so much into dance and the arts, but since those have been my own passions, I can tell you for a fact that Loomis is phenomenal for those interests. I have enviously wished I had the opportunity to be at a school like that for dance, theater, music, and the fine arts. Their art dept was the best of all the schools we had visited. My d is very much into sports and the Loomis athletics program has something for everyone at every level, beginner to advanced. Instead of sports, students may also try classes such as yoga, etc. They have school clubs for every imaginable interest and any student can start a new club if they wish. The school newspaper, The Log, has been revamped and is printed on full size newsprint with impressive writing. Speaking of which, the Loomis writing program is one of a kind. They are dedicated to graduating top notch writers. The entire staff and faculty are accessible to the students. The academics are rigorous but supportive. This is not an easy school by any means. My d came in as a straight A student and finds the work difficult. I’m sorry that I cannot offer comparisons for the other two schools, which each have great reputations, but I can tell you that we chose Loomis over acceptances from some very impressive schools. The atmosphere at Loomis was much more caring and its size was just right. Aside from that, it’s a beautiful campus.</p>
<p>@PelicanMom, I have a son at LC who would be in your daughter’s class if she enrolls. We also looked closely at Pomfret (but not at DA). Son is not an enthusiastic arts guy, so the curricular emphasis on arts at Pomfret wasn’t a pull for him, and he felt that the academic challenge LC would offer was what he wanted most. So far so good; socially, he is happy as a clam (or as happy as any 9th grade boy can be in a new high school environment); academically, he has learned there’s “head room” above him and he’s gravitated toward peers who will challenge him to get even smarter.</p>
<p>LOTS of kids enter BS in 10th grade; the only difference I would note is that it’s a little bit more of a challenge in that you have to orient yourself to the new community (geographically, logistically, socially) while still trying to perform at a very high level, as I believe sophomore year course load and performance matter significantly more than freshman year.</p>
<p>PM me if you have other Qs you’d like to ask!</p>
<p>S has been out of LC for a few years ('09 grad) so my info isn’t absolutely current, but … He started as a sophomore day student after we moved to a nearby (to LC) town. So he came into LC not knowing anyone, AND he didn’t know anyone in our (new) town, either. This actually turned out fine since he just made friends with everyone. </p>
<p>The orientation is great for new students, no matter what grade they start in. The mandatory sports help, too – S immediately got to be friends with the Water Polo Team. There were also required study halls for new sophomores to help get students into good study/time management habits. As stated above, the writing program is great. S struggled somewhat with writing when he arrived, but left as a decent writer. (He’s now majoring in electrical & computer engineering and compared to a lot of his techy buddies, he’s considered to be a stellar writer!)</p>
<p>My only issue, which may now be corrected, was with course selection. I didn’t feel as if there was a lot/any guidance, and S ended up with a bad placement his sophomore year. Even in his junior and senior years, when we knew the “lay of the land” better, it was still a difficult process. All in all, though, S got a terriffic education at LC.</p>
<p>The course selection process has been revamped, and there’s always wiggle room in the fall if something doesn’t go properly with one’s application (been through the process myself). I’m a current Junior at Loomis, and while I came in as a freshman, I can honeslty tell you that it was the best decision that I’ve made. Loomis is the right school for anyone, and coming in as a sophomore won’t make a huge difference, seeing as my grade has doubled since freshmen year. The environment at Loomis is excellent.
—as far as sports go, volleyball and field hockey both have wonderful programs although it would be good to note that they both are fall term sports, so it would be one or the other.
Also, for dance, Loomis has two levels of year round dance (as well as many term offerings), Company One and Company Two- company two follows the schedule of almost an interscholastic team, as they have afterschool practices, which in most cases, inhibit students from doing other sports.
Hope this helped!</p>
<p>I realize this is an old thread, but I’m hoping someone will answer this…my daughter was just accepted to LC, four other schools and waitlisted at a few, only one of which she will play the “wait and see game”-and she still won’t commit unless she has the opportunity to revisit. I’ve read the above posts. Everyone has said that entering LC as a sophomore does not present a significant issue. What does LC do as far as orientation for new students? Are there dorm activities? LC seems like the perfect choice and suits my daughters needs. I think the size of the student body is perfect. SHE is concerned as it is bigger than the other two schools she is seriously considering. I’m wondering if the bigger size creates more cliques than smaller schools. Alternatively, the size could simply mean my daughter will have more choices and not be limited to certain groups and people.I would hate to see her choose another school based on a 200 person difference. LC has an incredible writing program and seems to create a great environment that encourages a balance between academics, social and the emotional needs of the kids. Does anyone have an opinion on this?</p>
<p>Loomis is a fun school. I don’t know how it’ll be academically, but I had a couple bros go there, solid guys. No dress code and they don’t ship you out first offense like Westy. Lot of Country Day kids come in as sophs, so your daughter is probably straight.</p>
<p>Worrying about the size of these schools is a straight up joke. All of these schools are preposterously small. Choate, which is “huge” in the boarding school world is 1/5 the size of New Trier and about 1/4 of Constoga. Loomis only has 650 kids through 4 grades plus PGs. 650-20 PGs = 630/4 = about 160 kids per grade. It’s tiny. They’ll only be about 80 other girls her year. Unless you’re coming from the smallest town ever or a Montessori school these places will be too small for comfort.</p>
<p>Your reference to New Trier leads me to believe that you are from the Northshore of Chicago. I am quite familiar with that school and Northshore Country Day. Anyway, my daughter is coming from a Jr. Boarding school in Boston, so she is not accustomed to the size of the public schools where we live anymore. Trust that I have compared the tiny size of Choate, Loomis and Lawrenceville to the size of the pubic school she would have been attending here and am not making much headway. I agree with you regarding the size. Her other top pick is less then 400. I’m trying to decipher what the actual community is like, especially among the girls. I think Loomis is perfect. Simply telling her that it’s not too big isn’t enough.</p>
<p>Yeah, a lot of us Midwesterners end up back East. The girls I know from Loomis generally tend to be nice, friendly. Of course everything is variable depending on the individual. One assessment: families that choose Loomis tend to be more politically diverse/progressive than many other boarding schools. I would be shocked if Deerfield and Taft didn’t go 95% for Romney. Loomis is less formal and “Republican” than its peer schools if that makes any sense.</p>
<p>Many of the families I know that chose Loomis could spend part of their winters at the Everglades Club if they wanted to, but it is absolutely NOT that scene. My friends used to joke that Deerfield girls are born wearing pearls, if you’re looking for that you won’t find it as much as Loomis (it is an elite NE boarding school, operative phrase is “as much”).</p>
<p>I am stereotyping a little, but let’s be real, stereotypes are rooted in truth. It stings only if it’s accurate. The dominant Deerfield stereotype is WASPy, incredibly conservative, and old $. The fact that DA expelled some kids that made light of the Koch brothers (DA alums) speaks volumes. I stand by the stereotype that aside from the diversity requirements, the DA kids are country club conservatives. Deerfield is basically Greenwich North or Dartmouth’s JV, not judging, it is what it is.</p>
<p>If Deerfield is Darmouth Loomis is Brown if that makes sense.</p>
<p>Now that is helpful! My husband just was saying that certain schools tend to be much more conservative and “Republican.” My daughter is definitely NOT that type. Yet, she does like a couple of the more traditional boarding schools, which I think is a bit too much tradition, way too much hands on “helicopter-like” and definitely not laid back.
We actually do not live out East, and I’m betting that our daughter won’t ever move back here. Part of the reason she chose prep school was to get away from the “born entitled to” attitude and actual reality of where we live. I’m sure it exists at every school. But, the bigger the school, the more likely there will be more diversity. I agree that Loomis is diverse, which is a great quality and one that she wants. As I said, I think Loomis is a a great match for her. She does too. However, the size is still an issue for her, and the smaller school she is looking at as well as the one where she is choosing to remain on the wait list are both traditional, they attend chapel frequently and are definitely more conservative then I think she is ready to admit.<br>
I’m hoping that after our revisits, Loomis will be an easy choice for her. I (or someone there) just has to help her see that bigger can be better in so many ways. Loomis just feels like the most well balanced school and one where the students work hard and are challenged, but they are also encouraged to enjoy being teenagers. Being a student doesn’t have to jeopardize one’s ability to have fun.</p>
<p>@JMH, plus what do you care if Deerfield is this or that? is it affecting you in any way? No, I don’t think so. So, don’t judge other schools if don’t have enough context about them. Or would you like someone doing the same with your school? Think before you act/speak.</p>
<p>JMH, you are very wrong. Once you meet Deerfield students, you know who they actually are. I have meet 10-20 kids from Deerfield. Some are rich but they are all relaxed. Others are barely able to afford full tuition, or on financial aid. Also, if Deerfield is Dartmouth, Loomis would be no where near brown. Loomis would be a top college but not an ivy league. Very bad comparison.</p>
<p>The ferocity of repudiation of Deerfield’s culture reinforces the validity of the stereotype. If I posit that Deerfield is largely inhabited by free-spirited hippies it would be absurd enough to not merit a response. The folks that like checkered pants and unironic seersucker GENERALLY (not 100%, but true enough to go by) love DA. I’m not assigning a value judgment to an institution’s culture. The 50-50 Obama/Romney split is fascinating given the overall dispositions of the youth demographic, and probably well north of a majority of white students there will trend conservative. While DA has students on financial aid like everyone else, the stereotype emerges from the dominant archetype; i.e. Wealthy, white, and amazingly socially conservative. Some people like that, I’m indifferent. I’m not singling Deerfield out, Westminster and Taft are the exact same way. Taft is to DA as Loomis is to Andover, make of that what you will.</p>
<p>I think Loomis and DA aren’t far very apart substantively when it comes to education. Basically any high school with the ability to reject 3/4s+ of its prospective students is a remarkable school. If you all believe it is belittling to comment on a school’s culture I do not know what else to tell you.</p>
<p>Here’s one piece of info directed specifically at crekson’s Qs, which I think makes a general comment about how LC operates, too. Given the school is aware of how significantly class composition is altered by the influx of new sophomores, there is a weekend sophomore retreat early on in the autumn that all sophomores attend off campus (I believe they do it at Camp Beckett up in Western Mass.) DC, as a sophomore already “in the know,” was sceptical, but ended up having a great time and it is clear the retreat is a great way to integrate the prior year’s freshman class with all of the new incoming kids.</p>
<p>We also felt like Loomis was pretty close to as “real” as a prep school can get. We love the strong humanities component, it suits our DC to a “t” and he is thriving.</p>