Loomis Chaffee - good & bad

<p>My son is thinking about attending LC after getting his admission letter. Can someone tell me both good and bad things about LC?</p>

<p>For instance we heard LC has an excellent writing program. Also I heard that LC reputation is lower than other schools in its league because their admittance rate is much higher than other BS</p>

<p>Thank you !</p>

<p>This question is quite broad and answering it requires a bit of information. Therefore, many won’t necessarily be apt to respond. However, I would suggest using the search function of this forum-- it will provide you with far more information and give you a less condensed analysis of LC. Below is a search of threads regarding Loomis Chaffee: </p>

<p>[College</a> Confidential - Search Results](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/search.php?searchid=44995906]College”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/search.php?searchid=44995906)</p>

<p>If after conducting the search, you then have more specific questions, you may be more apt to receive an answer.</p>

<p>Good: great community. Relaxed relationships between students and teachers, but with serious academic rigor. Unpretentious. Excellent foreign study opportunities, leadership opportunities, athletic facilities, etc. Close to major airport/train for easy commuting. </p>

<p>Bad: I don’t know. Will leave for someone else to comment.</p>

<p>Good: Great school! </p>

<p>Bad: You are in a really hard league. Hockey players have to go up against Avon Old Farms (Let’s go A!). Soccer players have to play Hotchkiss, Choate, and more. Baseball against Avon Old Farms who has the last five New England Championships. Lacrosse has to go against Deerfield, Avon Old Farms, Salisbury School. Football will have to play really tough games.</p>

<p>This could actually be both good and bad.</p>

<p>Hi! I am a current junior at Loomis and absolutely love it. </p>

<p>Good: Absolutely amazing community in comparison with other similar boarding schools. I have found that students really want each other to succeed rather than seeing their peers are competition (which is absolutely the case at Loomis). Very integrated community with few to no cliques. Phenomenal teacher student relationships. I have liked every one of the teachers that I’ve had in the past few years. As for Loomis having a worse reputation, while I am certainly biased, I find that we are certainly on par with similar boarding schools. In the past year the school has put more of an emphasis on decreasing the day student population, which has resulted in lowered acceptance rates in the past couple of years. Also keep in mind that schools like Exeter or Andover are more prestigious, you need to think of where your child will thrive best. Loomis on a purely academic level is equivalent to an Andover or Exeter. Personally, I chose Loomis over other schools I was accepted into like Deerfield and Greenwich Academy because I loved the students and sense of community. Lastly, Loomis’s writing program is absolutely amazing. I have developed valuable writing skills which will have helped me immensely on SATs and will continue to serve me in college.</p>

<p>Now for the cons:
The school is slightly smaller than other school such as Choate or Exeter which can feel restricting for some. Loomis is also extremely academically rigorous and can be extremely challenging at times, but I feel as if this is true for most other boarding schools as well. Other than that I really don’t see any other cons at Loomis but feel free to comment with any other questions!</p>

<p>How does it compare to Northfield Mount Hermon or Berkshire?
SO the school is more competitive academically?</p>

<p>My daughter interviewed and toured in the summer, so we did not get a chance to see any students. I am wondering about the music and arts program – as well as the evening/weekend activities. Is the town of Windsor safe and accessible to the students? She will be boarding. Thanks!</p>

<p>It is more academically rigorous than NMH. And more traditional.</p>

<p>Windsor is safe and very accessible. Students walk off campus often for meals or supply runs.</p>

<p>Bradley airport is 15 minutes; the east coast Amtrak line runs a five minute walk from campus.</p>

<p>what kind of students does the school look for ?
how does Loomis compare to Berkshire than?
thanks</p>

<p>

It can be argued that the number of students at choate & exeter are atypically large for boarding schools.</p>

<p>We visited Loomis recently and were genuinely wowed. Beautiful campus. Nice kids. Warm feel. Unpretentious. Even nice chickens. :-)</p>

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<p>I’ll echo this…even including the chickens. :)</p>

<p>@PelicanDad: I took your advice and we’ve visited the school… twice already. We liked it and I think it’ll be on DC’s list this year. Thank you!</p>

<p>LC alumna here – I was just back for my 40th reunion. </p>

<p>The campus is just as lovely as ever and the new buildings and renovated spaces are just WOW. I happen to like the combination of boarding and day students – but I was a day girl before there were boarding girls.</p>

<p>I feel that academics were impressive, and still are. The faculty is amazing. I would send my kids there in an instant, if it were up to me. (And at this point, 40 years later, I have seen a bunch of independent schools and my kids did graduate from independent schools and I still feel that way.)</p>