<p>arling: a parent can be as involved as the parent/child relationship can withstand! :) By that I mean, the school actively encourages parents to visit, come to games, concerts and other performances, and the LCPA (Loomis Chaffee Parents' Assn.) is an active presence on campus. On the other hand, after the initial settling in period, your child might not be so eager to have his or her parents around that much...there is so much else to do, socially, academically, and so on, that it can become difficult to work your parents into such a busy schedule! But if your child gets emotional sustenance or comfort from having you around a lot, I really don't think anyone would have a problem with it.</p>
<p>march10success: I don't really have a good answer to your question about workload. It seems to me that how hard Loomis students work depends very much on what their own expectations for personal performance are. It also requires some idea of what your own notion of what a lot of homework would be. But, let me see if I can give you some info.</p>
<p>For freshman, for each class hour teachers assign an amount of homework that they imagine will take 45 minutes, and that amount goes up for upperclassmen. Each class meets 5 hours each week (3 regular classes, and one "double"), so I guess that would work out to a bit over 4 hours of homework for each class over the course of a week, or 16-20 hours of work outside of class per week for a schedule of 4 or 5 classes. But this is where the analysis breaks down because whether it truly is 16-20 hours per week depends on how devoted (or obsessive!) you are as a student. Some kids, I'm sure, get away with less (although I'm certain they would not be at the top of their class, grade-wise); others will spend considerably longer. Opportunities exist for getting work done throughout the day: there are daytime study halls and free periods during the school day; from 3:15 to 6, if you aren't doing a sport; after dinner but before the official study hall; and of course, the official study hall itself which runs from 7:45 to 9:45. I must say that it doesn't seem unusual for kids to stay up late doing work, but again, whether this applies to you will depend on your personal needs, interests, approach.</p>
<p>I've heard the addage that, as a prep school student, you have three things in your life: academics, friends, and sleep. Pick 2.</p>
<p>I'm not sure it's as bad as that, but I think this saying does point up the fact that you have to set your priorities. Figure out early on what's important to you for the coming year and go at it! Loomis will give you all the opportunities and support you need to accomplish your goals.</p>