<p>Hi NewEnglandDad, I am Middlesex '12, I’ll give it a shot</p>
<ol>
<li>Yes I am very happy! Coming from a large public school of about 2000 with just over 25 kids in a class to come to middlesex is a dream come true! Everyone is part of your family, teachers, students, and I even know more than a few facilities people - everyone is friendly! You mentioned that in the upper years some students aren’t as happy. Generally I have found that students who are unhappy are uninvolved, taken an overloaded academic course load, or simply don’t know what a gift and opportunity it is to attend a school like Middlesex. And like izzy said, there are unhappy people at every school. Overall, I have loved my experience and wouldn’t change a thing! I am truly happy!</li>
<li><p>In terms of small school size, there are many advantages… as izzy said gossip does spread like wildfire, which is nice because it kind of represents how close we are as a family. That’s not all…Every week all teachers/faculty meet once a week to discuss students, and every student is discussed 3-4 times a year. Everyone knows who you are, what you like to do, and how you work at the school. Athletically some may argue that sports are of low level at smaller schools, I disagree…many of our teams compete against the big schools (like andover, exeter) and do extraordinarily well. Also, some may argue that there isn’t as much academic depth, Yes there are probably less elective courses, but for the majority of the school the curriculum succeeds, and if you want to go further, students can take ISPs (independent study projects) or taking math at a university.</p></li>
<li><p>Weekends are short, fun, but work intensive. We are not done with the academic day until 12 and most of the time you will have an athletic math and you will sometimes not return until 5. After you eat dinner, there is almost always some school event (whether it be a dance, skate on the rink, hypnotist, etc)…Following the event, most people are burnt tired and go to bed and sleep in until 10-12 the next morning. You eat brunch and go to work. Some students also go in to Boston or town by way of the school shuttle on sundays. </p></li>
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<p>I hope this helped! Middlesex is a great school! Hope you decide to enroll!</p>
<p>I have heard wonderful things about Middlesex writing program. I absolutly love writing! I was wondering if someone could tell me more about their program?
Also is their alot of kids on FA? and does it really make a difference? like do kids look down on you if you got FA?
Thanks!</p>
<p>I went on the school site and took a virtual tour yesterday and it looks amazing…but I kinda think I should stop becoming so attach to these schools the soonest I could attend would be in a year = [
yay 150 posts haha</p>
<p>Writing Program = AWESOME
Honestly, There have been many essays and paragraphs where I was able to create something simply beautiful, and I’m still amazed when I look at them. The odd part (and I don’t know if it’s true for everyone, but it is for me) is that all of it I already had, Middlesex just let me put all of my abstract ideas about literature into a beautiful piece of analytical writing, to give my ideas form and function. </p>
<p>Freshman english focuses more on getting students up to speed with the Middlesex style of writing, which is very specific. It’s basically beginner writing- you don’t know s*** about writing before you come (even if you think you do, you don’t).</p>
<p>Sophomores have to take Writing Workshop once a week, which helps them clean up they’re writing a lot (they also take a regular english class, of course).</p>
<p>Juniors take a standard english class.</p>
<p>Seniors take english electives (I think??? correct me if I’m wrong, PLEASE). I know of a few (like creative writing, which uses Harry Potter as a text I AM SO TAKING THAT CLASS).</p>
<p>But many classes are sought after- like a certain AP Art History class with a certain teacher, and all classes are excellent.</p>
<p>izzy-thanks for the information about the writing program! and polodolly, i know what you mean i would be applying for the 2011-2012 school year and i am already in love with alot of schools! I guess we are getting a head start?</p>
<p>Was I hallucinating or true that there are more girls than boys at MX? That is one of the impressions I got from today’s revisit. It seems girls (they are all very beautiful btw) are everywhere you look.</p>
<p>I tried to find out the numbers after coming back, but couldn’t find anything, not on MX school fact sheet.</p>
<p>uh oh… izzy, could you elaborate on the “middlesex method of writing”? that sounds pretty creepy, to know that my style of writing is ABSOLUTELY WRONG, especially when English is pretty much my best subject. would you say that adjustment to their writing program as a sophomore would be reaaally difficult? eep.</p>
<p>i can see my English mark plummeting, even from here :$</p>
<p>Yes Middlesex is about 50:50 Boys/Girls…The writing program is very prestigious and challenging, but it helps in you in the long run. Many of our Harvard teachers frequently express how Middlesex gradudates have better writing techniques coming in than many of the students at Harvard.</p>
<p>Freshmen English: adjustment to Middlesex method of writing
Sophmore English: continuation of freshman english, also Writing Workshop is added
Junior English: it has been designated AP English by the AP board…keep in mind at most schools AP English is taken during one’s Senior year, and only available to the top students where at Middlesex it is manadatory as a junior.
Senior English: Advanced English Electives</p>
<p>It’s a very nice school; the campus and the people are great! For all of you that went to revisit day yesterday, I hope you had a great time and decide to enroll!</p>
<p>If you come in as a new sophomore, you still take the same class as a normal returning sophomore would. I will admit, as a I am a new soph myself, that it is harder adjusting to the writing style than it is for returners, but teachers know this and new sophmores are given a bit of leeway and a little more guidance (in my opinion of course)…But ,by the end of the year, you will generally be caught up with the returners and be very prepared for AP English in your junior year.</p>