<p>On March 10th, I was notified that I have gotten into Middlesex, Cushing and Concord Academy, with the exact same financial aid offer, so all are possible. I would be a day student at all, and I live in Fitchburg, which is about a 40 minute drive to Middlesex, and 30 to Concord, and 15 to Cushing. I could also take the train to Concord, which would be MUCH more convenient. Obviously, Cushing would be convenient as well. </p>
<p>I am having a really hard time deciding which school I will go to. I am going to all revisit days. Can anyone give me their opinion/feedback on what school I should attend and why? ASAP responses would be appreciated because I have to make my decision by April 10th. Thanks!</p>
<p>I also have a question about Middlesex; I understand that they have a 3 sport requirement, so would I have to play 3 actual sports (baseball, Lax, etc.) or could I have theatre or an art class during this time? thanks!</p>
<p>First of all, congratulations on your acceptances! I am not too familiar with Cushing or Concord Academy, although I do know people who attend them. Cushing seems like a much more sporty school while Concord Academy has a spectacular arts program.</p>
<p>I applied and was accepted to Middlesex as well, and I found that school to be super nice! They seemed to have well-rounded students and great academics. They also have a lot of day students. I am not too positive on your sports question though, but jot it down and ask it to your student tour guide on revisit day!</p>
<p>Hope this helps and again, congratulations!</p>
<p>I loved Middlesex and based solely on field hockey (my main sport) I would have definitely attended Middlesex. However, due to the high day-student percentage, I decided that St. Paul’s School would be a better fit for me. I still absolutely love Middlesex and it is nice and near to my home. I wouldn’t mind day students, but I felt it would be better if everyone was on the same page. It was a hard decison because I truly felt Middlesex was such a nice school and the field hockey coach was so nice- she even showed up to one of my games! I thought it was also cool how on the acceptance page they made a collage of all the favorite words from the survey! (Mine was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious)</p>
<p>Well the best of luck at St. Pauls- Middlesex and St. Pauls are great schools. The best of luck to you there. I was that one weather spotter, on that page @bruinsgirl9</p>
<p>My personal opinion is that unless you have a compelling reason to attend Cushing, you should choose between Concord and Middlesex because of their academic strength. I wouldn’t consider the difference in commuting time a good enough reason to choose Cushing, but that really depends on your family. Taking the train to Concord is very convenient and about 70 students do so, though most from the other direction. If you’re a very strong athlete and are planning to go Division I, that might be good reason to attend Cushing, depending on the sport. </p>
<p>Concord and Middlesex serve an academically homogeneous set of students (all the students are essentially honors students), whereas Cushing serves a much wider range of students; honors students are a fraction of the student body. While Cushing has an interesting honors program, there will be far fewer course options for you there at your academic level. </p>
<p>You indicated in your other post that you already have friends at Cushing. Most of the students at Concord and Middlesex know no one when they arrive, so it’s very easy to meet and make new friends. One of my kids was in a similar situation, choosing between a less selective school with existing friends, vs Concord with no existing friends. The kid chose Concord and made a lot of friends very quickly there.</p>
<p>My kids were day students at Concord and loved it, and one kid had a close friend who went to Middlesex as a day student and also loved it. They are similar in many ways (number of students, SSATs, SATs, college placement, % of students on financial aid, % of international students, etc.), but also differ significantly in a number of ways (general feel, curriculum, sports programs, arts programs, % of day students, easy access to pizza off-campus, etc.). Middlesex is a more traditional boarding school, whereas Concord is a less traditional boarding/day school. Looking through the course catalogs at what classes you might be taking at each school is a good exercise. I would focus on the differences between the schools and choose the school that fits you better.</p>
<p>Thanks @photodad . I have pretty much ruled out Cushing, so I am going to Concord’s revist day on Monday, and Middlesex’s on Wednesday. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks!</p>
<p>If it were me I’d be encouraging my child to choose between Middlesex and CA, as I think they’re the two academically stronger of your choices. Like photodad, our family knows a lot of kids at both schools and I think his take on them is right on.</p>
<p>Although both quite rigorous, the schools have very different feels, with CA being more artsy, Middlesex more preppy/athletic. Your revisit days will tell you a lot about where you’ll find your tribe.</p>
<p>Your commuting time by car to both CA and Middlesex from Fitchburg should be about the same. You don’t need to go through Concord Center to get to Middlesex. You can go down Barrett’s Mill Rd. from the rotary. The train to CA would be convenient however, and it’s a very short walk.</p>
<p>CA has a higher percentage of day students than Middlesex (roughly 50/50 boarding/day vs. roughly 80/20). That can change the experience of being a day student. MAke sure to ask questions about how much time day students spend on campus outside of official hours.</p>
<p>You said you’re about 40 minutes from Middlesex. I live about 45 minutes from my private day school. The drive is rough, especially at night after practice or whatever. My parents are looking forward to the day when I’m off at school and there will be no more driving 90 minutes every day to and from school. </p>
<p>Just a thought - not trying to burst your bubble or anything. If I truly loved my day school (I think it’s alright) the drive might not be as bad. If you’re truly going to love Middlesex, it’ll probably be worth it. Good luck!</p>
<p>After your visits you might want to report back to this thread on your observations for the benefit of future students trying to decide between these schools. Good luck!</p>
<p>Hey everyone, I have attended both Concord and Middlesex Revisit days. In the end, I have chosen Middlesex because I just felt more at home there. Don’t get me wrong, Concord is an amazing school, but it is not entirely for me. @middlesexman -awesome! I will be an incoming freshman </p>
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