<p>My D just got accepted into both these schools. I've searched through the forum (too bad I didn't find this forum earlier!) - while there seems to be a lot about Middlesex on the forum, I cannot find much information on Concord.</p>
<p>I know I can get numbers from other websites, I am looking for more personal opinions/insider information here.</p>
<p>How do these two schools compare academically?
Work-load is always dependent on the student+school, but is one school better or worse than the other here?
How about sports? She's a two-sport athlete at her current high school (applying for 10th grade).
Any comparisons on boarding vs day-scholar? Currently, we are hoping she'll go as a day-scholar. She has a few extra curricular activities that she'd like to continue with, outside of school - is that even reasonable? Or will the day typically be too full?</p>
<p>Any information you have will be very much appreciated as we struggle through this decision process.</p>
<p>oooh! I just drove past Concord Academy a few minutes ago! It was so pretty, and walking distance to downtown Concord. I'm assuming that you've visited both schools, that your daughter (and you) have interviewed at both places? </p>
<p>In a sense, the physical environments of each school could be a metaphor for their very different sensibilities. Concord Academy is made of a jumble (charming jumble) of white clapboard houses and small buildings, with interstitial public spaces. MDX was initially laid out by Frederick Olmstead, impressive red brick buildings encircle a large central green. </p>
<p>You don't mention your daughter's academic interests? This might really direct her choice. To generalize a bit; CA is known for an individualistic, artsy student body whereas MDX has a more traditional, typical prep student body. I'm sure that the matriculation lists will give you an idea of the kinds of students (& their parents) at each school. The work load at MDX is pretty intense. The standout departments at MDX (from my point of view) are English & history. </p>
<p>From family experience, it's very difficult to be a day student with outside activities at MDX. I don't know about the day at CA, probably pretty similar. </p>
<p>As for athletics, MDX is in the ISL, which is an older league of other mostly local prep schools. CA is in a different league, the EIL, which is primarily local day schools, with just a couple of boarding schools (perhaps fewer Saturday games).</p>
<p>The feel of each school is so different! I'm not going to get into parsing their academics. They are both very, very strong. My daughter went to MDX - in retrospect, probably would have been much happier at CA!</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at CA and there is a great deal of difference between CA and MDX. Both are great schools, but the difference in the boarding/day component is huge. MDX is primarily a boarding school with some day students. They have Saturday classes and their community is geared toward full boarding.<br>
CA is half and half. Boarding students are locked out of the dorms during the day and thus are part of the regular community - they cannot retreat to their rooms. Day students, on the other hand, are welcome to come to breakfast and stay for dinner, both of which my son does often. No Sat classes but lots of activities to which all are invited and my son often heads to school on the weekends. He has great friends from all over the world.
CA does have a strong focus - and requirement - in the arts - to fulfill the requirement your D would have to take 1-2 arts/year, but the teachers are fabulous and the classes are very rich. Theatre counts as an art - which is my son's interest.
Your d sounds like a great athlete - not something that CA is known for! They try but they are in a "lesser" league and it is not a big jock culture. That said, sports are required for 2 seasons out of 3 and she is very likely to get lots of playing time and move quickly to the varsity level - all depends on the level of play she wants.
Academically -I can only speak to what I see at Concord. My son is very challenged - he placed into advanced level math and Latin and loves both. He finds the depth of discussion in Eng and hist to be very stimulating and interesting. It's not easy tho - the teachers expect a great deal and the grading is hard. No easy rides!
Daily life is relaxed - jeans and t's seem to be the rule. That said, the rules of behavior are clear and well enforced. The school is well run.
Best of luck with your decision.</p>
<p>CA's strengths are its gifted faculty and varied and imaginative curriculum. The work load should not be underestimated, especially junior and senior year when substantial research projects are assigned in most major subjects. The positive side of this is that my children were engaged, never bored, and were very well prepared for the reading and writing demands of college courses, in the sciences as well as humanities. </p>
<p>I think the revisit days should give your daughter a good basis for comparing the social feel of the two schools and will also give her a sense of what teaching styles are like in the two schools. My hunch is that the schools will feel quite different in the revisits and she will know which appeals more to her.</p>
<p>CA's strengths are its gifted faculty and varied and imaginative curriculum. The work load should not be underestimated, especially junior and senior years when substantial research projects are assigned in most major subjects. The positive side of this is that my children were engaged, never bored, and were very well prepared for the reading and writing demands of college courses.</p>
<p>I think the revisit days should give your daughter a good basis for comparing the social feel of the two schools and will also give her a sense of what teaching styles are like in the two schools. My hunch is that the schools will feel quite different in the revisits and she will know which appeals more to her.</p>
<p>I don't know much about Concord, but I think MX is more academic/athletic and CA is more artsy. If she comes to MX, let me know. That's where I'm going!</p>
<p>Thanks for your input so far. It's been very helpful.</p>
<p>Quick question on acceptance and followup (we are new to all of this!). After she heard that she'd been accepted at Middlesex, she's been receiving a pretty steady stream of letters/emails/phone calls - from the coach, the counselor who interviewed her, a current student, a parent of a current student and so on. Does make her feel wanted. On the other hand, from Concord, she received the acceptance packet and one email (addressed to her, but within the content of the email, she was called by a completely different name!).</p>
<p>Is either of these typical? Or are they just indicative of the different styles of the two schools?</p>
<p>Another question for someone familiar with the schools - if my D had to stay back in school till around 6-7pm in the evening (without any scheduled activity), are facilities in the schools open ? Library, access to internet etc? I am assuming they would be...but thought I'd check.</p>
<p>CA is definitely laid back in terms of "marketing" - no big pushes, phone calls, etc. That is their style, but it doesn't mean they don't want her!
Absolutely your daughter could day until 7 at CA - dinner (no extra charge!) starts at 5:30 I think. By 7:30 all freshman and sophs on campus need to be checked into library for study hall (or boarders in dorms). All day students off campus by 10:45. Most day kids do not have own computers as there are lots available everywhere.</p>
<p>I think revisits are very important for this very reason. Please make sure you have all your questions/concerns answered. I have a D at MX and we have been very pleased with everything about Middlesex. Most importantly my D loves Middlesex and is a happy camper. </p>
<p>I'm not sure if you child is a boarder or day student but, the one draw back for CA is that they do have a low boarding population versus MX. We felt this important with our D since she was going to be 2000 miles from home and we worried a bit with low boarding populations and weekends for boarders. </p>
<p>Your child has two very nice schools to choose from and I wish you the best in your upcoming revisits.</p>
<p>I have a son who is in his Sophomore year at MDX. Also a 2 sport athlete. One of the pleasant surprises is the amount attention the athletes receive from top notch schools. He has received(serious) interest from every Ivy in both sports. If your daughter wishes to play her chosen sport in college MDX would be the way to go.</p>
<p>I also have a child at Middlesex and we are very pleased with the school. He is a boarder but has some day students friends. I have two other kids who went to other bigger boarding schools, and they did not have as many day student friends. Both CA and Mx are excellent schools. we did not look at ca due to the low boarding pop, but I know kids who have gone there and been very happy.</p>
<p>My d has been accepted as a day-scholar at both schools. </p>
<ol>
<li>Is it possible for her to switch to being a boarder?<br></li>
<li> If she stays a day-scholar, are there issues with boarding/day kids? What have your experiences been? Do day-scholars feel left out?<br></li>
<li> How do the day-day stuff work for day-scholars? Things like lunch for example - would she be expected to bring lunch from home or buy lunch at school? Or is lunch provided for all kids?</li>
<li> An EC-related question. She would have loved to participate in theatre (more behind the scenes) at her local public school - but unfortunately, her sports commitments mean that she cannot do theatre. Is this different in Middlesex/Concord? Can she do both sports and theatre?</li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks for all your help so far. We do have a long list of questions for our revisit - but gathering some of this information from the forum has been so helpful (makes us think of more questions too!)</p>
<p>2) Not usually. One of my best friends is at MDX and, although a boarder, has many day friends.
4) I plan on doing both at MDX next year. I asked, and it is possible. They have different blocks of time set aside for each, which is one of the awesome things about boarding school!</p>
<p>I'm certain lunch is included for day students. In fact, all the schools we went to encourage day students to return/stay for dinner (no extra fee). </p>
<p>As far as switching from day to boarding it would usually depend on the availability of a bed in the appropriate dorm. Several of our tours we had guides who had been day students and then boarders and one who had boarded her first year and was now a day student. We personally know one kid at a top school who started as a day student and then wanted to switch, but had to wait a couple of months for them to be sure they had a room. </p>
<p>The other 2 questions really vary from school to school and I don't know about CA or MX.</p>