<p>My son got accepted to all three but I feel like we need some assistance in making us make the right choice. I know that many of you will say what's good for one child may not be good for another and I completely agree. But being an international student, first time away from home and with no input for any of these schools we will appreciate anything you have to say about them, especially the negatives, if any. I have read all of the postings on these schools on this site and it seems that people have nothing but the best to say about them.</p>
<p>Hill has a greater number of students, 500, vs the other 2 schools having +/- 300. More students generally means a greater number of academic & extracurricular offerings snd stronger athletics. </p>
<p>Hill is also more selective in terms of SSAT scores & admit rate, and it has a considerably larger endowment than the other 2. SAT scores are also higher. If diversity is a priority to you, Hill has more non-white students & a slightly higher percentage of int’l students.</p>
<p>Hill has a long history and used to be considered one of the most prestigious prep schools on the US. Juan Trippe (founder of Pan Am) & director Oliver Stone went there.</p>
<p>Millbrook has a zoo, which is a plus if your child wants to go into some animal-related science.</p>
<p>Since u are int’l, access to JFK is a big plus. Millbrook is 2 hrs to JFK. Hill is 2-1/2 hrs to JFK and 2 hrs to EWR. Proctor has access to BOS, but not as many int’l flights go there as compared to jfk. </p>
<p>If you can, attending the Revisit Day at each school is the best way to feel confident about your choice. After all, this will be your child’s home for the next few years.</p>
<p>ootah1 and GMTplus7 - thank you both so much! Information provided are very helpful. Unfortunately revisiting is not an option, that’s why I 'm panicking already :)</p>
<p>A negative about Hill for kids, is that the dress code is formal (blazers for boys & girls) & sit-down meals and chapel. As a parent, I consider these to be positives, especially the sit-down meals-- I think these foster a sense of community.</p>
<p>Apologies, I don’t know as much about Proctor & Milbrook. Perhaps they have sit-down meals too. This is something I look for on the school websites of all the schools we considered.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is whether there is some special academic program, club, or sport that your child is keen to pursue that is offered by the school. That is how we narrowed our list of prospective schools.</p>
<p>I would really try to make the revisits. We are also int’l and are going to bite the bullet to make the trip. GMTson2 is also trying to decide between 3 schools.</p>
<p>One thing I will say about Proctor and international students - they really mix well into the general school community. The international population is pretty small overall and there is no large group from any particular country, for example at another school we visited there was a fairly large Korean student population and they seemed to self segregate. Proctor has a couple of kids from a lot of different countries including several Europeans drawn by the on campus ski hill.</p>
<p>There are no formal sit down meals - it’s a very casual school where students call the teachers by their first names. Definitely not for everyone. </p>
<p>It’s a stunning campus. While the endowment is not large by some standards it’s healthy. I didn’t see any difference in quality of facilities compared to some schools we visited with 100 million $$ endowments so not sure why that would be relevant at this point. They have had several very successful capital campaigns over the last few years with a lot of investment/building including a relatively new boys dorm, hockey rink, solar installation, brand new turf fields, girls’ dorm and next is a new dining hall scheduled to start I think next year.</p>
<p>Well, my son is one of those creative, artistic kids, he loves drama and has been acting since he was a little boy. Just to mention - he is enrolling the senior year, so that will be very brief prep school experience and that is why I am hoping for him to make the best out of it. He is not very self initiative and that is something I hope to change in prep school. Sport is not really his thing but then again everyone says that in prep schools kids often discover love for some classes or sports they disliked before. By no means he is a bad student but he definitely is one of those who excel in classes they really like and is just OK in those that are not much to his liking. This probably has something to do with our schools system as well, in our country children have 17 same classes for both semesters and there is just no chance that you will like all 17 (speaking from experience :"> ). However this being said he is terribly anxious about this whole new experience and a chace to fail. I have a little bit more faith in him, knowing that he will not fail but I also want him to feel happy at the place we choose. He makes friends very easy and I believe that is not going to be an issue and it is kind of relief to read about Proctor not having seggregated groups. It is also an imperative for me that teachers are approachable and friendly but maybe they are that way in all boarding schools and I’ve just said something that did not make any sense
I hope this gave a little bit clearer picture of what we are looking for.
Thank you again so much!!!</p>
<p>From your brief description he sounds like an ideal Proctor kid. There is tons of information (videos, podcasts) on the website and it will give you a good feel for the school. </p>
<p>I like all three. Your son will get an excellent education. Millbrook is beautiful. It’s community service program is a cut above most others. Many of the facilities have been renovated over the last 5-7 years. The headmaster, Drew Casertano, is excellent. Children are known by name and do not slip through the cracks. And yes, there is a fully fledged, accredited Zoo…quite an amazing feature.</p>
<p>I used to do a lot of theater, so I took a quick look at the three websites to get a sense of their programs. To me, the theater programs would rank 1. Proctor 2. Hill 3. Millbrook. I’m basing that on script quality, variety of shows, technical capabilities, design aesthetics, course offerings, etc. Just an outsider’s view on one small aspect of the choice. Honestly, there is no way to go wrong–it will be an adventure!</p>
<p>I love Proctor. My child did not go there, but there is a ton of support and a ski hill and the headmaster Mike Henriques is very well though of. The only downside for you is it is about 3 hours from Boston Airport. Ask all the schools if they have a bus to transport the students to the airports at the major school breaks. Millbrook sounds cool because of the zoo. Don’t know a thing about Hill. Good luck. As others have said you can’t go wrong!</p>
<p>Millbrook is very strong in the arts and because of its small size has a wonderful caring community. Everyone knows one another. The current Headmaster is an excellent leader and really connects with the student body. I was very impressed with not only the theater department but the art studios. Your child will not get lost in this environment and will be encouraged to really be a part of it. </p>
<p>@dyngirl The bus services are extra - I forget how much but probably around $30 or $40. There are also a group of parents in the CT/NYC/NJ area that work with a local bus company and charter a bus that stops in Darien and NYC for every break (both ways). Usually it works out to about $110 each direction but depends on how many kids.</p>
