Milton vs. Lawrenceville

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hey guys :) I haven't been on here for a while, but this is the first place I thought of coming to for advice.</p>

<p>Basically, I was accepted to Lawrenceville on March 10, accepted their offer, did all the placement tests and course selection, along with the medical exam form, and most significantly - paid the $1000 deposit on April 10. </p>

<p>Just yesterday, while I was still on a week-long school trip, my dad called and told me that Milton had moved me off their waitlist and was offering me a spot in their class of 2015. I was completely stunned - after seeing no movement on the 5 waitlists I was on last year, I expected nothing of the sort to happen this year.</p>

<p>Now though, I have no idea what I should do. I honestly might have liked it better if I wasn't given this choice, but I am super grateful that I was - I know there are still many on the waitlist who would die for an opportunity like this, so I'm not about to wave it away.</p>

<p>My parents have always liked Milton better - just because they personally know someone who graduated from Milton to Harvard a couple years ago. They were at first against me going to Lawrenceville, because they thought since the location was so close to Princeton High School (a public high school), we would be better off just settling there. I did manage to convince them that Lawrenceville was the better choice, but from what they've said to me about the Milton waitlist so far, I get the impression that they are willing to give up the $1000 deposit if I want to attend Milton. </p>

<p>I, on the other hand, honestly have no idea which school I would rather attend. I have just intensively stalked both schools on boarding school review and their websites, but I just love the feel at both schools so much. I mean, I wouldn't have applied if I wasn't willing to attend the school. </p>

<p>So I would really appreciate it if any CC-er's who have experience with either school to maybe post and give me an idea of what I'd be getting into at the school. I have already searched the forum but there aren't many threads comparing these two schools specifically. For some background information, I will be entering as a new sophomore girl, I play violin & piano, I don't do any sports at the moment but I am looking forward to trying out new ones at prep school, and I am young for my grade - a December 1997 birthday. </p>

<p>Thank you to any and all who give advice! :)</p>

2

<p>Some considerations for you as an int’l student:</p>

<p>demographics:
Lawrenceville has a higher % of int’l students & higher % of boarders
[Compare</a> Boarding Schools - Boarding School Review](<a href=“Compare Boarding Schools”>Compare Boarding Schools)</p>

<p>Int’l Airports:
Milton: BOS (Boston-Logan) is very near by
Lawrenceville: EWR (Newark) & JFK (New York) are quite some distance away. There are probably nearer airports, but they will involve an extra flight connection.</p>

<p>Don’t underestimate the cost, timing, & hassle of traveling to the U.S. east coast from Asia. I would contact the int’l coordinator at both schools to inquire how their int’l students travel to the school w/o an accompanying adult.</p>

3

<p>Thank you for your consideration for me as an international student, but perhaps I should have elaborated. I’m not truly international - I am from New Jersey, I’ve just been living in China for the past 7 years. I haven’t thought about it much, but perhaps our familiarity with New Jersey will help in my family settling in with Lawrenceville…</p>

<p>Anyway, you do make a good point. Even having been flying back and forth between NY/NJ to China my entire life (literally, since I was 6 months old haha), there are probably some things I haven’t considered if I want to fly alone. Though I probably will be traveling with an adult, as my mom will be moving back to America with me, she will have to work and I will have to fly alone at some point. I will definitely look into contacting the international coordinators at both schools, thank you for the advice. :)</p>

4

<p>I myself decided not to apply to Milton after considering it because I don’t like the fact that Milton is K-12 and that it has 50% boarding. I felt I may be losing some of the boarding experience, were I to be accepted to Milton.</p>

<p>Well, in the end, it’s your choice. Matriculation-wise, they are very similar. Attending either won’t guarantee you a spot at Harvard. You’ll have to work hard for it, which I assume everybody knows already. Will your parents be happy if you decide to attend Lawrenceville?</p>

<p>Imagine two boys, both of whom you like. Boy number 1 confessed his love to you and asked you out - and you gladly accepted his offer. Then after a while, boy number 2 asked you out because he was rejected by some other girls. Would you really dump boy number 1 for boy number 2 after having committed? </p>

<p>I’m quite biased here, since I hope you’ll end up choosing Lawrenceville, as I’m enrolling there next year as a sophomore. I’m really looking forwards to meeting some CCers in real life!</p>

5

<p>Thanks for replying, EnemyOfTheSun :slight_smile: I truly don’t know if I would’ve applied to Milton had my parents not known two families happily attending there, because as you said, the 50% boarding might take away from the boarding experience. </p>

<p>I have looked at the matriculation statistics, and there are only very slight differences. Yep, definitely going to have to work hard at either school. I think my parents have come to terms with the fact that Lawrenceville is an amazing school and will be okay with whatever choice I make.</p>

<p>LOL I love the boy example. That always puts things into perspective. xD You do make a good point though. </p>

<p>Anyway, I have basically decided to stick with my Lawrenceville decision. After some deep thought about my choices and some more research on both schools, I decided to follow my heart in thinking that I would be happier at Lawrenceville. I remember thinking on April 10 that I would have chosen Lawrenceville over my two waitlist schools if they had accepted me, though I didn’t think that would actually happen, but I think that what I was thinking still stays true. Also, it’s sort of a matter of laziness (just slightly) - I already completed all the forms for Lawrenceville and I really don’t want to do that again unless I really have to. :P</p>

<p>Thank you everyone for all your help, and EnemyOfTheSun, I WILL BE SEEING YOU AT LAWRENCEVILLE NEXT YEAR! :D</p>

6

<p>I third your choice. Both fine schools, but Lville a little bit finer!</p>

7

<p>Well, I wouldn’t ordinarily say that laziness is a virtue . . . but in this case, I’ll make an exception: </p>

<p>Go slough! Go Lawrenceville!!!</p>

<p>:D :smiley: :D</p>

8

<p>ILikeTofu, thank you for the support! And looking solely at matriculation, Lawrenceville seems to have more HYPMS and Ivy graduates, which is what my parents care about, so everyone’s happy :)</p>

<p>dodgersmom, I think laziness is alright at times. :stuck_out_tongue: Thank you again for all your help!</p>

9

<p>Woo!! Congrats on making a (right) choice! :smiley: I’m looking forwards to seeing you there, aaralyn!</p>

10

<p>Hehe I look forward to seeing you there too! Oh my gosh we will totally run towards each other in a slow motion movie-like style. :D</p>

11

<p>You made the correct decision. Best wishes to you next fall at Lawrenceville.</p>

12

<p>Thank you :)</p>