So I’m considering both MPS and EW and they both seem good… I really need help deciding!
We have friends at both. There are many girls who ride @ Ethel Walker - is so if you ride, they have great opportunities and flexibility for your competitions…but if you don’t ride and you plan to board, check out the % of students who stay on campus during the weekends…we know a girl who rides at MPS, also…but I think MPS has a stronger academic program, stronger dance program, internship opportunities, more international students, more opportunities for school supported travel (11th grader we know went overseas) and I think 9th grade coding classes for all. MPS is only a 5 minute walk to Starbucks! Both beautiful!
I think if you look in the decisions thread and find the users listed under those schools it would be perfect for you to talk to them and ask them how they decided on the school they did. I find it’s a very good way to know the advantages of a school and whether or not it’ll fit you.
Hi girl in the city,
I am a current Ethel Walker student and although I can’t tell you what school you should go to because you are correct, they are both great schools! I can hopefully tell you a little more about Walkers and would love if you responded to this so I can tell you specifically what Walkers has to offer you based on your interests. I know a concern for many is that Ethel Walker is just a horse school, which in fact is not the case. We have a fantastic riding program but only about 20% of students ride and our integrated with the student body there is no difference between the riders and the girls who do not ride. In fact many of the girls who don’t ride still love to come to the barn to pet the horses and take pictures with them. On the academic side of things, there are a wide variety of courses offered for all interests. Especially in your years as an upperclasswoman there are some very interesting electives offered such as in English: Hot off the Press which reads bestsellers or Visiting Writing Seminar where your read one author for a whole semester and they actually come to campus! I would love to know your academic interests so I can tell you what interesting courses we have to offer for you! I absolutely love Walkers and all the girls I go to school with. I have made friendships to last a lifetime and feel in classes or in the lunch room I never have to hide my true personality. Although I can not make this difficult decision for you because like I said before they are both great schools, I can tell you that I absolutely love Walkers and that it is a great school with a lot to offer. I hope this helped, but I would be happy to answer any more questions you have!
Sincerely
Walkers Student
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I’ve heard great things about the head of school at Walkers, who is married to the former head of school at Deerfield. I think Walkers is on its way up. We decided not to apply to Porter’s after reading employee reviews on Glassdoor.
Thx for the in depth response! I particularly like theatre, dance, advanced math, and poetry.
What bad things did the Glassdoor reviews say?
@girl in the city: you’re a junior, right? You sound like you might be a Westover girl! Check out their website and see if it might be a good fit. My daughter had 4 great years there and was very well prepared for college.
PS If a poster here responds to you and mentions a site where you might find some helpful info, it’s a good idea to look at that site yourself (i.e. Glassdoor), rather than asking to have the information repeated to you. (It’s called research, and you’ll be doing lots of it once you get to BS! 
)
Best of luck!
Good luck with your decision
girl in the city we have great classes and options for all of your interests! We have multiple advanced level math courses such as advanced calc which some students even start taking their sophomore year! Our theater and dance program are both fantastic. Our new gym houses beautiful dance studios as well dance counts as a team sport. Thier are multiple clubs involving theater such as improv club or our musicals and plays. We have a winter play and a spring musical which count for your sports credit as well. In regards to your interest in poetry every year in English we always do a poetry unit and senior year their are some electives offered that really delve into poetry. I hope this helps!
I have been reading that while the humanities are very strong at MPS, the sciences are not known to be as strong. Does anyone know if indeed this is the case? @Golfgr8 do you know of any current parents who would be willing to chat with me about their daughter’s experience?
We visited MPS a couple of times and we were very impressed with their program. Also, I believe they have a strong program for 9th graders in coding. I am also hearing this from a MPS parent/alum friend. We had the feeling that the MPS was very invested in growing STEM program and provided networking and mentoring for girls interested in the sciences. You can also check out the school’s leadership weekends - impressive programs and speakers. Best wishes @Hopeful0304 !