<p>We are looking ahead, preparing for this winter's applications.</p>
<p>My son is strong academically (straight A, high SSAT), but weak in sports, no hook. He is also on the quiet side. We are looking for a school in which he won't feel bad about being non-athletic (which he feels now) and also a community that can open him up a little. </p>
<p>The counselor suggested schools like BU Academy, but I am not sure about city schools of this type, including Boston Latin, they seem very single focused to me. Correct me if I am wrong.</p>
<p>I saw a parent mentioning Groton a bit "nerdy" before, how about Middlesex? I really like the school.</p>
<p>Is a small school better for a quiet student? My son thinks a bigger school would be easier for him to find his kind to make friends，but I am worried about his chance of interacting with faculties in a big school.</p>
<p>i agree with hotchkissjin. Exeter is so large that it has TONS of things to do (disregarding sports) that will be great for your son! And everyone who is able to get into Exeter has to have at least a little bit of inner nerd in them z</p>
<p>OK, got one. Exeter. It is big though, no to mention so hard to get in.</p>
<p>Speaking of Exeter, anyone watched “Angel and Demonds” yet? In the movie there is a scene of Langdon’s office at Harvard, on the wall in front of his desk, there is a flag of Exeter! Dan Brown, an Exeter native, graduate and once a teacher, must have demanded it to be put it there for a purpose. :)</p>
<p>Neither Groton nor Middlesex are “nerdy.” I would second the suggestion of BU Academy. Many boarding schools were once single-sex schools, and sports are an essential part of the culture.</p>
<p>Are there any extracurricular activities your son enjoys? If you look for schools with strength in those areas, you’re more likely to find schools with student bodies which share the same interests.</p>
<p>I think a nerdy kid can fit in at many schools. Admissions offices are not looking for a group of clones, so they make an effort to identify a very diverse group. That includes those that focus on the traditionally “nerd-centric” subjects of math and science, but also languages, humanities, social sciences and the arts. My daughter is on the math team and selected a boarding school specifically for its advanced math options. She is also a quiet kid that isn’t into team sports at all, but can easily meet the phys ed requirements with two things she does enjoy, dancing and skating. She’s had a great boarding school experience and will move on next year to the quintessential nerd university, MIT (which BTW, has far more diversity than most people recognize).</p>
<p>As for learning to open up and interact with the faculty, I think you have hit on a key issue. Many very bright but quiet kids have been able to get by purely on intelligence and drive. They’ve never had to ask for help. Learning to approach faculty members when they are struggling (and everyone will at some point) is extremely important. I’m not sure faculty approachability is purely a function of size (her school and other larger ones go out of their way to create smaller groups such as student clusters and intimate dorms), but finding a culture that emphasizes it is very important.</p>
<p>Faymom,
Your S secondary placement person should be able to further help you find some great fitting schools for your S. S goes to a Jrprep also and they did a wonderful job with placement. Im sure your will too.
I think the fitting in if not athletic is a culture issue at some schools. He may not need a “nerdy” school but a school that fosters diversity and acceptance of different interests.
My S is atheletic but not a superstar, in his opinion he felt that Groton and MDX were less the jocks schools than some of the other mentioned on here.</p>
<p>Hockemom pointed out exactly what was on my mind, “He may not need a “nerdy” school but a school that fosters diversity and acceptance of different interests.” My son enjoying playing some sports, just not at varsity level. He needs an community where no one would laugh at him because he is on the third team, not necessary being surrounded by nerds. </p>
<p>Periwinkle, BUA doesn’t offer baseball and squash, the two sports he likes the most; and a brass band that he is also interested in. I am not sure he wants to give it all up for academic yet.</p>
<p>Padre13 has a good point on school size may not be correlated with a supportive culture. I found that culture to be the most difficult thing to understand when comes to getting to know a school, it is subtle and covered unless you are inside. You won’t get much reading on it during a school visit. CC is a great forum for catching some inside info, and yet you see different opinions of same school. :（</p>
<p>We had a nearly two hours meeting with our placement counselor and she was very helpful indeed. But we are still a bit disoriented when looking at the list.</p>
I think that’s a positive feature of CC. Many commenters, especially the younger set, paint schools in broad brush strokes, as wonderful, terrible, etc. The truth is more nuanced. What works for one student would be a terrible fit for another.</p>
<p>I think once you start visiting the schools you’ll get a better feel for whether your son would prefer a larger or a smaller setting. Parents like the idea of small schools, but if you don’t find your niche, a small school can be a miserable experience for a child.</p>
<p>Are you looking at day and boarding schools?</p>
<p>Periwinkle, you are right. Small school can be even more painful if it doesn’t fit. </p>
<p>We are open to both day and boarding. The day/5day boarding ones on the list from school counselor, are Rivers, Belmont Hill. The boarding ones are groton, middlesex, CA etc. No HEADS though, I guess because he has not hook.</p>
<p>FayMom, I had thought of CA, Belmont Hill, and Rivers. It sounds as if your counselor is giving you good advice. He or she may also know how your school’s candidates fare when applying to prep schools–some schools may “like” their graduates more. I think they do develop a feel for what “sort” of applicant has good chances at certain schools.</p>
<p>um, FayMom, Groton and MIddlesex are right up there with HEADS, so if you don’t think that your hook is good enough for them, it probably isn’t good enough for Groton and Middlesex. That said, you’d be surprised at the people SHE GLAD MC do and don’t let in. I honestly thought that I would be quadruple-rejected, but I wasn’t. </p>
<p>Furthermore, I am afraid that I will have the same problem as your son. I am not particularly athletic, I have zero coordination, so I am presently trying to figure out if there is some sort of club sport I can join.</p>
<p>I understand your point. I think the recommendation from school counselor is also based on the acceptance rates of graduates in the pass years. As Periwinkle pointed out in her last post, “some schools may “like” their graduates more”. Another reason could be that they have to put up some stretch goals up there. :)</p>
<p>Congratulations on your journey to Middlesex. By all means, let us know the subtle culture of the school. As for being non-athletic, girls are easier to get away with it than boys.</p>
<p>Neither of my kids are gifted athletes, but they are both enjoying rowing on crew teams. You don’t have to be a star, just show up for practice and do the work. Great for learning teamwork.</p>
<p>I will also concur with the recommendation to look at BUA. Many students who consider BUA also look at Commonwealth. This is more urban than BUA but even if you prefer the suburbs I would check it out. Commonwealth has baseball and squash. I don’t know the details but the Commonwealth web site mentions a joint Commonwealth/BUA baseball team.</p>
z</p>