Accepted at all 3 but unlikely to revisit b/c of understandable cancellations due to Coronavirus concerns. Any insights on these schools would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
My grandfather attended NMH on scholarship and he liked the fact that they made EVERYONE work on the farm regardless of how wealthy or socially prominent the student’s family. Nobody was “too good” to get their hands dirty with manual labor mucking the stalls, etc.
My son didn’t end up applying to NMH because they don’t offer enough math courses given he will take pre-calc in 9th. But it’s one thing we really like about Thacher (he’s on the WL there).
The Kent School has a new headmaster = a Kent graduate who worked at St. Paul’s School for many years.
I don’t have a strong opinion on the matter.
FWIW Kent’s campus is gorgeous, Berkshire’s setting is magnificent, and NMH is beautiful, but, in my view, definitely in third place in this respect.
I know a handful of NMH grads–all loved their experience.
Kent may have a fair number of PG (post graduate) students which may be a factor for some. One CC father refused to send his daughter to Kent after the revisit & exposure to these “men” (PG male athletes) a few years ago. I attended a prep day / boarding school with a significant number of PG athletes & understand the father’s concern.
OP: I would need to know more about your son or daughter before recommending one over the other.
More info about you, your interests, your motivations for BS, what you hope to gain from the experience, would certainly be helpful.
A few notes about NMH: all students do have to do a workjob, but it doesn’t have to be the farm. Freshmen get the more basic workjobs (farm, food service), but the stories become bonding moments over time. Upperclassmen can select among some pretty fun options - tour guide, sports team manager, performing arts group manager, department support (secretarial/admin), etc. And if 4 hours of the school week won’t fit, there are options during breaks - like maple sugaring in the spring. There are also workjobs for overseeing study hours in the public places - so those students can study during their workjobs.
Re: math classes, or really any department’s upper level options, there are many. NMH’s block system allows a convenient path to specialization, meaning students could opt to take 8 math classes or 8 ELA, or a heavy arts concentration. The curriculum guide is online, including the graduation requirements and prerequisites. With their PG program, they do have to support students who have completed a typical HS curriculum.
Things that continue to impress us:
- The energy on campus is invigorating. Our first visits, I thought it was just me, but there really is a vibrancy there.
- There are ever- widening circles of opportunity, socially, academically, and in general. I’ve been very impressed with the teachers’ assurances of “sure that’s possible” for some unusual situations.
- The boarding/day ratio, combined with the relative isolation, makes for an incredibly close community. It’s large enough that everyone doesn’t actually know everyone else, but small enough that you get to recognize everyone. And most students stay for the weekends, so the weekend activities are well attended and a lot of fun.
You have some excellent options to choose from! Good luck with your decision!
We looked at all 3 schools, and each has strengths and relative weaknesses. If we had to rank, we would have ranked NMH first, then Berkshire, then Kent. We found the student body to be more diverse and engaged at NMH - maybe an unfair characterization, but it was our gut feeling. It’s hard to describe, but the vibe we got from Kent was cold; Berkshire was warmer/friendlier, and NMH was the friendliest of the three.
Kent does have an interesting engineering program, and if I had a kid that was really into that, I would probably put Kent first. As the parent of a humanities-focused musician and runner, it didn’t seem like a good fit.
That said, I’ve known people who had great experiences at all three places. Boarding school will be what the student makes of it, and at a certain level, all of the schools will have similar offerings and opportunities. Think hard about what you/your child values, and ask the admissions office if they can connect you to parents or students with similar interests.
NMH had a long tradition of being the place foreign service employees sent their kids and it’s always had a bit of a global feel. Also, beca6their families were overseas, it didn’t seem to have the weekend exodus that is common at other schools. I really like the community at this one! One thing to consider is how you feel about the block system.
I don’t have a ton of insight into the other two except that the kids I know who went there liked it. Kent was a popular option for girls with horses; they have a good program.
I am a recent Berkshire alum and I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have about Berkshire! I attended Berkshire for four years and can not speak more highly of the school and community. I am a better person because of Berkshire and consider my time at Berkshire to be the best years of my life thus far. Feel free to pm me or ask in this thread!
Our son will attend NMH this fall - he visited four schools (Middlesex, Milton and Philips Exeter) and NMH was his final visit. We went in January and very glad we did as it was the school he knew least about, but after our visit felt the most connected to.
What we were most struck by was how kind everyone we encountered were - students, faculty, admissions, coaches. Our other visits were positive as well, however there was a distinctive ‘feel’ to the school that seems very authentic and genuine.
The workjob component is a unique aspect as well - I believe it’s a 4hr per week commitment but the fact that every student contributes to the basic functions of the school seems to help keep the students grounded, responsible and respectful of others.
Also as an aside the quality of the food in the dining hall was quite good! That was a very pleasant surprise.
We are considering sending our daughter to NMH this fall, would love to connect with any current or future NMH students/parents to help us make our decision. Please PM me. thanks so much!