<p><em>coughNMHcough</em> NMH</p>
<p>I was big into the classics too! I managed to graduate with a classical diploma! Lord knows how I managed it haha.</p>
<p>okay.
your freshman year the load is 6 classes because you take a seminar class, but if you’re going to be a repeat 10th grader then you’ll only have 5 classes. </p>
<p>FA tends to be pretty generous I think. I wasn’t on it, but a lot of my friends were. sorry I can’t be a bigger help about it.</p>
<p>Yes you have to do “something” in the fall, winter, and spring. I myself wasn’t athletic but I still participated in the sports by being a manager. What you can do as a sophomore if you don’t really want to play sports is do the play (either act in it or do tech work) or be a manager so you can still experience the athletic aspect of the school but not play the sport. I think it’s hard to manage as a new sophomore but I’m not sure. There are clubs you can join and different positions you can apply for extracurricular wise. </p>
<p>We have thirds, JV, and Varsity for most sports, and IIIs is the least competitive.</p>
<p>It is a bit of a challenge but depending on whether or not you’ve done at least a year of latin at the point you’re at now you should be able to manage to get it. What I did was take latin I my freshman year, latin II my sophomore year, latin III my junior year and then greek I my junior year and greek II my senior year. I absolutely adore the classics dept at SM. I had Dr. Hartnett (the department head) for Latin I, Latin II, Greek I, and when I played golf he was the rec coach so I saw him a lot. He wrote my college recs for me. Mr Conti is also a really great teacher. They both are extremely intelligent men and great teachers. They lead the Classics trip to Italy in March and are honestly better than any tour guide I have ever had. They know so much about everything classics-wise! (my latin III teacher left SM after I graduated so talking about him won’t do too much…)</p>
<p>The art program is pretty impressive I think. You are required to take an art credit before you graduate whether it be Ceramics, Studio Art, Sculpture, Drama, or participate in the Chorus (if you’re part of the choir you have the opportunity to do the choir trip- they went to Spain and Germany while I was at SM). They also offer the APs for the art classes. However, if you get past the AP level and are still interested in doing something with art then you can create an independent study for it.</p>
<p>The science and math courses are very strong. Your first year at SM you are required to take physics (unless you already have a credit for it). Since you’ll be a sophomore you are required to take one year of a lab science, however if you are interested in taking other science courses they have a lot. They seem to be offering a lot more for this and next year then they did even last year. The math program is pretty strong as well. We have the Math Institute at SM that is led by Dr. Tanton, but unfortunately I don’t know too much about that since I’m not really a math person haha.</p>
<p>I hope I answered most of your questions. If you have any more feel free to ask them! I loved SM and would love to help out any future St. Markers =)</p>
<p>Is it possible to petition for a sixth class?</p>
<p>I have so many interests, I don’t think I will be able to fit them all in. haha</p>
<p>OMG!!! 666 POSTS…</p>
<p>Yes definitely. I had a lot of friends who did it. You sign up for your 5 classes and then meet with the Director of Studies and make your request I think. The Director of Studies happens to be Mr. Conti. It is definitely possible. I almost did it, but then realized I actually didn’t want to take the class. However, if you take 6 classes you will only have one free period. I know the schedule has changed though, so it might be more manageable and easier to fit the 6th class in.</p>
<p>What do you like most and least about St. Mark’s?</p>
<p>Ooo tricky question.</p>
<p>Okay what I liked most was the sense of community. I loved my grade. My grade didn’t have any drama and we all pretty much got along. Moreover, you can go into the dining hall during a mealtime and find someone to sit next to and not worry if they are thinking “why is he/she sitting next to me?” Everyone there really is behind you and wants to see you succeed. Your advisor is there for you not just academically but personally. Your teachers are supportive of you and really want to help you succeed and make sure you’re doing the best you can. I loved Groton Night because that’s when you really can see the whole community gathered into one room and plus it’s ridiculously fun even if the administration decides to shorten it. (yes there are some people who don’t get along and there is some drama, but it is considerably less than any other school I’ve attended)</p>
<p>The thing I hated the most about SM is leaving. The Dean of Students was not my favorite person and generally was behind the things I hated. So the fact that she is leaving makes me think SM is really going to become so much better and I’m quite jealous.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses. If I can think of some more questions, I’ll PM you. </p>
<p>St. Marks is sounding better and better each minute. haha</p>
<p>2010 Hopeful, we’ve been discussing some of those points this week, as next year’s class choices are due soon. The normal course load is five courses. Students may petition to take six. Most courses run for the full year.</p>
<p>You are required to participate in sports, although some students participate in Drama productions in lieu of sports. There are Varsity, JV, and Thirds teams. </p>
<p>Full picture from kid: Default option is sports. If you are cast in a play, you may act in lieu of sports for either the fall or winter term. On rare occasions lower classmen are able to do two terms of a play (they have to petition to the deans, and get cast). The spring play (One-Acts) can be done on top of sports. There are various other recreational activities (non-ISL sports) that can be taken instead of sports, but most are only open to Juniors and Seniors. For instance, Yogaroebics is a very popular option. This Winter, Dance was offered to lower forms as an activity that met the sports requirement, but that is not the case every year. Another option for upper forms is an ACE. ACEs are a student created independent activity that they can do instead of the activities offered in the time usually devoted to sports. For instance, in this past Winter term, some sophomores teamed up to create a Physics ACE, in which they studied for an extremely difficult national test the entire term. Other past ACEs are Costume Design and Fencing. The deans must approve a student’s ACE petition.</p>
<p>Quoting from the Academic Program 2010-11,
Thus, it is much easier if you enter St. Mark’s with language credits.</p>
<p>St. Mark’s offers classes in Studio Art, Music, and Drama. I’ve been impressed by the level of student work I’ve observed in each discipline. The school offers Advanced Placement Studio Art, Ceramics III AP, Advanced Placement Art History, Advanced Placement Music Theory, and a further course, Advanced Studies in Music. The spring One Acts are student-directed, and some are student-written.</p>
<p>I’ve started a new thread to discuss St. Mark’s, and I hope you’ll post questions there. As I was composing this response, smski beat me to the punch. </p>
<p>For the OP, if you can, attend revisit days. Boarding schools share many features, but every school has its own community and culture. It is difficult to compare a small boarding school to a medium-sized boarding school.</p>
<p>Wow Periwinkle and SMSki you taught me things I did not know about SMS and my son goes there! 2 best things about SMS in our opinion: Community and high academics.</p>
<p>Okk…you guys might all hate me now cause I pretty much back-talked St. Mark’s a lot. But, well, I kind of convinced them to re-evaluate my application, and well, I got accepted for 11th grade 
Sooo, I think I’m gonna choose St. Mark’s over NMH, but I’m not sure yet. :)</p>
<p>8O nooooooooooooooooooo! don’t go over to the dark side Josh! wait nvrmnd…</p>
<p>so joshbyron… where are you going? lol ^^</p>
<p>the decision is april 10 and i can’t even decide yet
I NEED MORE TIME!
lol :)</p>
<p>lol rad…</p>
<p>JoshByron…remember to go with your heart and do not be swayed by numbers. NMH is an excellent school where you can get a world-class education. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>rememberNMH!!!</p>
<p>You did seem to not want to go to SM at all… Honestly only go to SM if you want to. Otherwise you’re taking up a spot. You did seem to love NMH…</p>
<p>if you have any questions about SM feel free to pm me.</p>
<p>hahahahah rad you r soo funny :)</p>
<p>NMH is indeed well-known for having a less well-heeled student body than the so-called “brand name” schools but you should note that the Academies (e.g., Exeter and Andover) were founded on much the same principle. It was the smaller schools (e.g., the St. Grottlesex schools–St. Mark’s, St. Paul’s, Groton, and Middlesex) that, like the major Ivy League schools (Harvard, Yale, and Princeton) were founded on a basis of social exclusivity and not academic rigor. Even today, Andover and Exeter’s student bodies represent an amazing socioeconomic diversity that you will not find at the St. Grottlesex schools and their competitors.</p>
<p>Additionally, NMH is, without a doubt, a very good school but I think it is fair to say, on a purely academic basis, that St. Mark’s would generally be considered a more rigorous or academically demanding program.</p>
<p>UCBAlum: As an NMH alum and SMS parent, I concur with your assessment.</p>
<p>Umm…I think you kind of contradicted yourself. </p>
<p>"It was the smaller schools (e.g., the St. Grottlesex schools–St. Mark’s, St. Paul’s, Groton, and Middlesex) that, like the major Ivy League schools (Harvard, Yale, and Princeton) were founded on a basis of social exclusivity and not academic rigor. "</p>
<p>But then you stated that “St. Mark’s would generally be considered a more rigorous or academically demanding program.” </p>
<p>So, now I’m kind of confused. Is St. Mark’s more academically rigorous, or is it just more socially exclusive…or both?</p>