<p>I wasn’t too fond of Peddie’s campus from what I saw on the site. What does it look like?</p>
<p>[Peddie</a> School ~ Campus Map](<a href=“http://www.peddie.org/podium/default.aspx?t=21301]Peddie”>http://www.peddie.org/podium/default.aspx?t=21301)</p>
<p>I love the new science center (from the outside - haven’t seen inside)</p>
<p>I’m not too into that kind of architecture but its ok. It gives off a nice ‘feel’. Its a bit too ‘average hs’ for my liking</p>
<p>The campus is beautiful…mix of old and new buildings…lots of brick buildings…its own lake…cute town nearby.</p>
<p>The science building fits in with the older buildings–very thoughtful design–very cool inside.</p>
<p>The website does not do it justice. Actually, the website needs an update. When my d was looking, our reaction was that it was the “cleanest” looking campus…the others looked like they needed some love/attention. Peddie was very well kept. This said something to me. </p>
<p>It has an unbelievable new pool—from outside, it looks like the Olympic cube natatorium from last Olympics. Great quad/center campus area. The golf course is nice, too.</p>
<p>I went to a lacrosse camp at peddie and the campus was beautiful. It was modern yet surrounded with wildlife, and extremely well maintained.</p>
<p>@ sandsunwind: a new pool?! does that include a diving well / boards / platforms?</p>
<p>does peddie have a diving program? i heard that their swim team was really strong but i’ve never heard anything about diving… it’s called swimming and DIVING for a reason, folks :)</p>
<p>Peddie is a great school. Let that be said, first and foremost. It simply wasnt the school that my son wanted to spend the next 4 years attending. I was impressed by some of the college acceptances, loved the science bldg and the new athletic center was awesome. I, actually wanted him to want Peddie! HE wanted to want Peddie!</p>
<p>However, as I have come to learn from talking to him and others making similar decisions, the word “fit” becomes an important term. He simply came to the conclusion that the “fit” was better elsewhere. The fact that he didnt have a laundry list of reasons, also speaks highly of the school. However, with the 4/10 deadline looming, I have decided to move the process along and allow him to follow his gut and intuition.</p>
<p>As for diversity, most students that were on the PANEL that Peddie chose to represent the school were Caucasian and from the East Coast. A large NJ contingent. I did however observe a significant Asian population. Personally, I wanted to see a more global representation, one reflective of the website’s description. My preference is for him to have and establish friendships that are more diverse than what I saw the possibilities to be. Quite possible the overall student body is such and if so, why not present that to families who are making decisions in many cases based on what they experience during a revisit?</p>
<p>As for the video games, this info came directly from a senior on the residential panel, who was surrounded by two faculty members. No one contradicted her or corrected her. FYI, she stated that these were in existence in the boys dorms.</p>
<p>As with anything, school selections come down to preference and comfort levels. He didnt get that “AH HA” feeling that he expected and because of such, has left his spot to someone who truly wants to be there.</p>
<p>CMM731 Quote:“As for diversity, most students that were on the PANEL that Peddie chose to represent the school were Caucasian and from the East Coast. A large NJ contingent. I did however observe a significant Asian population. Personally, I wanted to see a more global representation, one reflective of the website’s description. My preference is for him to have and establish friendships that are more diverse than what I saw the possibilities to be.”</p>
<p>Caucasian and from the East Coast doesn’t mean they are all from NJ, as there are other states on the East Coast like DE, MD, VA, NC, FL. Even if it has a large NJ contingent, NJ is one of the most diverse states in America, lol. You said there are a lot of Asians, who also contribute to diversity along with caucasians and others. Are you looking for a different type of diversity? If some one wants a truly international experience, they have the option to go study in other countries like England which have a lot of boarding schools. :)</p>
<p>Being from NY and having lived in NJ for nearly 20 years, I am well aware of the diversity in the state. Being a history teacher, I am more than familiar with the geographic make up of the East Coast, but thanks for the reminder.</p>
<p>The point here is, I have my preferences, as does every other person seeking a boarding school choice and by all means we simply can agree to disagree. Doesnt make YOUR definitions/preferences wrong and certainly doesnt make mine. Just makes them different. The things that we are looking for can be found right here in the good ole USA. A great education, first and foremost and attaining it in an environment that is more globally diverse than not, is indeed an added plus. However a study abroad opportunity in England is without a doubt in the future plans.</p>
<p>CMM, My intent is not to suggest that you go to England, but I know people who have for their international experience. But I must respectfully disagree with you that Peddie is not diverse, in fact it is one of the most diverse of all BS. Obviously as per your post, your definition of diverse seems to be different from mine and many others I know.</p>
<p>Pulsar - “But I must respectfully disagree with you that Peddie is not diverse, in fact it is one of the most diverse of all BS. Obviously as per your post, your definition of diverse seems to be different from mine and many others I know.”</p>
<p>Indeed, we can respectfully disagree, because in fact my definition of diverse is in line with many others that I know. </p>
<p>Thanks for the health exchange.</p>
<p>Let’s be honestif a child can be tempted by video game play to the point of distraction, BS may not be for him or her. </p>
<p>I have to say that I do not believe a video games issue should be given cred as a distinguishing factor for a school like Peddie. I am trying to get across that playing video games in some sort of academically/socially detrimental way is just not an issue at Peddie. For these students, time is very well structured/ supervised; rules governing honesty and conduct are enforced; and the 6-day school system just does not have enough room for it. If, however, a child is too immature for a BS, then, maybe, this could be a factor, but this would be a factor at any school. </p>
<p>I work in the field of education, and I am pretty good at seeing the strengths and weaknesses of a school/school system. I would say that sports could present a far greater possible distraction to academics at Peddie, not video games. Honestly, I cannot even think when a freshman would have time to play video games: school 6 days a weeksports from 3:30-5:30dinner and clubs after dinner study hall (mandatory and supervised) from 8 until 1010:30 is lights out. Now that I think about it, playing video games could be a nice break for some kids. There is a lot of structured time and a lot that they have to do. I do know that most kids own an i-touch or something similar, so, for most kids, there is some kind of device out there (phone, lap top, i-pad, i-touch) making the old video console in the lounge kind of unnecessaryespecially if one is worried about it being a pervasive problem at a boarding school.</p>
<p>I do really honor the gut reaction to a schooleven if the reason cannot be articulated or defined in a way that has meaning for the next guy. I also know that I was not an expert on any of the schools that we revisited. In this case, you could only know what you witnessed, and I am sorry you did not see what I see or what my daughter values in her Peddie experience. It is too bad that Peddie did not represent what you were hoping to see. I will tell you that diversity is a big deal at Peddie but tokenism is not. If you are looking for a TSAO, a large campus or a greater percentage of boarders (Peddie is 65% bs and 35% ds), then there is a lot to talk about.</p>
<p>If you are saying Peddie is not as diverse as other BS, I believe that you are incorrect. There is so much more to diversity then race, but I can give a quick sample of diversity as it relates to race at Peddie. My Ds dorm houses 26 girls. I believe that 7 students are African American; 5 students are Asian or Southeast Asian; 1 student is a Latina; and 13 students are Caucasian.</p>
<p>I think the makeup of a freshman dorm can be an acceptable metric to review racial diversity at a school like Peddie. And, I beleive Peddie has done well in creating racial diversity. Yet, I think it would be far more interesting to look into religious backgrounds, socio-economic factors, cultural ethnicity, and global demographics of the students, but this could get really weird. </p>
<p>In my opinion, I think it would be far more interesting for parents to analyze how diversity plays out in the faculty and the administration (this, I believe is where most BS have a problem). For all the good work that seems to be taking place creating diverse student populations at many BSI find it curious that the people running these schools look very much alike. What does this say about diversity to the kids attending these schools? </p>
<p>Again, good luck in this crazy time! Sorry for the long post, but I had off today, so I probably have a little too much time on my hands. For kids, video games may be a distracter. For some adults, the internet poses an equally distracting problem!</p>
<p>DiveAliveI forgot to respond to you!</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Peddie made the decision to build a beautiful new pool without a diving well. The pool is 35 meters by 25 yards (creating 14/15 25-yard practice lanes during short course season). I have a swimmer, so I am thrilled. She is lucky to be able to swim in such a facility.</p>
<p>There is a diving team and they are a part of our high school dual meets (and they also compete at JO levelforgive meI am not as well versed in diver lingoI believe that is what you divers call it). I believe that Peddie divers go to The College of New Jersey and dive on a really competitive team located at this TCNJs pool. TCNJ is very close to Peddie, so I do believe they go there every day. If you are interested, you should contact the school for more (and probably a lot more accurate) information.</p>
<p>Peddies swim team outranks all current east coast boarding schools except for Baylor and Bolles. I am not so sure about diving. I think they are good, but I doubt they have the same kind of overall ranking.</p>
<p>I do believe divers get shortchangedeverywhere!</p>
<p>sandwinsun, Thanks for the lengthy response. It was definitely worth the read.</p>
<p>“Let’s be honest—if a child can be tempted by video game play to the point of distraction, BS may not be for him or her. “</p>
<p>I couldn’t agree with you more about distractions, as they come in many forms. If left to his own devices, my son, the social butterfly/jock might try to join every club and numerous sports teams. However, he is also smart enough to know that academics come first. My preference and I continue to repeat that (preference), is that he be in an environment where video games in the dorms (he personally witnessed this during his revisit) not be allowed. Nothing more than a preference, which as a parent who likely has his/her own preferences, I am sure you understand, while you may not necessarily agree with the specifics. </p>
<p>Maturity is a much needed characteristic for survival in a competitive BS environment and thankfully that is not a current concern on my end. It was his idea to explore the possibilities and largely his efforts that led to him being accepted to his top 5 schools. Thank God for his diligence as I was exhausted by the entire process.</p>
<p>Like you, I also work in the field of education, and can make objective observations about a particular school/school system. This entire application and selection process has been a true test as I am sure you can attest to. However, when it comes to making that final decision as to whether a school is a better fit, generally it does come down to a subjective decision. Whether others “get it” or not becomes a mute point. He has taken his time and very meticulously kept pros and cons lists and ultimately made a decision based on his gut feeling of where he would be most happy.</p>
<p>I, too am sorry that I didn’t witness what I saw on paper in the area of diversity. Trust me, I looked. It was a tough call because as I stated before I WANTED PEDDIE. However when all was said and done, he said that he felt he had more in common with the kids that he met and interacted with elsewhere. When pressed for a more definitive explanation, I got that “I just felt like I fit in better elsewhere” response. Since he has to spend the next 4 years there I respected and accepted his decision. Frankly if you listen to some of the folks on this site, when given the choice of the schools that he had to choose from, this should have been a no brainer and I shouldn’t have even visited Peddie. However, being someone who is not a “follower”, who is raising a young man to not be one either, we went on the revisit. There is more to a school than just how recognizable the name is during dinner conversation, as I am sure you and others would agree.</p>
<p>Again, please allow me to reiterate my original statement- At no time did I speak negatively about Peddie as a whole, because as a NJ resident, unlike some who only look to New England for quality schools, I know Peddie’s overall academic reputation. Nor did I say Peddie was not diverse. I said I didn’t SEE the diversity that Peddie’s stats say exists. Nothing more, nothing less. In addition my definition of diversity may differ from someone else’s and vice versa. It’s a subjective call, without a doubt and one that I simply choose to not have to defend.</p>
<p>The stats that you listed below are great and are in line with my definition of diversity. However again, as I stated – I didn’t see it. I wish I had, believe me! If so, this would likely have been an entirely different conversation.</p>
<p>You and I are indeed on the same page regarding diversity in the faculty and administration in most BS. I couldn’t have said it better. So much work needed there and I am certain that qualified applicants exists that could fill this void without it being a token gesture. </p>
<p>Good luck and best wishes to you and your daughter.</p>
<p>Sandwindsun, Thank you. Learned a lot about Peddie from some one on the inside. There is more hype on these forums about HADES schools, whereas there are many other BS that are underrated that can provide great educational experiences. I agree with you that the BS faculty and administrations, while recruiting a diverse student body, themselves are not diverse. Hmm… thinking of video distractions, I think we already have video distractions with us called iPhones, internet, laptop and the like. It’s a matter of whether one is willing to engage them or not.</p>
<p>I was wondering - WHAT THE HECK IS GLAD CHEMMS???!</p>
<p>Groton, Lawrenceville, Andover, Deerfield etc. Top10 Schools.</p>
<p>Literally, GLAD CHEMMS stands for:</p>
<p>G - Groton
L - Lawrenceville
A - Andover
D - Deerfield</p>
<p>C - Choate
H - Hotchkiss
E - Exeter
M - Milton
M - Middlesex
S - St. Pauls</p>
<p>But it represents other top schools too.</p>
<p>I heard that Peddie has an amazing sense of community. It really is a great school.</p>
<p>My son is a senior at Peddie, he has boarded all 4 years. It is a wonderful school. John Green, the head of school has helped create a true family environment. The academics are rigorous, the sense of community is amazing. My son is deciding between 3 selective schools. his roommate is going to Wharton, one of his friends was rejected by his first choice, MIT, but is consoling himself by choosing between HYPS. I think Harvard is going to win. Anyone with any questions please pm me!</p>
<p>About Video Games,
Hi im a current freshman at Peddie and I feel slightly disturbed about the comments on videogames. To start off with, freshman arent allowed to have videogames on during the academic week, only on saturday nights and sundays. And if the dorm supervisor notices your grades are slipping from an A to a B and knows you have a game system, he or she will ask you to take it home and not bring it back until the grades are up. One thing I want to point out when we do play video games ( which is rare) we only play for only about 2 hours at most on a saturday night and thats it. So please dont discredit the school for a simple comment on video games. </p>
<p>Another topic I would to touch on is diversity,
Peddie in my opinion is the most diverse school ive ever seen. My friends range from sweden to france to south korea to india and china. On international food fair day there are so many countries represented its unimaginable, the dining hall is full! and its really amazing to be able to say a good friend of mine is from cabodia and my roommate is from south korea while my prom date is from sweden, how many people can say that? As for the large amount of Caucasian kids from the east coast, most of them were problably day students, since the nearby towns and citys are mainly suburban towns. But overall its amazing how diverse it is here.</p>
<p>And another topic, the new athletic center. Its an amazing facility that includes a beautiful pool that unfurtunatley doesnt not accomodate diving. The main beauty of the pool is the blue and gold light it gives off at night.</p>
<p>I hope this view from a Peddie Freshman helped.</p>
<p>ALA VIVA</p>