<p>I'm currently a straight-A student graduating junior high with a 95+ avg. I was wondering if I should apply for prep school. Would the academics be tougher? I live in NYC and am well aware of prestigious school such as Hunter and Stuyvesant. However, I heard their college admissions aren't that good considering the fact that they have over 3000 students. So well, I'm not so sure now...</p>
<p>It's not about prestige, or even college admissions It's about learning, and education. </p>
<p>If you're graduating from Junior High, Hunter - where I went for a year before moving - is not an option (admission is in seventh grade only), but I'd urge you to consider Stuy, or to apply to boarding schools and/or private schools like Brearley/Chapin/Trinity/Dalton/Collegiate (no idea of your gender, sorry...). The education you'll get is more important than what "prestigious" college you go or don't go to. (I go to Phillips Exeter now, which I love went to Hunter, which I also loved, and the best/hardest classes I ever had [comparatively, I suppose] were still the K-6 grades I spent at Chapin School.</p>
<p>are u feeling bored with ur school's academics? do u want the best education for yourself? or do u just feel that it will look better on your college app. if it says that you went to some prestigious school, say Horace Mann? remember, your high school doesnt matter as long as you are at the top of your class and a great student, etc. yes, the academics at the top private schools like horace mann, dalton, brearley, etc are extremely tough, as i have heard. i once met a girl who transferred to a top boarding school because she could not take the workload at brearley. prep school isnt something an A student is obliged to look into. if you are happy and very contented, and doing extremely well at your current school, there's not much of a need to go to a prep school. but pick for yourself.</p>
<p>I don't want to go to public school because it's boring. I'm considering going to exeter but i heard people are snooty and mean there. I'm going to check out Brearley. (Yes, I'm a girl)</p>
<p>The majority of people at Exeter aren't snooty and mean, I swear! I thought that when I first applied, but I was pleasantly surprised at the revisit, and ended up attending. This goes for any school you're considering: don't let what other people say scare you away; go see for yourself and form your own opinions.</p>
<p>As a current Exonian, I'd have to disagree. Exeter's anything but - the people there are some of the nicest I've ever met.</p>
<p>I've heard the snootier schools were Andover, Choate, Deerfield, and SPS. I've actually heard that Exeter is kind of geeky. lol</p>
<p>The only school I found to be even somewhat standoffish was SPS. Even then, the people I met were very courteous and helpful to me during my tour. I've not had a bad experience yet with any Andover, Choate, or Deerfield students.</p>
<p>brearley's a fantastic school, but remember, it's very, very, tough, the girl i was speaking about before, said that everyone there is incredibly smart or is very talented, etc. and its very demanding. so she transferred to a boarding school in connecticut. (already mentioned that)</p>
<p>You don't want snooty so you're going to Brearly??</p>
<p>Academically, I think both NYC preps and New England preps are on about the same level as they are in prestige and college matriculations, which shouldn't be that important anyway. You SHOULD definitely apply to New England if you are interested at all in the idea of living away from home and gaining independance... you will have a better feel for schools anyway once you start requesting information, checking out their campus, etc etc. Good luck!</p>
<p>Well, I'm trying to get info on all the schools right now. So far, Exeter and Andover are my top choices. My friend went to Brearley and she said it isn't so bad. I'm going to check that out too. </p>
<p>PS If anyone here goes to either Brearley, Exeter, Andover, or any other private school, can you please tell me what's it like?</p>
<p>I'm at Andover and I don't think you'll find "snootiness" to be much of a problem unless you decide to surround yourself exclusively with the debate/MUN type. I really get the snooty impression more from places like Groton, Deerfield and Hotchkiss. And kids at St. Paul's are very sweet I don't think they're snooty at all. </p>
<p>Brearly I've heard some things but this is only second-hand knowledge I can't really say any of it is definitive. I'm doing some research though for a cousin of mine who's checking out NYC day schools (she's an 8th grader as well) by talking so some Andover kids that come from them, so if I find anything of relevance I'll let you know. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Strange - I didn't get any "snobby" vibes from Deerfield, but slightly from SPS. Actually, my tour guide at Deerfield was incredibly friendly. I'd probably say she was my favorite tour guide of all the schools that I visited.</p>
<p>xGods_Favoritex: Why do you say that the Model UN and debate team people are snooty? Are they particularly type-A students?</p>
<p>What about the Southeast? Which prep school is the most elite in that region? Is it the Ransom School in Miami?</p>
<p>No, it's just a particuarly clique-y set of kids who do just those two activities and are extremely involved in them. That's not to knock on either of the activities though, I do Debate, I really enjoy it, and the program at Andover is phenomenal. </p>
<p>Also, I don't see how being a type-A student makes you snooty...?</p>
<p>Well, after a while i did find some schools I'll apply to:
Andover
Exeter
Choate--Any info on this school?
Deerfield?
Brearley</p>
<p>What do you think?</p>
<p>Haha, well, I didn't mean it as if type A students are snooty (why do we keep using this word?), but in the stereotypical sense of students who are kind of aggresively competitive and exclusive. Of course, not all debate/Model UN students are like that. I was just curious, because I was interesting in joining Model UN (I had a great time of it in middle school) and I wanted to hear your opinion of it.</p>
<p>EuNixD - I think your list sounds pretty good. The only school I don't know about is Brearly, but I was accepted to the rest of the schools on your list. I must say that Choate was a really great school, in my opinion. Very close proximity to Yale (20 minutes max?). I actually had a very tough time deciding between Choate and Andover. As for Deerfield, it too was a fantastic school. The campus has quite the traditional New England school vibe to it. As I said before, the people I met were very friendly. I suppose I don't really have to give much of an explanation for Andover/Exeter, but again, they're all fine schools. It just depends on which one suits your interests best.</p>
<p>hmm i think all of those schools are excellent, definitely top notch</p>
<p>well i visited adover, choate, and exeter [im attending exeter this fall]</p>
<p>umm as for choate, yeah its a short drive from yale, the town it's in...has very fast drivers [i think like 2 kids get hit a year, or so i heard ^.^] but yeah its like smack dab in the middle of some intersecting roads, its got a nice little stream on campus, fairly large size, nice, newer buildings, academics are strong but music program is outstanding, you can pretty much major in music and not do any sports/clubs [it sounded like it was really hardcore, so i didnt think it was right for me], and andover/exeter have much more intense acdemic programs IMO.</p>
<p>as for andover, i don't know much, but it has a very nice campus, fairly spread out, really big, and it's a little more laid back than exeter in terms of rules [like there isnt a dress code]</p>
<p>and exeter, the buildings kinda remind me of john hopkins, brick buildings, traditional fashion, new science center and academy center, awesome library, very good gym/sporting fields, dress code [formal wear in class]. immediate surrounding town is on the older, bleak side, but there are malls and such, 50 miles from boston. there's a nice river right on campus that's used for crew, and i picked it because of it's teaching style, ["harkness method"] which is all done around circular tables and is mostly discussion among the students. i hear that exeter's program is more rigorous in terms of studies while andover is better in athletics, but i think both are at the same level.</p>
<p>i also applied to hotchkiss, who in fact came off as little "snooty" in some kids, but also a great school to look into, they have a very beautiful campus</p>
<p>when i re-visited exeter, all the kids are very friendly along the pathways, and the only snootiness as far as i could tell was against andover [i'm sure it's the same for them]</p>
<p>lol and to Jon K, yeah exeter had one or two "geeky types" when i went, but i heard they're like math prodigies, but i think all schools have a few of the "all work no play" type. at all the schools i applied to, most of the kids seemed all around nice, smart, athletic, which appealed to me.</p>
<p>OK, thank for all your help. I really appreciate it =)))
So my list has come to Deerfield, Andover, and Exeter. I'm going to apply to Choate too but I'm not really the artsy type so I'm not sure I'll go. As for Andover, i found that a whooping 46% of 1000+ or students got into top colleges. And Exeter has a gigantic library, yes? Deerfield has a smaller acreage but it also has a 52% top college graduation rate. I can't really get anything on where Exonians graduate to, though.</p>
<p>I highly support trying out MUN: you will meet a lot of people, have fun, and maybe go to Georgetown in your good enough (which is quite an experience). Especially since you have genuine interest, experience, and have enjoyed your previous exposure to the club. </p>
<p>EuNixD, I'm curious as to where you are getting your percentage numbers, and what defines a "top college"?</p>