<p>I'm planning on applying to the following schools, please rank them (in your own personal opinion) from 1-7:</p>
<p>Northfield Mount Hermon
Dana Hall (1st choice)
Concord Academy
Exeter
Lawrenceville Academy
Millbrook
Blair Academy (possibly)</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I don’t know enough about all of those schools to really rank them, but from the standpoint of quality of academic instruction, I’d say that Exeter is at the top. I’d put Lawrenceville in second place, followed by NMH. I don’t know enough about the others to rank them.</p>
<p>Rank them based on what criteria? SSAT scores? % accepted to HYP? Financial Aid? Campus setting? Dining Hall food?</p>
<p>More important than a ranking based on some numerical data, is how YOU will FIT at the school. Remember that, in addition to studying, the school is a place you will LIVE, SLEEP, EAT, SOCIALIZE for 4 years.</p>
<p>Oh heck, I’ll bite!</p>
<h1>1 for math instruction = Exeter (unless you like to have things explained to you, rather than figuring them out for yourself, in which case it might drop to the bottom of the list!)</h1>
<h1>1 for downhill skiing as a sport = NMH (one of the top programs in New England!)</h1>
<h1>2 for downhill skiing as a sport = Blair Academy (go figure!)</h1>
<h1>1 for semester/year away programs - Lawrenceville (has lots of amazing programs and really encourages students to try them)</h1>
<h1>1 for animals on campus = It’s a tie between Millbrook’s zoo animals and NMH’s farm animals!</h1>
<h1>1 for gardening/grow your own food = NMH</h1>
<h1>2 for gardening/grow your own food = Lawrenceville</h1>
<h1>3 for gardening/grow your own food = Exeter, which doesn’t do either, but at least buys a lot of locally grown produce for its kitchen</h1>
<p>As you can see, how you rank a school depends on what’s important to you. From the list I just created, I could pick my first choice school (if I were a teenager and had it to do over again) in a heartbeat! So could my son . . . and his choice would not be the same as mine! What I’d strongly suggest is that you do a search for threads about each of these schools - you’ll find plenty of them, with lots of good information!</p>
<p>How about this: They’re all terrible.</p>
<p>Just kidding. But read the last paragraph of dodgermom’s post above again. And again.</p>
<p>Starkali: You could rank these schools by endowment. By endowment per student. By size of student body. By the percentage of boarding students. And then you’re at the end of the reliable data. [I’m not including SSAT or SAT scores, because, in my opinion, for much of the student body those scores reflect students’ preparation through middle school. SSAT/SAT say nothing about high schools’ academic excellence (or lack thereof.) Self-reported data are also not reliable enough. Other posters’ opinions may differ on this point.]</p>
<p>After going through the process twice, I think it’s futile to rank schools. In my opinion, each school does best with a certain type of student–which varies by school. The Concord Academy student body could not be exchanged for the Exeter Student body (nor Milbrook for Blair, Dana Hall for NMH, etc.) All these schools have creative, intense, bright, dedicated students. Some students could flourish at almost any school, but many students fit much better into a few schools. (And, in my opinion, experienced admissions officers have a feel for the sort of student which will do well at their school(s). It’s not a science, it’s an art.)</p>
<p>It is essential that you visit the schools. You have a much greater chance of winning admission to a school which fits you. Some schools will look perfect in the viewbook, but you’ll realize in ten minutes you could never attend the school. </p>
<p>If Dana Hall appeals to you, you really should seriously investigate other girls’ schools, such as Emma Willard and Miss Porter’s School.</p>
<p>Well I have a different take on it. Deerfield ranks high whichever way you rank, slice and dice it. Some leaders emerge by going through your exercise of ranking schools using different metrics. :D</p>
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<p>Well, that may or may not be, but Deerfield’s not on the OP’s original list.</p>
<p>[Sort</a> Boarding Schools by Key Criteria](<a href=“Sort Boarding Schools by Key Criteria”>Sort Boarding Schools by Key Criteria)</p>
<p>Play around with it. Almost all that CAN be ranked are listed there. Have fun!</p>
<p>@DAndrew…thanks…this link is great. As many times as I had been on the site, I hadn’t found this feature. thanks!</p>