<p>New poster here - parent of a student, forum reader, and we're headed into revisits. Can we start a thread of 2009 revisits and post our impressions? There was a thread for last year's revisit impressions and I found it to be very helpful, but thought we could do one for this year. Parent and student thoughts would be nice.......</p>
<p>I’d like to look at that thread from last year. How did you find it?</p>
<p>if you type “revisit impressions” in the “search this forum” tab, a page will come up, and it’s there. it’s titled “your revisit impressions” posted by wyvern. It’s from last year’s applicants and their parents, so it’s a year old, but I still found it very useful. </p>
<p>I enjoyed hearing what other people have to say about each revisit day because you find out if others had similar impressions, or completely different experiences. I also find that people notice things I might not ordinarily notice, and in that way it helps fill in the whole picture.</p>
<p>I think this is a great idea! It would be nice if people wrote about all different schools. Please those of you who are reading this and go for a revisit somewhere other than HADES, please let us know your thoughts!</p>
<p>yes, let’s keep this thread alive till April 10th.</p>
<p>We spent a day and a half at SPS, home today. The community is warm and deep with commitment to nurturing the mind, spirit and social life of the students. The Rector and his wife seem to be kind, supportive people of character and integrity. That sets the tone for the teachers and support faculty. My daughter is Jewish but we felt okay with the spiritual gatherings. Everyone smiled and said ‘hello’ as we passed, even Security. Honesty abounded in each conversation. A recent strategic plan ID’d growth opportunities and is posted on-line through the website for all to see. Very transparent. Hard-working, interesting students, beautiful facilities, safe campus, all boarding so fewer worries from a parents’ perspective. Great classes. Visiting Milton next week, very different, but also a gift for my daughter.</p>
<p>3tuitions - glad to hear the sps revisit experience went well. What you noticed during the revisit is an accurate portrayal of daily life at SPS in our family’s experience. Mr & Mrs Matthews, the rector and his wife, truly are what you described.</p>
<p>Bump…</p>
<p>Cheshire (son): Faculty/administration were warm & welcoming. Program was short: 0845-1200 or so. Imagine flying in or driving hours and hours for such a brief experience? Parents were cut loose & kids shadowed a student. S reported kids sniped at one another viciously in one class – and he’s not a sensitive guy. Kids looking at Facebook in another class. The Roxbury Program (learning skills) seems well organized & has affirming, experienced people running it & on staff. Lots Asian students, predominantly from China. My impression: Cheshire doesn’t seem to have a coherent sense of self. Is it an inclusive, supportive prep school where kids with learning differences can also find a home? A predominantly suburban school? I couldn’t tell which identity most described CA.</p>
<p>Mercersburg (daughter): Cohesive sense of identity and mission that it palpable. Seems to draw heavily on the Mid-Atlantic crowd (to no surprise). Impressive faculty + students. Still, classes didn’t “wow” D. Great endowment but our lowest – by a significant chunk – FA offer.</p>
<p>Great post, Klements. Have you decided which school your daughter will attend? Anyone else has revisist experience to share?</p>
<p>Visited Mercersburg with S. He still has two schools to revisit, so no decision yet. Below are my impressions of Mercersburg.</p>
<p>They have a superb arts program and a new 65,000 sq ft arts center. </p>
<p>The sports programs are great - 54 Olympic medalists are alumni. </p>
<p>Casual but respectful dress code. </p>
<p>Diverse student population appears to have a cohesive sense of community and school pride. Large boarding percentage (They have an interesting policy that requires all senior year students to board, even if they live nearby and were previously day students). Students from 30+ states and 25 or so countries, but I think the majority of kids are from the mid-Atlantic region. </p>
<p>40 AP courses. Academic metrics have improved measurably during the past several years and I expect the trend will continue, but they still trail in a few areas. Harkness teaching method used. Admission is becoming more and more selective. The academy hired a new head of school about 10 years ago and its obvious that he and his team have done a lot to create vision, traction and momentum for Mercersburg. The school’s administration appears to pay close attention to details. The school is using its large endowment to attract top students and faculty. </p>
<p>Fantastic campus, but like Hotchkiss, Deerfield, SPS and NMH, it’s a little remote (about 85 miles from Georgetown / Washington DC).</p>
<p>Did anyone go to Exeter revisit today? How was it?</p>
<p>Exeter Revisit: The facilities are fantastic; all the buildings are new and clean, and the landscaping is well-maintained. Faculty members were pleasant and friendly, but not overly welcoming, and the students seemed a little tired and definitely swamped by the workload. The classes were impressive, if you are a fan of the Harkness method (our family had different opinions on this setup). The students were clearly very smart and engaged in class, but again, very serious and pretty tense. When asked how they liked Exeter, the students said there was a lot of work, some teachers are notorious for “sending students out crying,” but yes, they liked it a lot. Obviously, Exeter is a wonderful school with incredible opportunities, but we felt that the atmosphere seemed a little too stressful for us.</p>
<p>Andover Revisit: The facilities are a little worn, with the exception of the Gelb Science Center and of course the new (and fabulous) Paresky Commons. The faculty and admissions officers were wonderful; they knew exactly who we were, where we were from, what our interests were, etc. The students were so impressive. They carried themselves with eloquence and self-confidence, and seemed genuinely excited to be there. We didn’t even have to ask the students to hear that they loved everything about Andover. Asking questions and bouncing ideas off each other, they were engaged in class, but still maintained their humor and carefree lifestyle. It was clear that cliques did exist, but even the students who weren’t at the top of the social ladder seemed thrilled to be there. Overall, we thought Andover was amazing, and you will find us there next Fall.</p>
<p>One thing we noticed was that when Exeter students heard we were considering Andover, they told us that Andover was a great school and either would be a good choice. When Andover students heard about Exeter, they immediately said that Andover was the best and that we had no other choice but to enroll.</p>
<p>One thing to add about Exeter: the dress code really is NOT enforced for girls. Boys, you have it easy; wear a coat and tie and you’re fine. Girls, wearing a nice skirt/blouse/sweater will probably make you feel overdressed. I wouldn’t recommend wearing jeans (though the students do, it IS your revisit, so you should stick to the rules), but definitely dress casually. Khakis, cords, or other pants will be perfect.</p>
<p>Just returned from Groton revisit and now I am more confused than ever! I thought I was sure I wanted SPS but Groton’s “small is better” theme, excellent dorms, superior faculty (credentials are a who’s who of prestigious schools from around the world, including Oxford and the Sorbonne), Harkness teaching, dynamic but personable headmaster and admissions personnel that knew my name and treated me like an old friend, structured third form life, and finally, great cafeteria food (did I mention excellent curriculum), make this “preppy” institution tough to turn down!</p>
<p>skafe, what do you think will end up being the deciding factor? wouldn’t want to have to make your decision!</p>
<p>hahaha SPS<br>
no just kidding
just think about whatever feels better
have you revisited SPS yet?</p>
<p>Yes sailor_chica (Hispana?), just returned from SPS Saturday. Have to regroup and add up points for both schools and decide which one. By the way, my D now has “two number ones.”</p>
<p>Skafe, you are in a difficult, yet enviable, position.</p>
<p>Hey! I am revisiting at Andover, Exeter, Groton, Hotchkiss, and Middlesex. I went to the Andover revisit and the Hotchkiss revisit so far.</p>
<p>Hotchkiss: It has a very pretty campus with great landscape. It was raining when we went, so they tried to keep us in the “main.” First when I got there I met with the admission officers and we got the schedules for the day. Then we went into the chapel to hear a speech from the head of school. He talked lots about diversity and global awareness. Then the student hosts came out and said their name, where they were from, and who they were hosting. My guy was very nice. He had a free first and we chilled and watched the TV and he gave me a tour. Then we were off to Humanities. They humanities integrated like Music Theory, history, philosophy, economics, and religion. We sat round a Harkness table. The students looked pretty tired. We first talked about slavery (where ignorance is bliss.) Then we had another teacher talk about national debt. Then we learned about the humanities program. Then we ate lunch. The dinning hall was pretty nice. Then I went to French. The class was pretty engaging, though I don’t take French. Then the students performed for us. That was pretty much it.</p>
<p>Andover: I went to this ice cream social prior to the revisit day. When I revisited I met my guide and we went to double Latin, Music Theory, and Geometry. I really liked the music theory. Really engaging class. We learned about meter. Fun and we listened to the Temptations. I didn’t like latin too much. The teacher was pretty difficult and I was kinda scared to speak. Te kids looked like the class was killing them. At Geometry we took a quiz to start the double period. The class wasn’t too dificult. The kids looked like they were struggling to keep their eyes open and understand the concepts. My tour gide was extremely nice. He showed me a freshman dorm which had huge singles! Then we ate at Paresky Commons which was INCREDIBLE. Beyond belief. It makes every other dining hall look like crap. It was two floors and it was the equivalent of a resturaunt. There was stir fry, stone ovens to make pizza, pasta, tons of drinks, tons of deserts, tons of variety, great dining facilities. I had a ham and bacon with american cheese toasted rye sandwhich. Then I had steak with grilled bread. Awesome.Then I went to an all school chapel where the presidential candidates spoke. They were hilarious. I talked with this kid from New York. Then we finished with a final chapel speech.</p>