We have had some truly wonderful experiences with a number of schools, and it makes me want to share those experiences with those considering these schools, or planning on attending them come fall. So feel free to share some of the things you love about the schools you (or DK) don’t attend, or didn’t choose.
Sorry to post and run but 4 kids at home with zooms – I’ll post some experiences later.
I’m back and wanted to call out some schools who went above and beyond with us.
George School –
We never had a chance to visit because we kept thinking we would do it at revisit time. So, very sadly, we crossed off our list because DD felt like it made no sense to commit to an unknown given she had so many schools that she had visited and she had loved. But, I want to say that every single conversation we had with George school – even the one where we turned them down – was thoughtful, meaningful, and kind. We found ourselves feeling like we really missed out by not getting to go to campus. (And see @gardenstategal!). I’ve read that kids either know they love George, or they know it’s not for them, the minute they get on campus. I think we would have loved them, but it was too risky, given we had other options.
Mercersburg –
Oh Mercersburg! Gosh we fell in love with them the minute DD interviewed! I think she would have been truly very happy there. They embody the idea that you are sending your kids to people not a school. I spent a fair amount of time on the phone with folks from MB, and we attended all of their virtual visits. Ultimately, we could not overcome the risk of not having visited (again – given we had visited other schools). But I’ll say this: if we’d not had other options that we had visited in person, I would have sent my DD to MB. I felt as sure as was probably possible without having visited.
Both GS and MB rose up in a way many other schools did not. They also both offered very generous merit scholarships to my DD, which was no small thing. We were touched by their generosity. Also, their handwritten notes from the admissions team stood out to us.
If any of my other 3 DDs decide to apply to BS in the future, we will absolutely be visiting both of these schools. In fact, I may even find a way to swing by sometime in my future work travels (what is travel?! what is work?!), just so I can meet in person the wonderful people I’ve met on the phone and in zoom to say thank you.
If anyone is considering either one of these schools, know that this mom is a HUGE fan!
@Calliemomofgirls I love reading your posts, and wish I could contribute to your thread, but since all my kids only applied as day students we didn’t see a wide range of schools. But, bumping this up for others with more experience to chime in.
What a great idea @Calliemomofgirls!
I would like to give a shout out to St. Mark’s School for going very much above and beyond. The school is exactly like @Calliemomofgirls describes Mercersburg and The George school regarding communication. Always so very helpful with so much great personal attention. We did visit and the school offers such a great personal environment. Every single person we met was so very kind and respectful and the interactions we had with them were very memorable. The school offered daughter an incredible financial aid package. We are all so touched by their generosity. During these past weeks without in person revisits available, everyone at the school was so thoughtful with their messaging, being extremely reassuring in these unpredictable times, offering wonderful virtual revisits. Also the school offers such amazing opportunities. It is a true hidden gem but really shouldn’t remain hidden and probably won’t for long. If I had another kiddo considering boarding schools, it would definitely be on the kiddo’s list. We’re such huge fans. Also would consider The George School and Mercersburg too as those sound like hidden gems too:)
Emma Willard School:
Beautiful campus with buildings right out of a Harry Potter film. Warm and welcoming faculty, staff, and students. The oldest girls school in the USA (1814). Incredible history that every girl should know about because without Emma Hart Willard, who knows if you would have access to higher education. Exceptional programs at the school. Big place in our hearts!
Miss Porters:
Best admissions office of any of the 12 schools we toured. Best view book, marketing materials, and swag of any of the schools. Best communication between the admissions office and students.
St Georges
Most beautiful school and view. Best chapel! Super nice faculty and HOS.
SPS
Beautiful chapel, beautiful library, impressive buildings.
Andover
Nice AO’s, nice Squash center
Hotchkiss
Best view - golf course - best music recital hall
Taft
Best Freshman dorm we visited. Best ice cream.
I’ll add two more.
Middlesex: The very best tour guide of all the schools. So intelligent, vibrant, warm genuine and charismatic - she even knew the names of cafeteria staff. Wonderful carvings by each student who graduated from the school, honoring each of them with a way to express the mark they left behind. Beautiful buildings on a beautiful circle. We expect our daughter would have loved it there had she gone.
Deerfield: Daughter loved all the staff she interacted with at this school - the AO, the teachers, the coaches. If she had picked a school solely from her interactions, DA would have been top choice. This was a school we couldn’t visit, however, from afar it seems to have a beautiful campus with a traditional New England boarding school look. The view from The Rock looks to probably be one of the most scenic views available from any boarding school, especially in the fall. We expect our daughter would have loved her time there had she gone.
Madeira. Our love for Madeira started with a fantastic “Capitol Hill Weekend” in the fall during which DD participated in a leadership conference, spent the night in the dorms where she genuinely connected with some amazing students, and toured Capitol Hill with Madeira interns while I met faculty, toured the gorgeous campus, and sat in on panels learning all about their amazing programs that include three internships for each student. Really unique, wonderful opportunities. Throughout the admissions process, they went above and beyond. Even before M10, they reached out to DD, who wrote one of her essays on the show, Madame Secretary, to set up a phone call between DD and a Madeira alumn who was a writer for the show! Post M10, we received the kindest calls from teachers, students, alumnae, the Board Chair, various program directors, etc. Their virtual revisit panels were excellent. I KNOW our daughter would have loved it there, and I literally cried when turning down Madeira’s offer.
Grier. My biggest regret probably is that we never got to visit Grier. They offer a really unique approach to “wellness” and physical activity that really appealed to us, and they have a huge arts emphasis, which we love. Lots of STEAM electives. The AOs were so wonderful and kind, and they connected us with faculty and parents and alumnae. Everything we were able to learn about Grier was wonderful, but we just couldn’t commit to a school we hadn’t seen.
Blair - The admissions team, the golf coach, and the teachers we met were incredible. They took so much time with us and were genuinely warm and welcoming. The school is beautiful and there is so much going for it. Because we could not revisit and compare it to other top choices, our son opted for a different school for location reasons. He felt awful turning Blair down, because the people were just fantastic.
Episcopal High School - Again, the admissions team was wonderful. The director of admission was so responsive to every phone call, email, etc. - we felt so guilty not going there as a result! The campus and location are really perfect and so unlike any other boarding school we visited. Also, the students we know from EHS are mature, friendly and clearly bright. Had EHS had a golf course, it would have been a perfect choice for my son. If you have a child that wants a city experience or is interested in government and politics, rather than the typical rural BS experience, I don’t think there is better choice than EHS.
Woodberry Forest - What a fantastic place! The campus is gorgeous, and the teachers and staff were so welcoming and charming. WF has a fantastic admissions process where your son spends the night in a dorm with the students, goes to sports practices, and classes, etc. My son had such a wonderful time – ultimately he decided that he wanted a coed environment. For those looking for an all-boys’ school, I just cannot imagine a better place (100% boarding, wonderful honor code system, sprawling campus, new state of the art academic buildings, holistic admission process, etc.)
I agree. The WFS admission process is so unique, full of moments of truth!
The Saint George’s administration really knocked our socks off - they were a bit of a Darkhorse as we entered the process but couldn’t have done a better job of convincing our child that Saint Georges might be the place for the next four years. Their Director of Admissions and Head of School were top notch in our process and when their strategic plan is complete they will be even more competitive with any other New England school.
Couple that with what we thought was perhaps the best location of any school we saw (we found Newport to be amazing and hope to return for a vacation) very compelling for our child.
We also had a very hard time saying no to SGS. We really loved the head of admissions, our tour guides were really sweet, and you can’t beat that campus. Our daughter also really loved their art center. We knew SGS wasn’t the right fit for her, but we will seriously consider it for our son (if he gets in).
I often wish that kiddo had gone to Brentwood College School on Vancouver Island. Different “vibe” than most BS’s in the US. Amazing programs and breathtaking scenery…also sometimes wonder if kiddo had gone on to do crew @ SPS…along with that I think that SGS has incredibly study abroad and experiential learning opportunities through their sailing program on “Geronimo”.
I wish we had been able to persuade our child to wait a couple of years and consider United World Colleges. They offer an incredible opportunity to go to school with the best and brightest from around the world and to pursue an IB diploma at a boarding school overseas (Wales, Italy, British Columbia, India, China, Singapore, Netherlands, Costa Rica, and more!) And the costs are subsidized by the home country’s selection committee.
Dublin - This was a few years back but they were so intentional in the way they conducted their interview of our daughter. They spent an entire day talking to us both separately and together and making sure we met the professors that mattered to our daughter. A lovely fun caring atmosphere on campus and it appeared to be a close knit community too.
Mercersburg - I absolutely loved Mercersburg! Even though I didn’t visit, the online interviewer was so friendly. In addition, when they passing through our area, he personally came to meet with me.
NMH - has the best boarding school food ever!
Insanely crazy good food at NMH. I took pictures of it. The day we visited, not a revisit day, just a normal day, they had mussels. Mussels! For lunch! And like 20 other choices. Like a whole section of vegan options and another set of gluten-free choices. Their dining hall was awesome.
I absolutely loved everything about NMH.
So did kiddo. NMH hurt to say goodbye to. I still have some of their maple syrup.
There were great things about Milton. I loved their housing system (you stay in the same house all four years - so you have a family environment and house pride). That was different than any other school.
Loomis I liked because it felt so balanced. They did everything Not too much, not too little, but just right. And the AO was so incredibly kind and down to earth.
EDIT: Misunderstood and can’t delete reply.
Choate: Beautiful facilities and top-notch academics!!!
Cheshire Academy: Diverse student body and nice location. Good vicinity to a lot of appealing areas nearby
Deerfield - I would’ve gone here if it hadn’t been for Exeter. Gorgeous campus, has a bit of an old-time feel which I adored, big on tradition but also very modern, had tunnels connecting the buildings underground so you run around the traditional NE boarding school problem of traversing a campus without having to deal with the weather, interview was extremely friendly - my parents were allowed to sit in with me and the interviewer was genuinely excited that I was applying and looking for ways I would fit into life at Deerfield, the interviewer also emailed me the day before the Revisit to see how I was doing and express how excited they were for me to come to Deerfield, generally had a great amount of friendly communications reaching out to my family.
Also Milton, although it made for less of an impression than Deerfield and has therefore faded from my memory