<p>@maddog: I said from what I’ve heard. I’ve also heard they have little free time. It would be nice to right on the ocean during September/Spring/Summer but NOT during the rest of the year</p>
<p>@5schoolApplicant : the distance. They don’t want to drive 6 hours to see me…</p>
<p>@pittsburgher : too far…</p>
<p>Rad, you`re right. It will be colder than some of those schools further north. But I shouldnt mind too much. I like going to Montauk in the dead of winter.
What did you hear about lack of free time? Do they have heavy work loads?</p>
<p>Well I’m just judging by how in their view book and some one around[i have a bad memory]. In the book there was like a survey thing and one of the questions was What would you change? most put free time.</p>
<p>Reach = ###
Match = %%%</p>
<p>Andover ###
Brooks %%%
Choate ###
Kent %%%
Middlesex ###
Milton ###
Exeter ###
SMS %%%
SPS ###
Tabor %%%
Taft #%#</p>
<p>I took out NJ Schools - distance
I took out Loomis and Hotchkiss - No crew
I took out NMH - No saturday classes ( I know stupid reason) - may switch back in if I don’t like one of my match schools after visit. </p>
<p>I need one more school to take out. (maybe milton or andover, so its more balanced)</p>
<p>But I think it is pretty balanced now. I am cutting it down to a final 10. Is that a good number? Twice the amount of this past year but I can recycle some essay for the new schools. I am pretty sure this is going to be my final list unless my visits make me feel differently</p>
<p>They have tons of free time at Tabor! When I revisited, the my tour guide said, “We’re supposed to have great academics, but it’s easy as crap. We only say that for the parents and stuff.” They also had a less than impressive campus, boring teachers, and un-friendly students. Big no in my opinion.</p>
<p>I say yessssss to Brooks. It really doesn’t get enough credit around here. And Middlesex is a match?!?! Isn’t their acceptance rate in the 20s?</p>
<p>BTW, what is Kent’s acceptance rate/average SSAT scores? I’m considering it…</p>
<p>I put mx as a reach. </p>
<p>I heard kents rate is around 30-35% but dont take that for fact. I am not sure about ssat scores. They didn’t post anything on BSR.</p>
<p>bamagirl, did you find both boys and girls not so nice or just girls? I`m guessing you found it clicky. Thats a bummer, I was really considering Tabor vs. St. G. sounds like the SG has a nicer group. Anyone else know about these 2 schools. I too am trying to narrow down my list.</p>
<p>I would strongly recommend not ruling out ANY school on the basis of an anonymous internet poster’s impression. </p>
<p>In my opinion, if you visit St. George’s, you should visit Tabor, and vice versa. So few schools are on the water, it makes no sense not to check out both. Of all the schools we visited, Tabor had the most up-to-date school buildings. I think that may be due to the hurricanes which sweep through at times, requiring things to be rebuilt.</p>
<p>Tabor’s campus is lovely. We didn’t visit St. George’s, so I can’t compare the two. </p>
<p>If you need to narrow down your list, create a spreadsheet. Create columns for everything YOU care about–languages, sports, extracurriculars, etc. Don’t focus too narrowly on acceptance rates. Look for fit. Throw out the schools which don’t have the activities you need. If you need Chinese & Crew, cross off the schools which don’t offer both. (By the way, with languages, make sure they offer the level of language you need. If you want to start Greek your first year on campus, make sure they offer Greek I, i.e. aren’t phasing it out.)</p>
<p>Once you’ve winnowed your list a bit, look at a map. You may not think that Brooks is your dream school, but it is so close to Andover, it’s silly not to visit it if you’re in the area. Likewise, Middlesex School and Concord Academy are very different, but they’re in the same town, so don’t pass up the chance to check out both.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t get too specific, a la Chinese/Greek example. Tastes change. At one of our revisit days, we were told don’t be surprised if you go in thinking you’re a mathematician and you come out an English major. </p>
<p>I think you should be looking for the basics–academic rigor, a wide range of athletics etc. If a school has the basics and you feel it’s right, it probably will do nicely. Some of the intangibles like a pretty campus really matter.</p>
<p>I agree with scholwannabe–my kid, for example, gave up his strongest sport because everything else felt right. I now think we should have looked at more schools without it. The spreadsheet’s a great idea–I just wouldn’t use it to rule things out. Ultimately, you’ll feel as if you’d belong…or not…and that’s most important.</p>
<p>maddog- I found it very clicky, which is something I def don’t want in a school! I mainly interacted with girls, so I’m not sure about the guys. But take my words with a grain of salt. Like Periwinkle said, this is just a random person’s opinion. Visit the school and decide for yourself!</p>
<p>I’m wearing my Tabor shirt right now. Didn’t really care for the school, but I love the t-shirt. :D</p>
<p>Scholwannabe, classicalmama, we’ll have to agree to disagree. We don’t object to pretty campuses, but what happens inside the campus buildings is more important. In my opinion, facing a list with 17 (!) possible schools, one does need to bring focus to the search. The best way to do that is to ask oneself, “What do I want to learn in the next four years? What current interests do I want to follow, and what interests are optional?” Of course, students will change in that time, but it does not logically follow that any course of study will work out because, hey, you’ll change. </p>
<p>I know families who did not consider any school which did not have Chinese. We focused on German and Greek. French, Latin and Spanish are usually available at most boarding schools. There are limits, though. If you want Chinese, you can choose from 82 schools. If you want Russian, you’re limited to nine schools, according to the search engine at the Association of Boarding Schools.</p>
<p>Of course, no single course or interest should rule a school out, but at some point in the process, you have to be ruthless in deciding priorities.</p>
<p>P–just to clarify what I was trying to communicate. Yes, you’re right the curriculum matters most–these ARE schools afterall. What I was trying to recommend is not to get to specific too early in your career when you look at schools, in ruling them out as viables. You may think you can’t live without Chinese, but you may discover when you take French Lit, you really want to read works in their original language. At this stage of the game focus on basics. Are they there or not?</p>
<p>Then, once you feel a school has the breadth and depth you are looking for, the intangibles matter. How are the kids? Do they seem happy? Do you like the feel of the place, etc. If you get too specific too fast, you could be overlooking some real good opportunities for a great education.</p>
<p>@bamagirl, You<code>re not off the mark about your observation. One of my friend</code>s sister transferred out of that school to attend an all girls school. I already heard that the girls can be tough there. But guys are usually not too bad. In any case, I<code>m still trying to figure out if I want to keep T on my list. I don</code>t want to be around a bunch of clicky snobs.</p>