<p>I'm looking into boarding schools for the 2015-2016 school year, and I will be entering 9th grade. I can't seem to decide where to apply. Could anyone help me out?</p>
<p>I want to go somewhere with the following:
-Good academics
-A good athletics program
-A good arts program is a bonus, but it doesn't have to be amazing</p>
<p>I was considering Deerfield and Lawrenceville, are these schools a good fit for me based on the things above?</p>
<p>You’ve just described most of the boarding schools. You should start with boardingschoolreview.com narrowing your search based on more specific criteria than you’ve supplied above. Scour the websites of the schools that meet the criteria you entered on boardingschoolreview.com and then come back here for information that you can’t find on the school websites. No one here will be able to tell you if you are a good fit for any school, but we might help you get a better feel for the schools you are interested in.</p>
<p>^^ Right-- Deerfield and Lawrenceville fit-- but so do SO many other BS. Think about some other parameters-- size (small can be 300-400, medium 600-700, large over 800), traditional or not, closer to a city versus more rural setting, sense of community, coed vs. single sex. When you look at websites, look at some of the videos on line to see something of the feel of the place and what appeals to you. Of course, admissions videos are all designed to make each school look fantastic, but you’ll still figure out some of the factors that might get you excited about specific schools. Good luck!</p>
<p>Okay, I decided on my updated criteria:
-Good athletics (particularly lacrosse)
-Good English and writing program
-Good foreign language program (particularly Spanish)
-On the East Coast in the NE/NY/NJ area
-Coed
-Preferably medium sized
-Preferably close to a city, but it wouldn’t be a deal breaker if it isn’t</p>
<p>Does anyone have any school ideas with this criteria? Or maybe something with some of it?</p>
<p>Even with that, there’s so many schools that fit. Feel around, go from the well known schools down. Look at some of the Hidden Gem threads on CC, you’ll be able to bring up a list quickly!</p>
<p>Here are some schools that may fit: Peddie, Loomis Chaffee, Hotchkiss</p>
<p>Choate may fit but it is about 800 and I’m not sure whether you would consider that medium or large. Deerfield and Lawrenceville would fit too.</p>
<p>If you are willing to attend a school in the DC area, consider Episcopal High School. Other than location, EHS meets all of your criteria. <a href=“http://www.episcopalhighschool.org”>www.episcopalhighschool.org</a></p>
<p>Again, as helpful as this board is, at this point in your search, your best bet is boardingschool review.com. Once you have specific questions about specific schools there will be loads of help for you here. Good luck!!</p>
<p>UPDATED QUESTION:
I’ve been looking at boardingschoolreview and I can’t find the specifics of these two things:
<p>TONS of schools have both of those things. I know Exeter, Hotchkiss, and Deerfield have dress codes (or at least pretty major ones) as some of the more well known schools. You need to find a list of schools and then come back with those schools so we can answer those questions.</p>
<p>Okay, I think I have a list, could anyone answer the questions above for these schools?</p>
<ol>
<li>Deerfield</li>
<li>Lawrenceville</li>
<li>Andover</li>
<li>Exeter</li>
<li>Middlesex</li>
</ol>
<p>Bonus question: Taft or Choate? And why? I want to apply to 6, and those are the only two I can’t narrow it down to.</p>
<p>Okay, I’m probably not going to be the first one to tell you, but all of the schools you’ve listed above are INCREDIBLY selective. Middlesex, this year, admitted under 100 students of an applicant pool of 1100… you should find some safety schools. Schools that are a bit easier to get into but have what you’re looking for. You should try Mercersburg - I’ve been on campus multiple times (my dad went there). Also try Fryeburg Academy, Cheshire Academy, and Worcester Academy. </p>
<p>Both “Dress Code” and “Saturday Classes” are selectable search criteria on boardingschoolreview.</p>
<p>No one will be able to pick schools for you; only you and your family will be able to do that based on what you know about yourself and what your school research and visits indicate.</p>
<p>What is the question about “Taft or Choate” that you want answered? Taft families will say Taft and Choate families will say Choate often for the same reasons (love the warm communities, the lovely campuses, the caring faculty, the great academics, etc.). What criteria did you use for selecting 1-5? Perhaps if you share that, we might be able to tell you if either Taft or Choate align more closely with that criteria.</p>
<p>@ccnaf14‌ I’m applying to those because my current school is at the same academic level as those schools. I’d rather go to boarding school and get the experience of BS, but not if it means I have to sacrifice academics.</p>
<p>@ChoatieMom‌ Which one has a better math and science program, athletic program, and sense of community. And I was wondering more what the dress codes are and how strict they are, not if there is one. The Saturday classes thing I found though.</p>
<p>Dress code:
D- yes/formal
L- kind of/casual (students must be dressed well but there are limited parameters)
A- no/casual
E- yes/formal
M- yes/casual</p>
<p>Saturday classes:
D- no
L- yes/weekly
A- yes/less than once per month
E- yes/less than once per month
M- yes/weekly</p>
<p>I found all of this on Boarding School Review by searching each school and scrolling until I found both criteria.</p>
<p>@pdl100‌ understood, but do you know the specifics of the dress codes, especially Deerfield and Exeter? </p>
<p>No-- it’s probably online. But my guess is it’s something like no jeans, no flipflops, shorts/skirts/dresses must be fingertip length, no skinny straps or strapless tops, no undergarments or midriffs showing, no athletic clothing, etc. That’s if you’re a girl-- I have no idea what it might be for a guy.</p>
<p>I know Hotchkiss (which is one of, if not the, strictest dress codes) requires khaki pants, a buttondown collared shirt, and a jacket or tie for the boys. For the girls, it’s no denim pants of any type, no shorts until the spring dress code (March or April), leather flipflops or nice sandals only (for shoes without backs), a variety of modesty parameters, and mostly just looking nice and well kept. For some of the very casual schools, like Andover, you could literally wear sports attire or pajamas as long as it was modest enough.</p>
<p>“I’m applying to those because my current school is at the same academic level as those schools.”</p>
<p>Oh really? Do you go to TJ, Ringe & Latin, Bronx Science, or Stuyvesant? Because if you don’t I don’t know if you can say that. </p>
<p>FWIW, I think that many people new to the BS scene feel that their needs can only be served by 5 of the most famous schools. They are wrong. All of the schools mentioned with any regularity on this forum will provide all the academic challenge 95% of the applicants can handle. Do you think you are in the top 5% of an already very select group?</p>
<p>I’ve mentioned the following many times in the past: Before applying to BS, my older daughter was an A student at relatively rigorous private day school that is known to many boarding school admissions officers — this despite having been skipped a grade early on and always being the youngest kid in her class. She was 1 wrong answer away from a 2400 on the SSAT (with zero tutoring or use of flashcards). Her 7th grade SAT scores (for CTY) put her in the top 0.5% of all students in her age cohort (according to a TIP data sheet I had found back in the day). </p>
<p>And yet, she seems to get all the challenge she can handle at St. Andrew’s (DE), a school she picked over one of the “big name” schools that get a lot of play on this forum.</p>
<p>I share all of this not to brag, but to try and put things in perspective. Even a “Hidden Gem” can kick your butt academically.</p>
<p>SevenDad-
It appears from her other posts the OP does currently attend a private day school on par with the top boarding schools. I’d imagine she would only switch schools if it were a lateral move.</p>
<p>(Boardinghopes-Please be careful about what you divulge here. It’s very easy to check old posts to piece information together.)</p>
<p>@Sue22: Thanks for clarifying…I didn’t take the time to scan the OP’s previous post history. </p>
<p>That said, the private K-12 day school my older daughter attended through middle school sent 20% of a recent graduating class to Princeton, so it was not some average high school school either…</p>