Southern boarding schools

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hi all - my first post here, so be nice :-) I am admittedly fairly clueless re: the BS admissions process at this point.</p>

<p>I am currently a junior male student at a decent - though certainly not great - public school in a Twin Cities (MN) suburb. My family moved up here from NC midway through my freshman year of high school, after my dad received a great job offer. It was quite a culture shock for me, as my family had lived in North Carolina and Tennessee for my whole life prior to that time. I really struggled to adjust socially (it still isn't a great situation) and my grades suffered accordingly for about the first year I was here. I had always maintained a B+/A- average through middle school, but during my first three trimesters here my GPA sunk to about a 2.5, which included two D-level grades. After some serious heart-to-heart talks with my parents, older siblings, and a few teachers, I picked up my effort considerably and have achieved A/A- grades in all my courses over the past two trimesters. </p>

<p>Still, I can't say I am particularly happy here in Minnesota, for a variety of reasons. My parents both grew up here and have family in the area, but they understand that the move put me in a difficult situation. We have discussed the possibility of boarding school after my sister brought up a postgraduate year being a possible good idea for me (she works in admin for a Baltimore-area day school). The more I have looked at boarding schools, the more excited I have become about the idea, and my parents are very receptive as well. I am young for my grade level (August birthday) and my physical and social/emotional development lagged quite a bit, though puberty has hit me like a ton of bricks over the last year, ha ha. An extra year - either in the form of a PG year or repeating 11th grade - would serve me very well, from both a development perspective and giving myself more time to "prove" my improved grades before applying to colleges.</p>

<p>In researching schools, my focus naturally has been primarily on those located in the southern and mid-atlantic states. The main criteria I have are strong college placement (i.e. high SAT scores) and a reasonably strong lacrosse program. Don't get me wrong, I don't harbor any illusions of playing pro lax or becoming a top-line player at Hopkins, but I love the sport and am quite accomplished, receiving a fair amount of attention from D3 and lower-level D1 schools during the camp circuit this summer. My parents and both of my (much) older siblings were all college athletes, so we have a good idea of how the recruiting process works (I am the baby of the family by over a decade, ha ha). But my primary goal, by far, is to parlay lacrosse into a good college education while being around a fun group of teammates. </p>

<p>A few of the schools that have caught my eye include McCallie, Woodberry Forest, and Virginia Episcopal (Lynchburg, not Alexandria). St James in Maryland also seems like a decent option. I haven't been able to find much info on these places in the forums here, since the focus seems to be primarily on the "big-name" New England schools. Does anyone have any particular insight into these schools, from visits, attendance, or otherwise... or have suggestions as to other schools that may be a good fit?</p>

<p>While I'm at it, here are a few other questions that come to mind, some not necessarily related to these specific schools:
1) Any idea as to whether these schools are open to 11th grade repeaters? I know that athletic eligibility can be an issue, but Virginia's rules for private schools seem to be ok with it (they have an age cap, rather than 4 years to complete h.s.)
2) I have excellent college entrance exam scores - 32 composite ACT and 2140 SAT (670 V, 760 M, 710 W) - will these suffice for admission or is the SSAT also necessary?
3) What kind of effect does the higher % of day students have on the boarders, even at a larger school? I am specifically thinking of McCallie and St. Anne's Belfield, both of which have lower % of students boarding.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any assistance, and please feel free to be blunt with any advice if you think I'm approaching this whole situation wrong!</p>

2

<p>Your standardized test scores are impressive & should suffice for admission to any of your listed schools. You might want to think about summer school to build up your GPA & a freshman red-shirt year at a college or university to mature phsically since your ACT/SAT scores indicate that you are well prepared for college.</p>

3

<p>This is all I hear about McCallie from mothers of friends that sent their kids there(I live within reasonable distance of McCallie), "I sent my boy there and he walked out of McCallie holding his shoulders high and looking like he matured."</p>

<p>From what I gather, people go there because of "good old southern character molding". This really appeals to southerners(Obviously) and McCallie will not be as diverse as other schools. Not a ton of boarders because of that, and I get the vibe that a specific stereotype goes to McCallie... Not a bad thing.</p>

<p>Episcopal in Alexandria is similar(the southern feeling I mean) and from what I hear Lynchburg is no different.
If you want diversity and "traditional" boarding school experience/feeling I would say anywhere in the NE. </p>

<p>IF you are applying for a Senior/PG spot then don't take the SSAT. I'm applying for junior year and I would have done the SAT if the times were better... All honesty: Doesn't matter. As long as you don't think you could have done a ton better... I will tell you that repeating a year is great and I wish I could do it. Only thing keeping me from it is the cost, and I hope that you realize that you lose a year of college and gain a year of school... Maybe you wish your friends could graduate with you? I would say make try a senior year and maybe you don't think your resume is great and want to do a PG... Then it is your choice and you can do it. Maybe you repeat junior and hate it... switching back to your old school might be even worse.</p>

<p>Good luck, I had to move to the south and I feel like a fish out of water. I guess we are opposites</p>

4

<p>Hi there!
This post has me really excited,because i get to do a plug fir my school, Asheville school in NC. There's no possible way I can describe it without gushing, we have an intensely diverse small co-ed population great test scores/matriculation, and the atmosphere and sense of community is phenomenal. Please check it out and come visit, you have to see for yourself!</p>

5

<p>You sound like the perfect candidate for a repeat junior. You are young for your grade, you have super high test scores with fairly low grades, you like sports, and you are eager or willing to do a repeat. I can't think of a better candidate--you should do it.</p>

<p>Virginia Episcopal is known to be a little weaker than the other schools you mentioned. S t James in Maryland is a real gem. Woodberry Forest and Episcopal and Georgetown Prep are great schools, but yoru grades might hold you back there. It's harder for them to take a risk on a junior. But your SAT scores are so good that you just never know, they might take you. And from the way that you write, I'm guessing you'll write some good essays and make a good case for why you want to repeat. Apply to them all--see what happens. Good luck</p>

6

<p>Take a look at Webb in TN, St. Andrews-Sewanee (TN) and (I second the above post) Asheville. If you want to venture north to mid-Atlantic, check out Hill, Peddie, Lawrenceville and Blair.<br>
My son was a repeat 11th grader and it worked just fine for him.</p>

7

<p>If you are going to go up to the mid-atlantic states you should look at Mercersburg Academy.</p>

8

<p>Good morning everyone, and a happy Thanksgiving to you (assuming you are in the U.S.)! Thank you for all the informative responses thus far. I will add a few comments and clarifications that will hopefully shed some light on what I am looking for and why I named the specific schools I did above.</p>

<p>First off, Asheville has been mentioned twice, so I should address why I left it off my list. It looks like a fabulous school with strong academics and a more informal, less stuffy atmosphere. However, their lacrosse program is in its infancy (started in 2006, I believe), which is a deal-breaker in my case. I feel somewhat superficial rejecting an otherwise excellent candidate on athletic considerations, but if my family is going to proceed with the time and expense of changing schools it would make more sense to move up to a higher-quality lacrosse program. Asheville is still several years away from becoming competitive with the Charlotte and RTP-area schools. </p>

<p>Two other schools that I left out above primarily based on lacrosse considerations were Webb-BB (which MoWC mentioned) and Darlington. Both were among the first schools to offer lax in the Southeast, but their programs seem to have slipped a notch, probably as a result of other schools improving rapidly and having larger student bodies. Darlington seems to have weaker academics, but I am going to keep Webb in mind and take a closer look, b/c it otherwise seems to fit the bill. As for Sewanee, they don't field a lacrosse team, to the best of my knowledge. Which seems rather odd, assuming they are affiliated with the college, since the latter does have lacrosse.</p>

<p>Glad to hear that my situation seems to be well suited to a repeat or extra (PG) year. I had an inclination that I was a good candidate for such a track, but a little outside affirmation always helps one feel better about the idea. With regard to leaving my current school and not graduating with my class - to be honest, I wouldn't lose much sleep over this aspect and may even consider it a plus. I only have a few friends here in MN with whom I spend much time, so I wouldn't be leaving a tight-knit group. Admittedly I am not the most outgoing guy around and I realize that moving always presents the challenge of making new friends, but I think it would be easier in an atmosphere where other students are in a similar situation of being away from home. Maybe I'll run into similar social hurdles, but I am willing to take that chance.</p>

<p>One more question that comes to mind: it looks like most of the schools have an application deadline of Feb. 1 or thereabouts. Do most prospective students visit before applying, or is it more efficient and sensible to wait until you have acceptances in hand? I'm not sure how long of a time there is to make a decision after acceptances come out, and lacrosse season will start heating up in March, so my mother and I are debating the merits of a whirlwind winter break school tour.</p>

<p>Finally, I will throw out the names of a few other schools that are outside of the Southeast and pique my interest for various reasons. Feel free to react accordingly as to chances or fit. I realize that there just aren't many options for BS south of Penn., so I may put a few other names into the mix at application time.
1) Western Reserve Academy - one of the best lacrosse programs outside of NY or MD, and I am quite interested in two Ohio colleges (Kenyon & Denison); not sure exactly how strong it is academically, but appears to have a good matriculation list
2) St. Andrew's (Delaware) - might be out of my league for admissions, but otherwise seems to fit the bill
3) Portsmouth Abbey - one of the few Catholic boarding schools out there (easier sell on mom, ha ha), and my brother lives near Boston with his family
4) Hotchkiss - yeah, a major reach, but the tuition is low compared to other New England schools and they have a reputation for bringing in a few ringers each year for lax; I will try to get an "in" with the coach and gauge the possibilities</p>

<p>Two other places I will definitely take a closer look at are Georgetown Prep and Mercersburg; I may also examine the Philly-area schools to see if any are especially attractive. Darn, suddenly my list of possibilities seems to have expanded exponentially! Well, I will eventually whittle it back down to about six schools once I do some more research. Thanks again everyone, and keep the comments coming!</p>

9

<p>Hill School sent a lacrosse player to Duke/UVA a couple of years ago. Their program is strong. He bailed on Duke when the scandal hit and matriculated at UVA.</p>

10

<p>my son is in Woodberry Forest. He really likes it. I went there for parent weekend. I am impressed by the boys and devotion of the parents to the boys. Why not call the admission to get some info? You will like it.</p>

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<p>You mentioned going on a winter break tour of schools---keep in mind they are closed for Christmas break! You'll have to take some time off schools.</p>

<p>Portsmouth Abbey is a great choice!</p>

12

<p>You are looking at many great schools. Not sure how the tuition at Hotchkiss is low compared to other NE schools:</p>

<p>
[quote]
How much are tuition, room, board, and fees?
The total cost of tuition, room, board, and fees for the 2008-2009 school year is $40,200 for boarding students and $34,250 for day students.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>as taken from the Hotchkiss web site, The</a> Hotchkiss School - Admission - Applying - FAQ.</p>

<p>Those figures are essentially in the same league as most of the NE schools, which all are close to 40K for a boarding student, with some variation. For example, boarding at Portsmouth Abbey is slightly more than at Hotchkiss.</p>

13

<p>brooklynguy is right, the cost doesn't vary much, but if you're a family that really needs to save every thousand there is, I guess Hotchkiss isn't bad (usually schools are perhaps 1000 more than what hotchkiss is, so a 4000 dollar "profit" in a sense, is a pretty hefty amount) compared to groton ): (I LOVEEEE groton, but as many people are aware of their tuition is 44k, quite a contrast to hotchkiss' 40k)</p>

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<p>The Boarding School Review website has Hotchkiss tuition listed at around $36k, which is evidently a figure that is a few years old. I'll know better not to take the #s listed there as gospel going forward! Certainly my family isn't beyond price sensitivity, but I agree that a difference of few grand in tuition either way should not make or break decisions for most boarding school applicants, considering the vast amount of money that will be shelled out over the next several years for BS and college education. </p>

<p>About the holiday break visit - that was definitely a Homer Simpson "D'oh!" moment, and I realized my mistake shortly after typing that statement. I'll probably shoot for the MLK holiday week instead, since we already have one day off from school. I'll try to fly out to New England for a few days in February for visits with my brother and/or his wife.</p>

<p>Alright, I better get back to what I should be doing in class here, but I will type more later about a few findings re: athletic eligibility.</p>

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<p>how about the asheville school we just came back from visiting there my daughter turns 12 and will be applying as a 9th grader even though she has enough credits to be a junior. we sat in on ap calculus class which is what she will take and she loved it. she met a senior girl from NYC that also started at 12 and the nice young lady said there had been another girl before her. so this will be there 3rd go around at dealing with a young advanced child. She absolutely loved the scool and somehow it has jumped to her first choice where phillips exeter had been 1st and lawrenceville had been 2nd.</p>

<p>as of yet though we have only visited the southern schools in TN, VA, NC, DC and by far Asheville was the best in campus feeling, classes, students and niceness of the faculty.</p>

<p>We will be visiting the New England schools soon but I was so shocked that my phillips exeter bumper sticker toting daughter would drop her dream to go there for Asheville. So I guess name isnt everything. How do you feel the students are there do they include everyone are they clicked up...Let me know what the environment there is like</p>

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<p>I would definitely pick Asheville over Exeter for a younger freshman. Exeter is a thousand students, and not a nurturing place---a 12 year old is going to need more than they typically offer. I had a 13 year old freshman boy go to Exeter 5 years ago, and he returned to public school by October. He was brillant, but just didn't like being away from home.</p>

<p>I'd highly recommend a nurturing type of place like Asheville. And if she feels ready to move on in a few years, then she could apply to Exeter for junior and senior year.</p>

<p>Have you looked at St Andrew's in Delaware?</p>