Hi, I am an applicant for St. Paul’s, and I just wanted to know a little bit more about the school culture.
A few other questions I have are:
- How are the cross country and track teams?
- How is the town?
- What do kids usually do on the weekends?
Cross-country girls: The varsity team finished 5th out of 13 teams at the NEPSTA Division I Championship Race. Frances Margaret Gehrke won the race and set a course record, beating the previous record by 24 seconds.
Cross-country boys: https://www.sps.edu/page/team-detail?fromId=188972&Team=7151&SeasonLabel=2017±+2018
Track girls: https://www.sps.edu/page/team-detail?fromId=188972&Team=7146&SeasonLabel=2017±+2018
Track boys: https://www.sps.edu/page/team-detail?fromId=188972&Team=7145&SeasonLabel=2017±+2018
Concord is quite neat. There are several good restaurants and cafes, a movie theater, a great bookstore with a coffee shop, a few boutiques, and many public events in the state capitol and the courthouse (great for kids who are into debate, mock trial, political science, etc).
There are classes until noon on Saturday and Wednesday, with games in the afternoons. The rest of the weekend is for hanging out with friends at the new Freeman Center, playing pool or ping-pong, or heading to town for dinner or shopping. In good weather, kids swim in the lake or spend time outdoors (the 2,000+ acre campus is gorgeous in spring and fall). There are often dances, variety shows, or movies in Memorial Hall or Hargate. Some kids hang out at the Rectory for Saturday-night open house, playing cards and board games. There are also night games and cookouts, sometimes ballet and theater performances, musical performances such as the Keiser Concert Series, choir performances, and other special events.
SPS is best suited for kids who are self-starters and function best in a less-structured environment with fewer rules and more emphasis on personal responsibility.
Concord is the capitol of New Hampshire.
Impressive student produced video for new admits! https://vimeo.com/257836622
Does SPS still have a student exchange program or option to study at Eton in England ?
There are both School Year Abroad and term-abroad programs. The trip to Eton is during Spring Break. You can read about all off-campus program offerings here: https://www.sps.edu/page/school-life/off-campus-programs/program-offerings
@GoatMama: Thank you !
You are welcome. An acceptance at SPS?
No. Unfortunately I exceed the maximum age limit by a bit. Plus I already have several degrees. 
P.S. Looks as if SPS no longer offers the exchange program in Sweden.
Right. I was just wondering if you have a child applying this year.
No. Just neighbors’ kids.
Hi, I just got accepted into St. Paul’s yesterday. I am so excited about this news. Could someone tell me the overall culture of the school? Is it a school with a lot of cliques? How competetive are the students? Thanks so much!
@Nick8273 My kid says that most kids are friendly and the teachers are all really nice. Students are competitive with themselves but not really with each other. Are you an athlete? What sports do you like?
I run cross country and track
@Nick8273 as a current student at SPS, I can answer a few of your questions.
- What is the culture?
- for me, the culture is one of acceptance and friendship. Whenever you are walking on the path and pass someone, regardless of if you know them or not, most people say hello with a smile. The 100% boarding factor lets you get to know everyone really well, and I love the fact that we have all four grades in each dorm. It creates a family feel, and the advisors in the dorm also really care about you. Overall, it's a super accepting place.
- Is it a school with a lot of cliques.
- I don't think so. Ultimately, there are always some tight "friend groups", but I've never, ever run into a "clique", like the "popular kids", the "jocks", or the "nerds". Some of my best friends are huge athletes, and some of my other friends are studious, smaller kids. Everyone sees each other as equal, and I really like that. I think that you can become friends with anyone you want. so no, no cliques.
- Are students competitive?
- I agree with @HMom16. In sports, yes. among each other? not really, no/
also, the cross country program is great. I don’t know a lot about the track program, but our x country team did fantastic this year. maybe contact the coaches and start talking to them if you are interested
@BoardSchoolTeen How’s the waitlist like at SPS?
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Let’s be fair to the students and not ask questions they are not privy to. They have no idea how many are on the waitlist, nor can they gauge who might get off the WL.
You can certainly ask SPS yourself how many are on the WL, although I doubt they will give you a specific answer.
I personally don’t know, but a few of my best friends came from the waitlist. I don’t know exactly how many in my year got off it last year, but definitely a few.
I checked my portal to SPS last night after being wl’ed, and more things popped up than just my decision, such as parent forms, health forms, a parent faq, general info, and enrollment… I’m confused?
Sounds serious. Was there a financial aid award (assuming that you applied for FA) ?