<p>Can you all tell me the pros and cons to each? i'm open to a big/small school (doesn't exactly matter to me)</p>
<p>well for one andover is better known than st andy. i live in the northeast and i must confess, don't know much about st andy, but know much about andover. andover is big and strong in humanities. very college like campus and very competitive kids with a global student body.</p>
<p>As I have posted elsewhere, my D just decided to attend St Andrew's, so I am biased. I don't know much about Andover except that a friend was a teacher there til last year and she described it as a pressure-cooker.</p>
<p>What I think St Andrew's has going for it is the 1:4 faculty student ratio which is outstanding. And the advisor system seems to pretty unique. The parents I met whose kids already attend say their kids go over to their advisors house all the time and hang out, watch TV, talk about whatever. That level of support is something special and the relationship is often for life. I think the school is committed to having the students succeed. I heard, but can't substantiate, that St A has a very low level of dropping out compared to all other elite schools.</p>
<p>I was also impressed by the classes which are seminar style (10-12) at the largest and then move to small tutorials (1-3) by Junior/Senior year - that is amazing too. The senior exhibitions seem very challenging and remind me of what grad students do when they apply for their masters degree (oral defense.)</p>
<p>Athletically they stress participation over competition. They seem to committed to the arts. On the whole, I was extremely impressed with the headmaster and I think the school is deeply committed to its mission to educate, not a "brand" at all.</p>
<p>I thought you were leaning Andover due to a previous post. Whichever you choose, good luck!</p>
<p>I agree with everything Grejuni said.</p>
<p>oh k thanks!
My parents and all my friends are all pushing for me to go to andover, but i actually LOVED st andrew's, while when i went to andover to interview, i could only just barely picture myself actually being there, when i went to interview, we are revisiting tues. to wed.
thank you for the great post!</p>
<p>My son is going to St. Andrews and he loved it too, both at the interview and the revisit. As I have posted elsewhere, my daughter goes to Exeter and loves it and it is an excellent fit for her--but it would not be for my son. Exeter and Andover are very much sink or swim schools--some kids love it and thrive and some kids are truly unhappy. My D's roommate left after her third semester and is much happier at a small school. I was pushing SPS somewhat for my son (I went there) but even after several visits he could not picture what his life would be like there. Although still anxious about the transition, he knew St. Andrews was the "right" school for him. We couldn't find any downsides for us, except that it has less name recognition than the most elite academies. In the boarding school world though, people speak of St. Andrews with great respect and admiration. College admissions are stellar and the SAS students enjoy faculty-student mentoring unlike almost anywhere else.<br>
Good luck with your decision; the revisits will be key!</p>
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<p>Wow. This was a popular combination this year! I know two people making the same decision: Andover or St. Andrew's. This is a general question for anyone...it's not directed at wyvern or Quenn, just inspired by the above observations:</p>
<p>Does it matter, in any material way, for a high school to be better known than another, when you're choosing one?</p>
<p>I can see how it would matter for college, but for high school...not so much. With high school, the only important audience for leveraging the familiarity of your high school would be college admission officers. And they're not going to be awed by familiarity with a particular school, especially at top schools. You're either top material or not. I don't think there's a bump for (just using this example) Andover over St. Andrew's (DE) in -- just for example again -- the Cornell Admission Office.</p>
<p>Now, it's possible that one school will better prepare a certain type of student for Ivy admissions than another school. But I'm talking about name cachet itself, not the reasons that might have given rise to that cachet. Those underlying differences -- if true and not just mythical -- would be worth considering.</p>
<p>It's also possible that your parents (or you, if you're a parent) will impress more of their (your) friends if the more familiar school is selected. But expanded "bragging rights" would be a horrid reason to choose one school over another.</p>
<p>So...should "broader familiarity" be given any weight in the selection process? If so, why...and how much?</p>
<p>d'yer, we just like andover because it sounds like the shoe store landrover
and we know everybody loves shoes ;)</p>
<p>haha no, I'm kidding. I think the prestige of the school itself presents itself as eye candy when you're thinking of applying, and later when they accep you, you think "oh my god, I actually got ACCEPTED? Wow!" and you feel this glory-ness about getting it. C'mon, I bet all of you have felt that, or else you're not very grateful people. and the fact is, more people would be impressed with andover and st. andrews, unless andover got into UC Berkeley (great school, but I think by andover standards it isn't sooo great) and st. andrews in harvard. but that's usually flipped, though I'm sure there are excellent students in st. andrews :D</p>
<p>which is why even as I'm applying, I'm looking out for schools with good recognition by the college board. Of course I'm looking at the ECs, classes, and sports, and all of them fit my needs, but the thing that differentiates all of these schools significantly are their prestige and reputation. If I were given a choice between Asheville and Andover, I'd probably choose andover (no offense asheville lovers, I love asheville too, just saying lol) because though it's a hard school, I adapt to things well and I know I can get into a good place from there.</p>
<p>sorry, just had to offer my asian perspective here :D</p>
<p>Kickme -
I think name recognition to you is not the same as matriculation results to colleges/universities. (the college board? What do you mean by that?)</p>
<p>Compare the "school profiles" which all high schools send along to colleges as part of a students application process. I think even Andover has a hard time beating St Andrews matriculations when you factor in that St A is less than 1/4 the size of Andover.</p>
<p>Andover is clearly an excellent school. I wouldn't discourage anyone from finding out if it is the right school for them. But a reputation is not the same as the four year experience. That is what you must discover through your efforts.</p>
<p>I think your perspective is a Kickme perspective, not an asian perspective. You will certainly find asian kids well represented in both schools. :)</p>
<p>Yes, what Grejuni says is true. College matriculation and name recognition are not the same. It can often be far more difficult to get into the best-known colleges from a best-known boarding school because so many kids all apply to the same colleges. We fool ourselves if we think that name recognition of prep schools counts for more than bragging rights (thank you, D'yer) or car decal showmanship. Your best choice is to go to a school where you will do well and have many friends, be happy and challenged, excited to participate. If the fit is right, these things happen as a matter of course.</p>
<p>Itsren - My s was sold on Andover also, but as we visited and learned more, it became very clear that the best choice is SAS. As you have read here, it really depends on what environment you learn in best. These choices are very, very different. The headmaster at SAS is committed to having each child succeed, personally committed. The advisor system is designed to nurture you the student, not the stats of the school. Yes, they have the lowest drop out rate of any BS. The culture at SAS is entirely different than andover as well, size, sports, location, access to teachers, it is all boarding, virtually no alcohol or drugs, etc. We let our S choose but secretly were very happy! Good luck and be happy!</p>
<p>boohoo. my wonderfully long and delicious post is gone.</p>
<p>to sum it all up, yes I understand the difference between matriculation and recognition (I think I was using words too big for my comprehension with the college board thing. out of place XD) but the point for me is that if you work really hard in a good, prestigious school, it's much easier to get in an Ivy than if you were from, say, a public school in El Paso (and I think there's an El Paso in Texas/California. The name just came up in my head. no offense el pasonians ^^)
that being said, big schools=COMPETITION. Staying here would mean big competition, even though there's only like 80-90 people in our grade. Our graduating class would probably have around 95 kids, and the competition here is intense. But I think because we're success-orientated students here, the competition is a bit more extreme than elsewhere, even in very top-knotch schools. Of course boarding school students are just as well-orientated, but to a healthier extent, IMHO.
so I didn't apply to many big schools. Half of my schools have a population with less than that of my current school, and they have very good matriculation without being too overwhelming and perfectly fitting at the same time. </p>
<p>Sorry all the humor got sucked out. That's what happens when your posts don't get through and you have to rewrite it :P</p>
<p>THanks guys! We are actually in the airport right now to go to revisit SAS and I can't wait! Today, we revisited Andover and i found that all hte people were extremely kind and that i felt i could fit in well. Most of them were all extremely funny (minus one person who apparently had some attitude against me? I didn't know why... she was a senior so i wouldn't have to deal with her next year if i went to Andover)
I'll keep ya'll posted on if i liked SAS, if you want :) </p>
<p>haha ily kickme.. el pasonians.. el paso is in texas btw</p>
<p>Personally, I consider Andover a miniature University, a kind of sink or swim situation. SAS is no walk in the park either. They get the cream of the crop from Fairfax county / D.C. and the surrounding states. SAS is a very prominent well known BS, just not as much chatter here on CC. There is a big difference as localboy stated. Good luck with the revisits and congrats!</p>
<p>thanks! i did the revisit today and i loved it. I had a lot of fun and i am returning in a few hours to sleep over at the campus. :)</p>
<p>oooh sleep-overs! That's the best way to find out what the residential life is like. Let us know how it goes!</p>
<p>Oh it was great! We have decided that i will go to St. Andrew's. It's a great school (and i think it is 10x better than andover) :) When i got to SAS at around 530, after taking a nap at my hotel (man was i exhausted!) i went to the admissions office and met with Sophia. SHe was really nice and we went back to her dorm. We set up the bed stuff and then we walked around the school. She showed me some things i didn't realize were there and other things i just hadn't seen on the tours. We went back to her dorm and met some of her friends. All of htem were extremely kind and welcoming. We next went to study hall were i jsut sat and watched white chicks and wrote a speech about across the universe. We returned to her dorm and played the "animal game" (similar to king frog, if you've heard of that). Overall, i had an amazing time at St. Andrew's and i am extremely glad i decided to go. I just can't wait until September!</p>
<p>Itsren, my D's tour guide had the same name... I'm glad you did the sleepover. That was how my D really got to understand the school. Congatulations on your choice!</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>