<p>Can anyone weigh in on St. Andrews? We thought it was a great fit for our son, and has excellent stats and happy kids, but it doesn't get much press on this board. Any input would be welcome!</p>
<p>St. Andrew's DE is, IMHO, one of the best small boarding schools in the country. The non recognition on these boards is I think because it is relatively small and not in New England. The 100% boarding community is very tight. The only potential downside, when I looked at it with my daughter, was the majority of students are Episcopalian - and, we were not.</p>
<p>Are the majority of students really Episcopalian? I know St. Andrew's is an Episcopalian school, but so are St. Paul's and Groton and many others. Would you consider it a religious school?</p>
<p>I got in there and i applied on a whim. I would love to know more</p>
<p>I do not think of it as a religious school. There is, if I remember rightly, a required chapel but many schools have that. My concern was that the majority of students were from Episcopalian families and we are not. It wasn't really a big deal. My daughter was waitlisted there. She had several other acceptances so she decided not to stay on the waitlist.</p>
<p>SAS has a great website for more information. Our take has been that as a small school it concentrates more closely on the individual student and their direct needs. They have many non-episcopal kids. The Chapel is beautiful and weds. nights are for speakers, not religious. One of the best for English, not sure about math or sci. Watch Dead Poet Society. it was filmed there! Any feedback?</p>
<p>My daughter is also thinking hard about St Andrews. From our visit there, what stands out is a very large campus (2200 acres), a small student body (60 kids in Freshman class), and a financial aid budget that allows lots of middle class kids to attend. </p>
<p>Despite the small size, there are lots of classes. I am impressed with the 1:4 student:faculty ratio. There was a spacious new art center that had lots of film/photo potential, performing space and studios.</p>
<p>My daughter, who is not Episcopalian, would prefer a non-denominational school and would also prefer a less formal dress code. She is an arty kind of kid. She also wants to do Dance as a sport which is not offered.</p>
<p>But she is attracted by the high standards of the school and is still leaning towards SAS over the other 2 schools she was admitted to.</p>
<p>SAS is just a jewel of a school. My nephew graduated from there, and he is agnostic. Attendance at chapel is mandatory (just as it is as SPS and Groton and I don't know where else) but he was not inundated with religion nor did he feel out of place for not ascribing to the Episcopal faith.</p>
<p>The Dupont money at SAS has made for a top-notch school. My daughter did not look at it (we concentrated on a certain distance from Boston) but I am sure she would have loved it.</p>
<p>IMHO, SA is one of the most underrated BS in the country. Its merit should not be judged by whether it gets play on CC.</p>
<p>I know two very bright and well-rounded students who are there now and they love it. One student mentioned that her history class was taught using mostly primary sources rather than watered-down text books.</p>
<p>Thank you all. My S will be going to the revisit day. Anyone have experience with both St. Andrew's and Deerfield and the ways in which experiences at the two schools differ? Deerfield is of course twice the size of St. Andrews, and I'm not concerned with academics, both schools are stellar, but more in happiness quotient, relationships with peers, faculty, coaches. Does the existence of a PG year at Deerfield impact the athletic experience for other students? How long does it take to feel part of the community?</p>
<p>Quenn - hi we visited both deerfield and SAS - many times actually and there are major differences in the two schools. SAS is all boarding and is much smaller (1/2 th size). The faculty is like an extended group of aunts and uncles who are very well educated and vested in the students. There is much less emphasis on sports than Deerfield, much less. Not to say they don't have good sports at SAS just to say that they emphasize team vs. winning/recruiting. There are also fewer activities/clubs because it is smaller. Also, at SAS we get the feeling they are educating the whole child more, culturally and personally. Much emphasis on giving back when you leave there. The kids come from a much more diverse background, not as "jcrew" as Deerfield.</p>
<p>localboy, did you by chance look at St. Mark's? We're doing visit back at both and would like a comparision.</p>
<p>My son is going to Deerfield, is very athletic but not totally J.crew. However, our son is a 3 sport athlete, has played lacrosse in England and basketball in maccabi / olympic games. He is extremely honored to be accepted at Deerfield. We briefly considered St. Andrews since it is 2 hours by car but we are Jewish and did not prefer the chapel obligations. However, a Christian friend of a friend has a son who is extremely bright, well -mannered but not athletic, and is very happy and successful at SAS.</p>
<p>I have appreciated all the responses on this thread. Does anyone think SAS is too small? I think that works well for the class sizes, but what about social life in a school that small?</p>
<p>I too have appreciated all the responses on this thread. Thank you all! One thing that struck me at St. Andrew's when we visited is that there seemed to be less of a students-vs-administration peer culture, less of an off-campus party culture. The students we spoke with said they stayed on campus on weekends and people attended arranged on-campus social events and they were generally fun. There are a lot of young faculty who graduated from St. Andrews; I wonder if this is part of this. At any rate this seemed ideal for the younger students; does it seem stifling by 11th/12th grade?</p>
<p>Quenn - I think it really depends on your child and what they have experienced previously (big social school, smaller less active school). also what does the child expect to find at BS. SAS is a beautiful, large open campus but it is a small school. Friend of son says that it is very nice mix and not too overbearing in any area, excellent placements to college. More like an extended family atmosphere which goes a long way if any problems develop. I found the kids/teacher relationship to be the most respectful at any school we visited. kids are allowed to go into "town" middletown de which is just a few highways with lots of chain stores, but they can get anything they need. If going, stay at the Hampton Inn (hilton chain) and you'll get a great picture of what is there.</p>
<p>A few years ago, St. Andrew's School touted as fact that it enrolled more sons & daughters of college presidents than any other boarding school. I don't know if this claim was accurate, but if it was then it suggests that the academic environment is outstanding. A boarding school of only 278 students for four grades in a somewhat remote location might be a bit too small for some--especially if one is considering entering in the ninth grade. My impression is that Deerfield Academy and St. Andrew's School are dissimiliar in many respects. With respect to campus culture, Deerfield Academy is similiar to Dartmouth College & Colgate University while St. Andrew's School is more like Haverford College.</p>
<p>Tried to direct my S, who is away on vacation, to this thread:</p>
<p>"o my god mum i know that st andrews is a place sent from heaven and that everybody who ever had anything to do w/ it is now perfect and that its the best fit in the world and i will be an idiot if i dont say yes!"</p>
<p>Their college matriculation list is unbelievable for such a small school. I did notice that there were 4 college counselors which means one for about 15 kids. Maybe that's why the kids do so well?
Also I like the senior tutorials and presentations. It sounds something like the experience I had (one year) in England.</p>