<p>my son was accepted at SG and Berkshire, WL'd at Middlesex and Groton. we are new to the boarding world and would appreciate any insights. my son is a fairly strong student (good grades, 99th%ile ssat) and enjoys playing team sports ( hockey) although he is by no means a great athlete. he also likes things like chess club, drama, debate club, anything to do w/ history or science. very independent, though he is on the youngish side (not quite 14) and has some maturing to do w/ regard to study habits and self discipline, etc. academics are important, but so is fit, culture, leadership opportunities, etc. mostly, we want him to be happy and be in an environment where he will grow and thrive. i don't see much posted re SG and Berkshire, so while he plans to revisit, any comments would be great. and is it worth staying on the MX wait list? thanks for any thoughts!</p>
<p>As is said over and over on CC - love the school that loves you.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about Berkshire and understand it to be a very supportive environment. I’m sure there are happy St. George’s parents on CC but you might want to do a search for luvscuba’smom posts.</p>
<p>ok, thanks for the suggestion</p>
<p>@caspand, CONGRATULATIONS! just pm’d you.</p>
<p>Thanks, ops! Just read your pm. I’m traveling and typing on this phone is brutal but will reply in kind when I get back. Thanks for your encouraging words.</p>
<p>caspand: I don’t know anything about SG, but I do know Berkshire – I was a boys’ dorm parent there several years ago. It’s not too far from us and we visit and attend events there regularly – I still have friends on faculty there. Their new facilites are amazing, especially the new science facilities, and the incredible hockey rink – hockey and lacrosse are very big there. I can tell you that the faculty really do take a genuine interest in each individual student, and there is plenty of support not only for growing academically, but character-wise as well. The head of school, Mike Maher, knows how every kid is doing. There are plenty of opportunities there, and plenty of encouragement from faculty to help kids take advantage of thosr opportunities. If your son enjoys the outdoors, he will love it – the location is great and there is the Mountain Program and so many ways to be active outdoors. I’d PM you with more details, but I am new and don’t have enough posts yet. Congrats to your son, and good luck with the decision!</p>
<p>Are you able to go to revisit days at either school. In terms of school “culture” and traditions I think that St. George’s is more similar to Groton and Middlesex. Try to think carefully about what you really liked about Groton and Middlesex and try to see whether you see those qualities at St. George’s or Berkshire.</p>