Hi, our son was recently admitted to St. Mark’s. Can anyone share their experience at St. Mark’s? Also, any recent college matriculation data with numbers? Thanks!
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Ask the AO for the matriculation sheet. Realize it’s not wholly accurate as their may be many legacies and athletes. And your kids dream school may never have had someone apply.
Don’t expect a certain college. But know that St. Mark’s is a great school and can take your kid anywhere they want to go.
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I PM’d you
I will add matriculation/College counseling numbers. But I need to find the sheet-the numbers would be from class of 2020, since college notices are not out yet for class of 2021.
We often thought that St. Mark’s was the one that got away from us. We never looked at it. Yet, it kept popping up. My kid had refined the list and by this time it was too late. Seems like a really great place and had a lot of things which I found to be really important.
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Could you please PM me too? Thanks!
it would be very appreciated if you PM me too. thank you.
Thank you so much!!!
A lot of you have PM’d about St Mark’s and I have tried to answer questions you’ve had. I thought I would just jot down some general comments, so maybe it is helpful to those who may need it now or in the future.
My DS is a senior at SMS. He has had an amazing time there, being a 4 year multisport varsity athlete (one sport he never participated in until SMS), a dorm prefect, Team Captain and leader of their movie corporation. He has already received merit from several colleges, and is awaiting decisions from several more. He has classmates who have been drafted by NHL teams, teammates who were NMS scholars (two in one class), and multiple classmates/teammates who have committed to Ivy’s and very highly selective (ie MIT) schools for sports.
So here goes:
Academics: academics are very strong. They offer multiple STEM fellowships in conjunction with Harvard, allowing kids to do research with renowned Harvard doctors and researchers. They have had multiple NMS scholars in one class (they have approx 90 students in each VI form class) and multiple acceptances to the most selective schools. In spite of this, they do not harbor a cut-throat, competitive academic atmosphere. Instead, they are very collaborative and collegial with all kids supporting and celebrating each other’s successes. The homework load was very manageable for my kid, and he had time to FaceTime home nightly, as well as play poker, go for bike rides or climb trees with his friends. He maintained mostly A-A+'s (there were some B+'s) throughout his 4 years and took the max number of classes allowable each year, in addition to getting special permission for an extra class this year. (I would NOT recommend anyone doing this, because it was hard. But, it is a possibility). SMS does not offer AP courses, instead they offer advanced classes and allow kids to take the AP exams, should they want to. DS is taking 4 advanced classes this year.
Sports: They have all levels of sports each season. They have one of the strongest XC teams in the ISL and in New England, and compete in the NEPSAC championships with the largest schools due to their strength. Their hockey team is also very strong with NHL draftees, National Development team selections and Ivy league commitments as early as sophomore year. They are such a small school that anyone can try any sport and participate (not be a bench warmer). They do not recruit older players to fill/make teams, so the teams are developed over the years. Therefore, it is likely that someone can start at the lowest level but develop into a core varsity played by their junior or senior year.
Arts: They have an amazing visual arts program. Most kids who do the visual arts requirement as a freshman stay with arts throughout because they love it so much. They also have an unbelievable orchestra, as well as a jazz band. They get many visiting musicians, including members of the J Geils Band, Eagles, and Boston to name a few. They (outside of COVID) take a trip to the opera in NYC every year. They host acapella competitions, jazz festivals and other music competitions/festivals for the Boston area. My son participated in both Jazz band and choir.
STEM: They have a very strong STEM program. They will place kids in math courses according to their level, and many kids will start freshman year in advanced math courses (BC Calc or above) and they will have many advanced topic/math fellowship options. They have a very strong robotics program, working with the Amazon drone delivery program and winning many competitions.
Saturday classes: The Saturday classes are electives that kids get to pick (one class per term is mandatory and pertains to the year - for example, seniors will have a college application prep class). Some electives offered are underwater robotics, large robotics, photography, outdoor program, the physics of Lost (the TV show), Model UN, Politics for the non-political. They are Pass/Fail (attendance is mandatory to graduate) and the kids love them.
Community: This is what sold us on St Mark’s. It is a very kind, collegial and supportive community. Everyone says hi to everyone on campus - there are no strangers. Kids intermingle with each other freely. There is no real “clique” formation or congregation by sex/race/socioeconomic status. There is not a prevalent party culture nor a prevalent hookup culture. Kids are focused on their academics while being teenagers. The girls do not dress/make themselves up like they are trying to attract the opposite sex. Everyone is really down to earth and “real”. Bullying and harrassment is not tolerated. We have seen more than one student asked to leave due to this type of behavior. St Mark’s is very inclusive without having to make rules to force kids to be so. They generally just admit the kids who inherently show these character traits, which makes for a very supportive and accepting community. The faculty are also very interactive and supportive with the kids and my DS says his faculty and upper classman mentors are what has made SMS such an amazing place for him. In turn, now that he is a senior, he says he has done what he can to be the mentor to underclassmen that other seniors were to him.
I hope this helps those looking at the school. If you have additional or specific questions, please PM me!
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This is amazing. Thank you so much!
Wait, I want to go! We always say we want to come back as our kids. Good stuff @buuzn03, I knew St. Mark’s was a hidden gem.
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Wow. This is extremely helpful. Thank you so much for sharing this!!!
Oh - I also forgot to mention that all core classes are performed under one roof. So, theoretically, kids can go from their dorm room, to dining hall and then to classes and never leave the building until it is time for athletics/fine arts. These buildings are approximately 20 yards from the Main building. So, if housed on main campus dorms, kids can wear shorts and flip flops all year long (which is what my DS has done). This has definitely been a year when kids have wanted to avoid the weather. When the freshman dorms (in the process of being built) are completed, all students will have the luxury of not braving the elements to get to classes.
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