<p>We are new here and would appreciate any help</p>
<p>Our son will be choosing one of these 3 schools. He and we liked them all very much on interview visits. (He found the larger schools just too big for him.) Revisits will be important, but we would like to hear some insights (good, bad, ugly) that people would not necessarily share on campus. Does anyone think any are trendy/over-rated? Son is a very good student, decent athlete, but not a "cool jock," and strength of teams not an issue, and participates in performing arts. Does not want a school where students are extremely "specialized" and there is not much mixing among interests/backgrounds. We are curious about the degree of adult guidance, during school years and in college process.</p>
<p>I think at Groton kids form into cliques more than at other schools and the students ARE specialized there; it's stereotyped as being a legacy, old money school. If he wants a lot of diversity and not a lot of what is considered a prep school of the '70s, I'd choose SPS or Middlesex. We have another board on Middlesex. Check that one out.</p>
<p>Personally, I would choose St. Paul's out of those three. I've heard the students are wonderful and there is a good mixing among them. The campus is gorgeous and the academics are top-notch. It doesn't have a swim team, so if your son does swimming, that wouldn't be good. </p>
<p>PM me (private message) if you want to know more. To PM someone, just click on their name in blue and a drop-up menu will pop up. Click on send a private message. :) </p>
<p>SPSstudent goes to St. Paul's. Try PMing him/her.</p>
<p>I'd choose St. Paul's or Middlesex. I've heard the freshman dorms at Groton are kind of different.</p>
<p>St. Paul's or Middlesex. In terms of student freedom, SPS has more. This can be a blessing or ????? There is less supervision at SPS. I have a D at Middlesex, if you like you can PM me. Middlesex is a happy well rounded school. All have top notch academics however, they are very different.</p>
<p>Jonathan1 heard that (about the Groton dorms) from me. Maybe a few others, too. But I described how they were different.</p>
<p>Different doesn't mean worse. It could mean better.</p>
<p>Plus, I think they are only for 8th and 9th grade. Afterwards, I believe, your child would be in more traditional dorms. Or maybe your son is going into 10th grade and the dorms aren't going to be a factor at all.</p>
<p>I'd share my views, having been to all these schools. But my experience is only anecdotal and based on the sort of interview tours that you have experienced yourself. So while I can add volume and equally (un)informed tales of my 2 hour encounter, I think you're looking for quality information from insiders and people truly in the know, like the information prepparent can offer you.</p>
<p>I will share my comparative experiences if you want via PM, but I'm hesitant to do so here as these were all whirlwind visits, no more enlightened than what you saw firsthand, and I'd hate to post them here to suggest (a) there's something authoritative about what my impressions were; and (b) that others who do have authoritative opinions/views need not weigh in because the question has been answered.</p>
<p>I will say this...with some degree of conviction (which is often mistaken for authority and knowledge): your family is up against a wonderful trilemma!</p>
<p>A lot of it depends on what your son wants. Groton is a much smaller school then Saint Pauls, and I can't think of the size of Middlesex off the top of my head but i believe that it is also a smaller school. St. Pauls has in my opinion the most beautiful campus of the three. St. Pauls and Groton both have better college matriculation records then Middlesex. Although what school he chooses all really comes down to how he feels about it.</p>
<p>Cartoger - I have a son at Groton and can answer specific questions if you want to private message me. Hopefully through your revisits your son will have a better idea as to which school is a better fit for him. Each school has an excellent reputation and my son has had many positive experiences during his time at Groton. Groton does allow a student to take drama in place of a sport either for the fall, winter or spring term. You should check to see if the 2 other schools handle non-athletic activities in the same way. </p>
<p>Otherwise your son would have to take a sport during the afternoon and then have drama practice in the early evening before study hall if he chose to participate in both a sport and drama/theatre. </p>
<p>Best of luck with your revisits/decision.</p>
<p>Cartoger: Academically there is nothing to choose between these three schools. </p>
<p>Middlesex was founded as a feeder school for Harvard, you can't go very far worng there. St. Paul's and Groton are consciously episcopalian schools in the sense of aspiring to the mid-nineteenth century ideal of a humanistic education. That is why the signature program of St. Paul's is integrated humanities and Groton still has compulsory Latin in 3rd form. </p>
<p>All three schools are somewhat other worldly bubbles somewhat isolated from their local environment. To my mind St. Paul's is more romantically beautiful than either Groton or Middlesex. The student relationships, degree of specialization etc etc are probably very similar. The critical factor is love for the place. Your son will get out of any of the three schools what he puts into it. I would urge him to choose with his heart.</p>
<p>You asked about the degree of adult guidance during the school years. I know nothing about Groton or Middlesex but if you are curious about St. Paul's, ask Admissions to send you a copy of a video they made around 1997 "Mentors--Reflections on enduring Faculty-Student Relationships". More than anything I can think of, this video reflects the spirit of the place.</p>
<p>I would choose st. pauls although they're all great schools. my friend applied to st pauls and said that the campus was really nice.</p>
<p>My 8th grade daughter is facing a similar choice: Groton, St. Paul's, Deerfield or Hotchkiss. We are just going to go to all four schools for the revisits and see what stands out - where she feels most comfortable and can really see herself.</p>
<p>On the first go-round, I appreciated many things about Groton in terms of its treatment of younger children - mandatory study hours in the evening, study hall in the daytime, etc. Although my daughter has always demonstrated good judgment and study habits, I do believe some "in loco parentis" direction would still be good for her and that too much freedom might be either overwhelming or tempting. </p>
<p>Also, because Groton is so small, even if your son is not a major jock, he will probably still be able to play the sports he wants, whereas I definitely know that this is not the case with the larger schools. </p>
<p>Right now, we are all leaning strongly toward Groton. AND, we have read <em>Prep</em> and still are not dissuaded.</p>
<p>One thing I really appreciated about St. Paul's (aside from the splendor, beauty, facilities, etc.) is the all-boarding aspect. We live rather far from the Northeast and I didn't like the idea of my daughter either living too close to a major city like Boston or New York where other students from there would flee for the weekend, or being at a school where the day student population was significant (i.e., at some point, it becomes like two separate schools within one with a large day student population). So schools with Saturday classes (can't leave on Friday if you have Saturday classes!), or which were all boarding, and/or which were more remote (harder to get out of there!) appealed to me for many reasons.</p>
<p>I would choose SPS, out of those three schools SPS gives its students the most freedom which is vital for raising kids with the ability to flourish after they graduate.</p>
<p>Without more info. regarding your son, it is very difficult to give tailored advice. Groton, however, is quite different than St. Paul's and Middlesex, so your son must visit before deciding. St. Paul's is the most prestigious and keeps sports in perspective. Groton's studentbody is not diverse. Middlesex, according to second hand info., is not as academically demanding as the other two schools, but is still a very well regarded prep school. A brilliant, dedicated and hardworking student can still end up in the middle of the class at St. Paul's and Groton. Middlesex is the smallest and least competitive of the three which can be very good, oddly, for college admissions.</p>
<p>Actually, Groton is smaller then Middlesex, Both in campus and students. <iddlesex campus was modeled after Groton's, with the intent to "perfect it." It has many, many buildings and is centered aroun the "circle" Middlesex has exactly 350 kids, and Groton has 335 I believe. It may have a little less though...</p>
<p>Also, people have a bad stereotype about Groton. They think it is all legay, snoby, ext. But I think the kids there are very nice, and there is more diversity then you think. In my opinion, more then middlesex, not as much as SPS though. Basically, they are all wonderful schools, and you need to make sure to get away from your stereotypes before you go there, are you will focus on them and not get a correct feel for the school. And about the Groton dorms, they are different, but not weird, for 9th graders. The 8 grade ones are kinda weird, with curtans as doors, but it kinda seems like a camp out to me, so I like them. Personally, overall, I would choose SPS, with Groton a very close second, and Middlesex a very close third.</p>
<p>There was a frequent poster last year who had Groton as her number one choice - user name is getmeintogroton. Try sending her a PM about your Groton questions.</p>
<p>If you include grade 8 students, Groton is slightly larger than Middlesex. It is a bit more difficult to start as a grade 9 student at Groton than the other two because of the rising eigth graders at Groton. Both Middlesex and Groton have day students, while SPS is boarding only. Groton is different, so make sure both parents and prospective students visit.</p>
<p>LOL, we are both wrong Garitty. I just looked at official info sheets, Middlesex has exactly 352 students enrolled, and Groton has exactlery 352 students enrolled, including 8th graders. :D Thats funny.</p>
<p>I wonder if the characterizations proffered by Garitty are still apllicable. Groton used to be the most socially exclusive of all the preps, with Exeter easily the most academic and St. Paul's occupying a rather a unique position. My sense of things is that all these schools are a lot more diverse than they used to be and that academically there isn't that much to choose between. From our experience, I would expect all these schools to be extremely solid in everything and choosing between them on substantive grounds an exercise in the narcissism of very small differences. I still think you have to choose with your heart. Go to the place you think you will love the most</p>
<p>agree. These 3 schools are very similar in racial and social economical diversity</p>
<p>Percent Students on Financial Aid </p>
<p>Groton: 32%
MX: 29%
SP: 35%</p>
<p>SPS hands down! There's nothing not to LOVE!!!</p>
<p>What we need students from Middlesex and Groton to speak up. It may be that they do not have the time because of EC's, Study, sports, etc versus SPS students. Hope you'll take this as just plain fun. Smile By the way, I believe Middlesex and Deerfield provide the greatest dollar amount per student for FA. I agree with paleo, there is such minor differences in academic rigor at Middlesex, SPS and groton. CC contributors attempt to make it seem that they are vastly different in academics. This is not the case, however, they are vastly different in all other ways. The focus should really be on how you feel at each school. Look, you're going to get an exceptional education at any one of these schools. Find which one feels good to you and everything else will follow.</p>