<p>The Westminster School is the #1 school!</p>
<p>runandjump - with the backpacks, we just got a basic one that was around $50. They make one with a laptop pocket thatâs probably a good choice if your child has a laptop and doesnât already have a sleeve.</p>
<p>friendlymom, my daughter (will be a V former) just seconded your Herschel backpack recommendation - funny 
She said they are very popular for both boys and girls. She also said that Jansport are also popular for everyone. For girls, Longchamps are popular as are tote bags. But for boys, in her opinion, basically anything goes. Lots of personal choices and variety from the sounds of it.</p>
<p>Housing, roommate, and adviser information is up on the website!</p>
<p>SouthhockeymomâŠI was browsing the thread today, and saw your posts. I know itâs been a while, but I thought Iâd add my two cents since your son still has plenty of time to make some important decisions.
I would definitely advise your son to begin the process! Jump right in and donât look back!! I, too, am a hockey mom and I can tell you how the prep school process works for a student athlete. I have two student athletes who have gone through the process and had positive outcomes.
In your case, I would first look at schools online. When your son finds some schools that are a possibility for him, contact (either by phone or email) any coaches that your son would play for while attending those schools. If he plays two sports, contact both coaches! Some coaches do go to tournaments, etc. to scout players, but I donât believe that this is the case for schools that are of the academic caliber of St. Paulâs, because admission depends upon more than ability to excel in a sport. (If your son has other talents, such as in art, music, dance, photography, etc., contact those teachers/dept. heads, as well.) Tell them that you live a distance away and that you are planning on arranging some school visits. Explain what type of student your son is, as well as the quality of his current school - college prep, private, selective, highly ranked public school, etc. (It may help if youâre familiar with your sonâs current high schoolâs profile.) Discuss any special academic accomplishments (i.e. IB student, AP courses taken, clubs, honors, etc.) Tell them about your sonâs athletic experience and the league/leagues in which he plays. They may be familiar with the quality of the league and the type of competition that your son has faced. Youâd be surprised at how much they know! Odds are, a player with AAA hockey experience will be most appealing to a coach, but you never know. If your son has achieved any honors or special invitations (i.e. team captain, national camps, elite teams, etc.) in his sport, explain what they are. If they seem interested, ask them what process, if any, they would like to follow in order to do their own evaluation of your son as a prospective athlete prior to, or even after your visit (i.e. Would they like to view video? - Most will probably want a full game. Will they be in an area where your son will be playing and able to watch him?). If your son is a solid student and a talented athlete, I am sure that they will be willing to meet with you/him.
If you have coaches who are interested in your son and he absolutely wants to attend a school where sports will be a part of his life, contact the school admissions offices and request an informational packet and admissions materials via mail.<br>
Next, plan a few days to make the trip to the Northeast. School reps/alumni do out-of-town interviews, and I think some may even do interviews by Skype, but there is nothing like visiting a school. Call admissions offices and schedule interviews and tours - keep in mind that common school holidays book up first. Iâll also tell you that one of my sons had a 9:30 appt., and didnât leave the school until 3:00 by the time the coach introduced him to players, took him to the dining hall, etc. Donât try to fit too many visits into one day, especially if you have to travel any distance between schools. You may want to schedule interviews between Thanksgiving and Christmas if your sonâs primary sport is hockey. That way, you might be able to watch a game or two - almost always on a Wednesday and Saturday, unless a game was rescheduled or is part of a holiday tournament or showcase.
Keep in mind that your son will also need to take the SSAT (maybe more than once), request recommendations from current teachers/administrators/coaches, etc. and complete and return his portion of the applications by mid to late January, depending upon the school.
Do not be deterred by the fact that you will be requesting financial aid. I know many kids who have received very generous offers of financial aid at some of the best schools. If your son is a talented athlete and a coach thinks that he will make a contribution to the team, in addition to being a very solid student and doing well in his interviews, the best schools (St. Paulâs, Exeter, Andover) will make it work! They have huge endowments and do not hesitate to give assistance to students who will enrich their school communities. Schools with smaller endowments may have difficulty offering financial aid in larger amounts, but Iâm sure that even they will offer something for you to consider if your son is accepted. All of these schools appreciate well-rounded kids!
I noticed that someone mentioned that St. Paulâs has not had a successful hockey team in recent years. I wouldnât put much stock in that. You never know how a team (in any sport) will change from year to year. Take a look at the past few years standings, playoffs and championships. Teams move in and out and up and down from year to year. Maybe your son will be one to make a team stronger. Heâll also play with and against a number of talented athletes, and college coaches and scouts are always in attendance, if that is his ultimate goal. Most importantly, heâll be getting an amazing education and heâll meet people and make a connection to a place that will be a part of him forever!
Somebody once told me that there are 3 things that people will always ask youâŠWhatâs your name? Where are you from? AndâŠWhere did you go to school? Hopefully, your son will be able to say that he went to St. Paulâs!
All the best with whatever your son decides to do!</p>
<p>Iâll be a third former in September⊠I was placed in coit center. Does anyone know if the dorms are nice?</p>
<p>Coit Center is one of three dorms within a large building that also contains the dining halls. Advantages are obvious - you donât need to go outside to get to meals. Also, Coit (always referred to as âthe Upperâ) is one of three locations on campus for taxis, pizza delivery, etc.</p>
<p>Where are the other 2 locations for taxis and pizza deliveries?</p>
<p>The other two locations for taxis and food are Foster and the AFC. (as well as the Upper). Also, shuttles that run into town on Saturday afternoons leave from the AFC. :)</p>
<p>Yes, the Upper dorms are just called North, Wing, and Center, as in âI live in Wing.â My child had a funny story confusing Center with Middle, which is another girls dorm across campus.</p>
<p>Does anyone have thoughts about the pros/cons of pre-ordering books, buying them when you get to campus/maybe getting some online, or renting text books? Too many options!</p>
<p>Thank you so much! He has expanded his list and we visited 7 schools last week and interviewed at 5. All were impressive and we enjoyed our week. Now on to the SSAT! The advice on this website is awesome, thanks to everyone!</p>
<p>Textbooks:</p>
<p>If you pre-order your textbooks, all you have to do is show up at the bookstore and give them your name. They will have looked you up and prepared all the textbooks youâll need for fall term. Itâs a five minute stop. If you donât pre-order, youâll have to wait in a really long line for someone to help you find what classes youâre in and what textbooks you need and go through the process of purchasing them.</p>
<p>Buying vs. Renting: If you rent books, you just have to turn them in to the bookstore at the end of the year. You can annotate all you want, etc. Theyâre yours for the year. Itâs also somewhat cheaper. If you choose to buy your books, theyâre yours forever and you can do whatever you want with them. Certain textbooks canât be rented (such as language books that come with online exercises or a workbook).</p>
<p>New vs. Used: Used are cheaper, but may have the odd annotation from a previous student. If the previous owner was nice, they either used sticky notes or erased some of their pencil marks. The bookstore also wonât sell books that are completely covered in writing. Also, theyâre used, so they wonât be in perfect condition. (but again, the bookstore wonât re-sell a book thatâs been completely destroyed) New books are more expensive, but if you rent them itâs not so bad. </p>
<p>Hope this helped :)</p>
<p>Thank you so much friendlymom!</p>
<p>Is there a list or something to tell you the textbooks you need?</p>
<p>Last year, students found out what books they needed for their fall term courses by going to the bookstore after arriving on campus and either picking up a bundle of books they had pre-ordered, or getting the books from the shelves. (The books might not be the same for every teacher of the same course.) At the start of the remaining terms there will be more books for some classes, such as humanities, and for any classes that are only a term long.</p>
<p>Hello, I currently have an interest in applying for my junior year at SPS and although I have not gotten the chance to speak to coaches I was wondering if anyone knew how the crew club at sps is and how competitive, and what some times are for a female rower who attends? As I have already 3 years of experience of rowing and would like to continue at St Paulâs! Thanks to whoever responds</p>
<p>I canât give you specifics on the times, but I can tell you that my D loves rowing at SPS. Very few girls enter SPS with rowing experience but some strong newbies ended up in the JV boats last year.</p>
<p>Iâm bumping this thread since new students are arriving on campus in about a week and Iâm sure there are lots of preparations going on. Feel free to ask any questions about managing the move-in and the first few days, especially where you can find what you need in Concord.</p>
<p>New SPS Admissionsâ video released today. Check it out: <a href=âhttps://www.sps.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=52562&a=173541&play=1[/url]â>https://www.sps.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=52562&a=173541&play=1</a></p>
<p>Posted today on the SPS Facebook page:</p>
<p><a href=âhttps://www.sps.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=52562&a=175014&play=1[/url]â>https://www.sps.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=52562&a=175014&play=1</a></p>
<p>SPS has such an awesome admissions staff.</p>