<p>i haven't had personal experience, but it is kind of stereotyped as a school with a significant amount of drugs</p>
<p>I met a man a few weeks ago that attended SPS in the 80's and then Harvard. His take is that SPS was a life changing experience. While Harvard was interesting,He said if he had to choose only one to attend, it would clearly be SPS. Just his opinion.</p>
<p>Going to a top bs is just a huge thing. It really is.</p>
<p>nhfootballer: I have followed your comments for a while (SSAT's, Milton etc). Congrats on SPS. I hope it lives up to your expectations. It is a very special place! You are right, there ARE drugs everywhere. Lots in our local public & private schools and true everywhere. Denial does not mean they do not exist. They are at SPS too. I suspect no more or less than the other schools people look at. The real issue is always the individual and his friends. Glad you are involved politically. I brought Howard Dean to SPS this year, and representatives of a number of other campaigns. Stay involved (I tend to be Republican, so forgive me). Interestingly, SPS has a young Democrats, and only this year started a young Republicans.</p>
<p>thanks, winter. i am happy about my choice re sps. republicans are ok. my dad is one and mom is independent. lots of political talk at home. lol.</p>
<p>I was impressed with SPS> The students stated that they averaged 5 hours of sleep and if they were really tired, they could sleep in the infirmary instead of going to class. Our guide said that the beds were full every day, all day.</p>
<p>Although I am sure there are kids who abuse the policy, princessdad, that is not the norm. If it becomes a pattern, people notice and the issue is addressed. My child has never stepped foot in the health center except once to visit a sick friend. She has also not missed one single class or commitment all year and I know many of her friends who are just like her.</p>
<p>Although I have never been to the health center for sleep dep, I can assure you the beds are not full all day every day. And five hours is absoleutly on the bottom half of what most kids get for sleep.</p>
<p>My best friend graduated from SPS this weekend and I attended. The school is amazingly georgous with gothic buildings and ponds. The library looks out over a pond and is stunning. It's hard to believe all that is there for 500 kids!</p>
<p>My friend loved her 4 years there. Everyone was sobbing that their time was over there. They are an incredibly bonded group compared to my NYC day school. They are a work hard, play hard group. They do know how to party but trust me, the drug scene is nothing like at NYC preps. My friend says there were way more druns/booze in our middle school.</p>
<p>I got accepted into SPS but perhaps a bit foolishly I admit I rejected it because a former Andover alumni and Harvard professor said St. Pauls was a rich snobby school. But perhaps I should have looked into it closer...</p>
<p>shore, are you going to andover? re snobby, i thought sps was down to earth compared to some other schools.</p>
<p>With all the top BS having 35+% kids on financial aid these days, the profile of these schools is much different than they were a generation or more ago. Be careful about relying on impressions of other people that may be antiquated. All these schools will offer more racial and socioeconomic diversity than would be found in the majority of public schools. </p>
<p>SPS is decidedly not snobby. Like anywhere, you'll find a few that are but its easy to ignore them.</p>
<p>Yes, nhfootballer I am. What school are you at? I found the SPS guide of mine to be very very nice but the former Andover alumni talked about what schools I got accepted into and immediately told me to cross off Taft as its not as good and to cross off SPS as it was very snobby. Then the alumni scared off my parents with the drug stories. And Milton with the sex scandal. And as we are internationals we don't know any of them so we bought it easily.</p>
<p>Thats what you get for asking somebody who went to a rival school.</p>
<p>of course they are going to say their school is better</p>
<p>Well, she seemed impartial to some other schools like Choate and Groton which she both liked. But she told us about drugs etc and my parents being both Indian and from overseas immediately urged me to reject SPS. Its no slight on SPS and in fact I wish I looked at it more tbh.</p>
<p>I think it is quite unprofessional to be so blatantly partial (and in such an insulting manner).
I can't understand why the drug scene would be such a big issue at SPS as compared with other schools particularly as it is 100% boarding.</p>
<p>shore, it is important to decide which school fits for you. the advice you received was just gossip. which school did you like before this guy told you his opinion?</p>
<p>I was so impressed by all of them. After every one I left thinking that was the one except for Taft and Milton. The Milton tour guide said there were rats in every dorm!</p>
<p>I liked SPS, Exeter, Choate, Groton and Andover all the same. I said I'd research and then choose one. The alumni scared my parents off SPS so I chose Andover. But SPS could have well been my number 1 choice as I never ended up researching it after my parents got scared off it.</p>
<p>I just looked at the SPS website and it looks like there are not teams for swimming or water polo. Is that right?</p>
<p>siliconvalleymom - that is correct. They have a gorgeous pool but do not have a swim team nor water polo.</p>