Starting a search for New England school - advice

Prep School Admissions Prep School Parents
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<p>Hi All,
I am just beginning a search for my son. He is being scouted somewhat because he is a good hockey and lacrosse player. He loves these sports and I believe would love a prep school experience. And I would love a quality education for him.</p>

<p>I am trying to visit some schools this Fall, but I need to narrow down the field to a few. I am looking for a school that emphasizes academics at least as much as athletics. He is a A-/B+ student but would perform better with more organization and rigor. Practically speaking, I need a school with an ice hockey program and a willingness/ability to offer generous aid. We are a middle income family and I have 3 older children all of whom will be in college next year, so that should help with qualifying for aid.</p>

<p>Currently, my draft list includes:
-- Choate
-- Loomis Chaffee
-- Kent
-- Westminster
-- Avon
-- Bershire
-- Kimball Union
-- Brooks
-- Canterbury
-- Portsmith Abbey
-- Trinity-Pawling</p>

<p>Please share opinions and any advice! It is much appreciated!!
~Nick</p>

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<p>Just outside of NE, but easily made by air or rail (and even car), I’d suggest consideration of Lawrenceville, near Princeton, NJ. The school gets pretty good marks for the total package of academics, hockey, lacrosse and financial aid. Don’t be intimidated by the statistics if it appears a reach; it could fit in a broad list such as you have given an SSAT score in the high 60s or above. Sorry this doesn’t meet your geographical requirement, but the school seems to have the other elements in spades. Also, perhaps geographical diversity (if you’re moving out of the home region) could be a small plus in the admissions/aid process. </p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice. In terms of geography, we are in upstate NY, about 6 hours from these schools. Don’t want to travel much more.</p>

<p>Thx.
Nick</p>

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<p>Nick, I recommend you add St. Mark’s School in Southborough, MA to your list. The school has hockey and lacrosse teams. </p>

<p>Make sure to contact the coaches of the sports your son plays. The coaches’ contact numbers should be on the websites; if not, the admissions officers will know which teacher coaches. </p>

<p>As far as I know, most of the prep schools rely on the teacher/coach model. Thus, you can ask the coaches about academic expectations as well.</p>

<p>Once your son takes the SSAT, you would be able to establish which schools are an academic fit, as well. </p>

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<p>Great! Thanks. Do you recommend taking the test, then visiting schools that appear to be an academic fit? Im finding too many schools are a possibility and would like to narrow it down. Was hoping to get some feedback on which are too focused on sports, for us, Or those that are very academically elite, – also not a fit.</p>

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<p>aha . . . one more thought, and that would be Taft, in Connecticut. Agree that getting the SSAT score will help to clarify, though it may still be good to have a reach. Choate, St. Marks and Taft might end up fitting into that category but I wouldn’t be dissuaded from applying to one or two if the campus visit went very well. </p>

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<p>nickkomp27, many prep schools field hockey teams. I think all the schools in the ISL (Independent School League) have hockey teams. You might start there, if you’re looking for schools which offer academics and athletic competition.</p>

<p>I gather there are hockey boarding schools which specialize in hockey. I don’t know anything about them, other than that they exist, as well as schools which specialize in skiing, or golf. </p>

<p>The ISL offers need-based aid only, but with three children in college on a middle income, I’d have to think you’d qualify. Other schools offer merit aid, but not many. </p>

<p>You can send me a personal message, if you have any questions about St. Mark’s. Whichever school catches your fancy, remember the coaches will be very important for your son. I’d recommend you make an effort to determine which hockey & lacrosse coaches he likes best. </p>

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<p>Great advice! Thanks!</p>

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<p>I would add Middlesex, Groton, Deerfield and Milton. If you could consider 5 day boarding, Nobles would be a possibility too. </p>

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<p>Here’s a link so you can see how last year’s hockey season ended:
<a href=“http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/prep/poll/Prep_School_Power_Rankings”>http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/prep/poll/Prep_School_Power_Rankings&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I like your school list, Nick- a lot! I would also consider The Gunnery:<a href=“https://portal.gunnery.org/netcommunity”>https://portal.gunnery.org/netcommunity&lt;/a&gt; . If you’re open to an all boy school, I highly recommend adding Salisbury to your list, too: <a href=“http://www.salisburyschool.org/”>http://www.salisburyschool.org/&lt;/a&gt; . </p>

<p>I’m a Hockey Aunt not a Hockey Mom and I thought last year’s season was very exciting :slight_smile: All the best and good luck!</p>

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<p>It sounds like you’re looking for a school that has a strong athletic program, but doesn’t really define itself that way. If I’m right in thinking that you’re looking to avoid schools with a strong “jock culture” (which in my mind, at least in part, means that being a top athlete is a big part of being successful socially), then I’d say that Loomis and Brooks meet that criteria, from your original list. I’d also add Taft and St. Mark’s, as others have suggested. I’m sure there will be people who will disagree, but my perception is that Choate, Kent, Avon, Berkshire, and Trinity-Pawling are somewhat more sports dominated. The rest of the schools on your list I’m not as familiar with. </p>

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<p>Thanks All! Yes, I am looking to avoid schools that hold athletics in higher regard than academics. I don’t want my son’s peer group to defer college so they can play hockey in Juniors. I want him to get a good college education and then get a job :)</p>

<p>I will definitely add Loomis and Brooks. I did look at the hockey power rankings in making my list in hopes that his school would be competitive. We have spent a couple of seasons getting beat up on and in last place, which is not fun.</p>

<p>I will also add Groton, Deerfield, Middlesex and Milton. Maybe I should remove some of the more sports oriented schools?</p>

<p>Any other opinions out there?</p>

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<p>Choate doesn’t hold sports in higher regard than academics, and it definitely provides a quality, rigorous education but, hockey, um, ah, yeah, ok, let’s see… maybe you could move it a bit lower down on your list. (That’s the most negative thing I’ve ever said about Choate, ever.) I’d listen to PhotoMom and soxmom.</p>

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<p>Thanks ChoateMom. So is it safe to say you’re a fan of Choate? There is only so much time we can spend on interviews and tours but it is proving difficult to narrow down my list and to differentiate one school from another. The SSAT results may help us narrow the list, but even if he takes it in October, we won’t see the results much before it is time to apply.</p>

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<p>Nickkomp27, the SSAT offers a practice booklet. <a href=“http://www.ssat.org/test-prep/official-guide[/url]”>http://www.ssat.org/test-prep/official-guide&lt;/a&gt; It includes two full-length tests. If you administer it under test-like conditions, you should be able to get a rough ballpark estimation of where youre son might fall. Do one test cold, without prep, then if the results show he needs to brush up on measurement, or analogies, etc, run over what he needs for that, then try again. </p>

<p>If you plan to take the October SSAT, I recommend you sign up for it now. It’s usually administered at private schools, so spots fill up. I imagine having to drive two hours to reach the testing site might depress scores.</p>

<p>Many schools have lacrosse and hockey teams, so you should consider your son’s interests. Does he want to learn Greek? Or German? Or Chinese? (Not all schools offer all languages.) The schools usually have a fine arts requirement of some sort, but some have bands, some have string quartets, all have chorus, etc. </p>

<p>Coaches should be listed on the websites. There is often quite a bit of information on the website, including news for parents and copies of the student newspaper.</p>

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<p>Good points. There is a site in our town so i will sign up. A mock test is a great idea.</p>

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<p>If he applies to a school and his scores are way off the mark (as in a 40th percentile for a 90th-average school, as an example), you can always withdraw his application. You won’t waste any more time applying to a school where his chances are extremely low to nonexistent. That being said, typically a mid to high 80s score will not be the reason you get rejected from a top tier school, and the less well known schools are below that. </p>

<p>As for the grades, as the parent (or the child, if he is mature enough to do so), I might write about his struggles in a less structured, easier environment and how and why you think he will do better in a more difficult and structured environment. That might help ease some of, if they have them, the schools’ concerns, and it is always great to give schools a good idea of your student (so that they can make their decision well). </p>

<p>Boarding School Review will give you a list of the schools with ice hockey teams, so just double check there and write off any that don’t. Then, you can go the schools’ websites to arrange meetings with coaches or to look at team pictures or descriptions. Sometimes, if you find an urban school with a team around it, the school might even allow your son to play hockey outside of school as well. </p>

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<p>Taft and Berkshire are both strong hockey schools. (Fun fact - the Olympic women’s hockey coach was raised on the Taft campus.) Both have not one but two rinks which may help cut down on those 9 pm practices, and both are strong in lacrosse (Taft boys lacrosse was 12-4 last season) and not as cut throat academically as some others. I think NMH is worth a look as well. At most all of the schools on your list, the varsity players are recruits so I would definitely reach out to coaches. It can be helpful to know who is looking for a goalie etc. It can be hard to move up from JV to Varsity at boarding school since most spots are recruited so info about how a coach feels your son may fit into a particular program can be really valuable. (You can also look at last year’s roster to see what key positions are graduating this year.)</p>

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<p>And two of the women on last years Olympic hockey team are Berkshire alums. Both schools offer top-notch academics, too.</p>

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<p>Your list is good, but I can understand why you want to narrow it down. I grew up in Upstate New York (Rochester area) and that drive along the Thruway can be monotonous at best! If you haven’t checked out <a href=“http://www.boardingschoolreview.com”>www.boardingschoolreview.com</a>, you should. It allows you to sort schools based on a wide variety of criteria, including SSAT scores, school size, endowment, sports offered, etc.</p>

<p>For an athlete, one criteria that may be overlooked is whether or not the schools admit jpostgraduates (PGs). The first time my son went through the process, he stated he didn’t want schools with PGs because he was a late bloomer and knew that would impact his athletic experience. The second time around he wasn’t as concerned about PGs because he had started to physically mature and he reclassified/repeated freshmen year. So if your son is young for the grade or a late bloomer, you may want to factor that into your decision. If I’m correct, ISL schools (e.g., Governors - which you might also want to consider) do not allow PGs. Note of caution - even where PGs aren’t permitted, with kids repeating kindergarten, etc. a team may still have kids the same age as PGs on it.</p>

<p>SSATs - if you have a hook (athletics being one) if he is in the ballpark of the median and the rest of his application is strong, he will be fine. We were told by one admissions officer that they definitely superscore for athletes. Also note - simulated test results do not necessarily = test day results. This forum has had a number of kids who based on practice tests, etc. were expecting high 90s and ended up in the 50s and 60s. </p>

<p>Recruited athlete - we went through this process twice. There are two levels of recruitment - (1) being marketed to and (2) being recruited. The difference between them is the level of support you get through admissions. This was honestly the most stressful part of the process to manage. Feel free to PM me if you want any other info on this. </p>

<p>Financial Aid - this is where the endowment # comes in handy from BSR. The higher the endowment, the more financial aid they will have to give out. Also understand that if a school says they accept 20% of applicants, it probably means that they accept 30% of full pay kids and 10% of financial aid kids. It totally sucks but unfortunately, it’s reality. </p>

<p>Visits - I would prioritize my visits based upon his interest in the school and how much of a reach it is for him. If it is his dream school and a reach - by all means go to the school. If it’s less of a reach and/or he’s less interested - do a Skype interview. You should also call the schools and check available dates. You will probably want to stack your CT visits over 3 or 4 days. Our son always met with coaches after his tour/interview and it would have been nearly impossible to do 2 in one day (but we aren’t exactly morning people either). For a recruit - I’d plan on 3-5 hours per visit. None of our visits were less than 4 hours. Schedule visits now so you have them situated, you can always cancel/change later. Keep in mind these schools shut down for a good chunk of November and December. </p>

<p>Schools that aren’t on your list but might meet your criteria:</p>

<p>Deerfield
Taft
Governors
Middlesex
Brooks</p>