<p>I'm hoping to go to either Stevenson or Cate. Please tell me which one you like the best. If you went to one that would be very helpful.</p>
<p>Tell me about the academics, the teachers, the dorms, the BATHROOMS, the students, the things to do during the weekend. Tell me anything that they don't include on the school websites.</p>
<p>Also could you please tell me about their dresscode. In the pictures on the websites, the girls were wearing some short shorts, is that seriously allowed?</p>
<p>Pm me with specific questions, include your Ssat scores if you can and hooks, I will try to answer or connect you with someone in the Cate/Stevenson community if I come up blank.</p>
<p>I have a couple of questions for you.</p>
<ol>
<li>Are you a girl?</li>
<li>Are you from CA?</li>
</ol>
<p>Anyway, I’m a male senior at Stevenson so I can’t comment on Cate really much (didn’t even apply there, more on that later), nor much of the girl stuff. I’ll try to be as helpful as I can though.</p>
<p>Anyway, as for your questions.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Academics: Cate is generally regarded as harder but I think that Stevenson is underrated. I’m applying to some top schools and I’m barely in the top 20%tile by GPA of my class, even with a SAT score that is like 99%tile. One pretty special thing about Stevenson’s academics are that we have this limit on honors/AP classes so students don’t feel pressured to take 20 APs by the time they graduate. That said, they do make exceptions. All this considered, Cate is probably better than us at academics.</p></li>
<li><p>Teachers here are awesome, a nice mix of young and old, with a lot of alumni. They’re funny, extremely accessible and friendly, most have impressive academic credentials. For example, of my five teachers right now, there are BAs from Williams, Berkeley, UMich, and two less prestigious institutions and MAs from Dartmouth (2), Middlebury, Wesleyan, and one no MA. Most are pretty smart (I don’t say that about everyone), and they are all really interested in the subject (hence all the Master’s).</p></li>
<li><p>Dorms. I’ve never seen Cate’s dorms, or the dorms of any other BS but I do know that now that I’m looking at colleges…Stevenson’s dorms are palatial. </p></li>
<li><p>Bathrooms. For girls, they’re fine. For guys…they’re less fine. </p></li>
<li><p>Students. I’m not sure exactly what you want here. They’re nice, smart, hard working, somewhat preppy, somewhat diverse (we need more internal financial aid rather than relying so much on external scholarships, preponderance of full pay boarders from East Asia). I will say that too much is made out of the full pay Asian boarder issue. They’re generally very academically qualified and I feel that it helps enrich the experience. Could the numbers be cut back a little? Sure.</p></li>
<li><p>Things to do during the weekend. I would say that weekends are never boring, by virtue of the BS environment and the on campus opportunities provided (they vary from sandwich making to anime film screening). We have buses to local shopping centers and teachers often give groups of students rides.</p></li>
<li><p>Dress code. I’m not a girl, so I can’t really comment, but generally they’re pretty lax. Short shorts abound, though nothing TOO outrageous is allowed during the academic day.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Oh, and Sarum seems to know a lot about the two schools. He lives near RLS if I remember correctly?</p>
<p>Edit: Just saw your other post and that you were African American. Stevenson doesn’t have many, so that can be a big advantage in admissions. I’m not sure where you’re from but I know that desoite the fact that everyone here is genuinely accepting and welcoming, sometimes there is a bit of culture shock.</p>
<p>PBush</p>
<p>Thanks for the information, that was very helpful. I am a girl and I’m not from California. But, I would like to attend school there because I’m not sure that I would be able to get used to the NE weather since I’m from Texas.</p>
<p>I got your PM and will direct your inquiries through the channels you request. I am familiar with both schools in a family way, and will do my best to get you in touch with current students. alumni, and teachers.
I am a driver & 3 wood from Stevenson as PB mentions, lots of great kids, teachers and community support here:)</p>
<p>Firstly, I’m not knowledgeable enough about Stevenson to offer a comparative contrast with Cate. I do know that Stevenson is well regarded and worthy of very careful consideration. When you visit the two schools you should be able to develop a clear opinion of which is best for you. You might also consider Webb Schools in Pasadena and Thacher in Ojai if you haven’t done so already. </p>
<p>I’ve got a son that’s a freshman at Cate and I’m sure that he would share his candid opinions of the school. He doesn’t read these forums, but if you PM me I will put you in contact with him. I’ll try to answer a few of your questions in the meantime.</p>
<p>Before Cate, my son attended a rigorous day school and has always been a strong student. He’s doing well at Cate too, but he says it takes a lot of hard work and commitment. It would be difficult to imagine that there could be a better faculty at any prep school; perhaps equal, but unlikely better. They are enthusiastic, committed and involved. The relationships and communication he has with his teachers is on a completely different level than he had at his old school. Some of the classes are taught using the Harkness method and others are tailored in a slightly different format. The classes are small and move quickly.</p>
<p>The admission department does a good job building a diverse student community and the school culture creates a distinct cohesiveness among the students. About 80+% of students are boarders, half from California and half from elsewhere. The students support and push each other to succeed. There isn’t a formal dress code, but the kids are required to wear clothing that is clean and in good repair. My son wears a collared shirt to class, but it’s his personal choice. There are weekly formal dinners where the boys where a suit / blazer and tie and the girls where dresses, skirts, dress slacks, etc.</p>
<p>I’ve only been in one dorm, freshman boys / 25 House, on two different occasions. The bathroom was surprisingly clean and has individual showers. The boys are required to keep their rooms (relatively) tidy and organized. The girls’ dorms are probably similar.</p>