Stuart country day school Vs. Princeton day school

<p>Hi, my daughter got accepted to both Stuart country day school(all girls school) and Princeton day school. I need help in deciding. They are both in Princeton. I am mostly concerned about which school has a better academic program and also better college matriculation. Any suggestion is welcome...</p>

<p>Princeton Day.</p>

<p>Hello. I also applied to these two schools, and luckily did not have to make a decision like that.</p>

<p>I personally loved Stuart. If you would like a nurturing environment that is small but has lots of individual attention and pretty good college matriculation, Stuart is very good. They also have a large endowment fund (or so it seems), and they have lots of opportunities for their students. They also seem very down-to-earth.</p>

<p>PDS has the reputation of sending several children to Princeton. However, I’ve heard that is because Princeton faculty sends their children there. They have good academics and college matriculation, but in a K-12 school such as PDS, I felt that there would not be enough individual attention (Stuart’s small class size allocates for individual attention). </p>

<p>I, personally, preferred Stuart way more than PDS. It all depends what you’re looking for.</p>

<p>@PreppyDude123: It might help the OP if you provided some reasons for your recco. If you are in fact, a dude, you most likely would have no idea what goes on at Stuart unless you had a sister there.</p>

<p>@SevenDad, since I am a dude, I’m not really sure about Stuart, but I have family in Jersey whom attend PDS, and from what I’ve heard they have excellent faculty/academics and stellar matriculations. But anyway, that’s what I’ve heard, I’m sure Stuart is, in it’s own right, excellent too. </p>

<p>Really, I’m not familiar with many day schools, but PDS is a great school. If you think (to the OP) that being at a girls-only school might be better for you, or the atmosphere fits you more, then go for it. I can really only justify my reasons and support my views from what I’ve heard - so my views are one-sided and biased. I’m sure many others on CC who have experience with both schools would be able to provide a better perspective on it. </p>

<p>But that’s just my two cent…</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>Thanks everybody for the positive response about Stuart…</p>

<p>My daughter loved it at Stuart. She actually spent a day there and attended classes. She also feels that she has already made some friends. For both the schools I will have to drive her for about 35mins. I am a little worried for the winter months. Is there any school bus or other transportation available in either schools…</p>

<p>Nope, but you can get a car service (you have to pay, because Stuart doesn’t provide their own transportation) for Stuart. I was thinking about possibly doing that if I really needed to. Stuart is so warm and inviting–that really works in their favor!</p>

<p>snowflake, look into car pools too. Both schools can help you with that once you’ve made the choice between them. Stuart and PDS have great matriculation, where Stuart gives your daughter an advantage is that it’s all about women. It’s cool both being athletic and brainy. Girls learn they can achieve what they want, use their brains and be productive in what is still mostly a man’s world. It caters to teaching them self-confidence. Wearing uniforms helps the focus be less on status too.</p>

<p>Once again…LOVE STUART! I really think that it is a great choice for an independent woman. I found I could concentrate on the academics when I visited there. I also felt that I wouldn’t feel intimidated there, because they are so kind.</p>

<p>I had two daughters go through Stuart. The experience shaped their lives. They are confident and engaging young women and well prepared for a full life. There are not words to describe what a gem this school is. If you want the kind of daughter that makes you smile when you think of her and that is a leader who believes she can make a difference in the world - don’t even think twice - Stuart is the place for you.</p>

<p>Even though I’m at Peddie, I still love Stuart. I think the community is amazing.</p>

<p>The Class of 2013 is attending the following colleges and universities:</p>

<p>Barnard College</p>

<p>Bucknell University</p>

<p>Colgate University</p>

<p>Davidson College (3)</p>

<p>Denison University</p>

<p>Dickinson College (2)</p>

<p>Drexel University</p>

<p>Fordham University</p>

<p>Franklin and Marshall College</p>

<p>Georgia Institute of Technology</p>

<p>Hamilton College (NY)</p>

<p>Haverford College</p>

<p>College of the Holy Cross (2)</p>

<p>John Brown University</p>

<p>Lafayette College</p>

<p>Lehigh University</p>

<p>New York University</p>

<p>Occidental College</p>

<p>Princeton University (6)</p>

<p>Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey</p>

<p>Scripps College</p>

<p>Smith College (2)</p>

<p>University of Redlands</p>

<p>Villanova University</p>

<p>Coincidentally, the list for 2014 just came out:</p>

<p>The Class of 2014 is attending the following colleges and universities:
Babson College</p>

<p>Bard College (Simon’s Rock)</p>

<p>Barnard College</p>

<p>Bates College</p>

<p>Boston College </p>

<p>Boston Conservatory </p>

<p>Brandeis University</p>

<p>Bryn Mawr College</p>

<p>Columbia University</p>

<p>Drexel University</p>

<p>Gettysburg College</p>

<p>Harvard College</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins University</p>

<p>Kenyon College</p>

<p>Lafayette College</p>

<p>Loyola University Maryland</p>

<p>Montclair State University</p>

<p>Northwestern University</p>

<p>New York University </p>

<p>Occidental College</p>

<p>Pennsylvania State University, University Park</p>

<p>Princeton University</p>

<p>Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute</p>

<p>Spelman College</p>

<p>The College of New Jersey</p>

<p>Tufts University</p>

<p>University of Notre Dame</p>

<p>University of St. Andrews</p>

<p>University of Virginia</p>

<p>Ursinus College</p>

<p>Wake Forest University</p>

<p>Yale University </p>

<p>Is this list for Stuart or PDS?</p>

<p>It’s Stuart, but not sure why Bullneck had to revive a 3 year-old thread to tell us that.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.stuartschool.org/admissions/matriculation_list2014/index.aspx”>http://www.stuartschool.org/admissions/matriculation_list2014/index.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>@7dad: Stuart</p>

<p>@ski: Because I used the search function to find threads on Stuart (a school I have an interest in) and thought some facts would be helpful to the conversation about the two schools. </p>

Seven Dad: Is your daughter still at Stuart? Do you still love the school?

@bigdaddy546: she is not (actually both daughters attended through 8th grade), but that does not mean we don’t love the school. Feel free to PM me with questions.

I know girls who have left Stuart after 8th grade for PDS because of a desire for a different environment and more of a social scene. I also know girls who have transferred in at 9th and 10th grade, one to get away from a challenging social scene. It’s a very personal choice. If your daughter loved her visit, it may be the place for her. Both have excellent college placement. I always remind people on these boards to use the matriculation data very carefully. The year that 6 girls went to Princeton had some anomalies (from parent affiliations to exceptional sports ability) so I’d be wary of extrapolating anything from that. With that said, she’ll get a great education at either and be well prepared for college.

Do you mind if I ask where your daughters went to HS? My daughter is very impressed with Stuart. She chose from Peddie, PDS, Hun, ND and Stuart. However, I worry a bit about the social scene in the upper school since the grades are so small.