Hey guys, so I am applying to boarding school and I need help. I am applying to Hotchkiss, Taft, Loomis, Choate bc of my mom and Kent. I have heard many different opinions and I am not to fond of Choate because I think the campus is to big but my mothers whole side of the family went there. Anyways I here are some questions:
I know kids at most of these schools so understand that my feedback is more anecdotal.
My sense is that all of them have serious sports programs but not in the same sports. (Kent, for example, has very strong rowing and equestrian programs.)
With that said, I think that Hotchkiss may overall have the most “jock” culture.
They all have excellent academics. I have known Loomis students who spent a year abroad although I don’t know the details.
And if the families I know are any indication, there is a lot of pride at every one of these schools.
Your feelings about the size of a school are valid. There are pros and cons to bigger schools as well as to smaller ones. Neither is better but one might be a better fit for you.
At this point, visit all while they are in session and be as clear as you can about what interests you. Pay attention to what you see and how it feels to you. Then wait to see where you get in, go to the accepted student days, and decide where to attend. Picking a frontrunner at this point could leave you feeling very sad on M10, even if you have great options. And know that the schools tend to do a good job of admitting students who will thrive there, so as much as you may feel like you need to impress them, you’ll be best served by being yourself.
The teaching and academics at all of these schools is top notch. With an extremely slight edge, I would say Hotchkiss and Choate are the strongest academically, but it’s a marginal difference. Our experience is that Taft and Loomis have a bit of a more of a jock culture. School spirit is tight at all 5. Some kids like the spread out campus of Choate, others comment it is too much so and prefer more intimate grounds as there is a lot of daily walking distance to cover. All of these schools have beautiful surroundings, and although some are more rural than others, each has a relatively quaint Main Street area nearby campus with good coffee shops, restaurants and pizza parlors, etc. Gotta visit each one if possible and talk to the kids there!