Thacher

Prep School Admissions
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<p>For what it’s worth, I know two kids from Thacher pretty well. One is now at MIT and the other at Dartmouth. Not a very big sample admittedly, but I think their kids are as attracted to the Middlleburys and Bowdoins of the world as much as they are to the Ivies and the CA schools like Stanford, Claremont-McKenna etc. </p>

<p>And to your point about your daughter liking the outdoors and the feel of the school, I would say, based on these two kids, that Thacher produces really well-rounded grads who are noticeably nice to be around.</p>

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<p>Chalet133 - I sent you a PM.</p>

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<p>The Hidden Gems thread was shut down because of comments made about another poster. Too bad, and we can only hope that the thread returns in due time. </p>

<p>But, there was genuine confusion about a tangible point made earlier in the thread, and which also begs the question of how we go about posting. Below, I offer observations that would have continued that serious and useful conversation on the closed thread:</p>

<p>ThacherParent stated that, "nearly all of the school’s applicant overlap is with . . . ". That doesn’t mean, or infer, that “most” or all of the applicant pool overlaps with the referenced NE schools, but Converge seems to have read it that way. Converge then goes on to point out that the percentage of the total applicant pool that does overlap is unknown. Meanwhile, TP gives the citation with the school’s own wording, which s/he accurately paraphrased. </p>

<p>Most of us posting are not currently ad com members. We are necessarily working in the dark, or speculating, about the data not published by the schools themselves. Inquiring minds are to be applauded and encouraged, but the spirit of the inquiry has to be undertaken with the humility that comes from knowing our own “ignorance” about any school’s internal matters. Conjecture and inference based on facts is fine, but the truth may be different. Our comments on CC will be better if we try to distinguish between opinion, facts, conjecture and established truth. </p>

<p>If we’re left not knowing what percentage of Thacher applicants are also applying to the most selective NE schools, is that worth losing any sleep over? I don’t mean to discourage discussion about the relative comparisons between these schools, but the specific “overlap” claim is not that big a deal. (OK, admit rates, in general, are a big deal, and lower of course means “more selective”; but an applicant doesn’t treat schools differently, or even himself, because, say, one is at 19% and the other 12%.)</p>

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<p>Yeah, I admit to have read it a different way (nearly all applicants who apply to Thacher also apply to Exeter,…), but in context of ThacherParent’s reply to Benley’s comment, my interpretation makes sense at first read. I was only trying to make a point that Thacher, despite its impressive acceptance rate, is not necessarily more selective than say, Exeter, because the respective applicant pools are most likely not similar.</p>

<p>I apologize for my coming across as argumentative (really, I was only questioning the validity of what I interpreted to be what ThacherParent was saying) and the closing of the thread (it was I who reported choosingwisely’s comment).</p>

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<p>I am upset that the administrators closed the Hidden Gems thread and respectfully request that they reopen it; it is very helpful to new parents. This is the second time in one week that a thread has been closed down. I realize that some of our newer, younger posters are full of “**** and vinegar” but this is a boarding school site meant to be a useful, dynamic source of opinions. To the extent we keep it constructive, even in disagreement, we preserve its value.</p>

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<p>+1 ThacherParent. As a parent of a child going to a “gem”, I would love to see that thread open. It is a shame it was closed. I think maybe we could start a new one if that one remains closed… it might be time to start a new one anyway, as that one was quite long. I will give it some thought! I first came to CC looking for information other than that provided by schools. I wanted “real” opinion and experiences so I could get a better sense “from afar” of the school choices out there.</p>

<p>A big regret is that Thacher does not have girls ice hockey. My daughter would have LOVED that school! :-)</p>

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<p>+1 Charger78: most of this board is opinion or personally experienced fact. Constantly arguing does nothing to help people get more information about places where they are contemplating spending a boatload of money and to which they are considering handing over their children! </p>

<p>Discussion is a back and forth. Arguing shuts discussion down (literally and figuratively). If every informative thread degenerates into argument and vitriol, then why bother reading CC. I value this site for all the support and information I have gotten to date. I try to give back as I can, but unfortunately, I am losing the will to continue with it. :-)</p>

<p>As a parent of a child going away for the first time, I kinda want (and need!) the support. I hope CC can go back to the way I first found it … fingers crossed.</p>

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<p>+1 on reopening “Hidden Gems” thread.</p>

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<p>Agreed. Not sure why the mods don’t just delete the offensive off-topic posts and allow the thread to server its intended purpose.</p>

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<p>As my DS starts day four as a shiny new freshman at The Thacher School, it is high time I send huge and heartfelt thanks to this board, to the Hidden Gems thread(s) in particular, and especially to ThacherParent and MountainHiker for their generous and clear-eyed commentary. You helped our son and family discover this remarkable school and we are grateful to you.</p>

<p>We are East Coasters from an area replete with superb independent schools. So, naturally folks figure we are odd ducks indeed. </p>

<p>But education is an individual thing and we’re not unaccustomed to the quizzical looks our choices have received over the years in pursuit of educational “fit.”</p>

<p>To guide our search and because my brain can handle only so many options at one time, we began our process by asking our son, “If you had your druthers and could design the high school of your dreams, what characteristics would you want it to have.”</p>

<p>He knew right away. #1 He wanted a place filled with kids who really, really loved learning, fattened on it as it were, and who really, really wanted to be there. #2: He wanted a warm, supportive and authentic community where you could be yourself unmasked and where the kids were just plain nice (as vacuous as that last bit might be to say). He figured it might be a stretch to find a high school that could replicate all that, but knew it was the kind of environment that made it easier to try new things without having to worry if in the course of trying that new thing you appeared like a dork. (He was fortunate to attend an exceptional middle school that embodied this and he witnessed the difference it could make.) </p>

<p>He’s also a kid who loves science and nature and immersive environments and for whom the outdoors resonates strongly.</p>

<p>It sounds so goofball, but I remember literally Google searching phrases like “strong,” “genuine” community, “great” “nice” kids, in addition to academic and related criteria. The name Thacher kept surfacing. The more we dug into it, the more we’d keep hearing these same adjectives applied. The consistency coming from credible sources, including our school’s placement counselor, impressed us. </p>

<p>Anyhow, the rest is history. I’ll close by saying that on move-in day, we were prepared for a manic day of cardboard boxes, dashing around and the occasional sniffle. So we were taken aback by how joyful it all was. Who can tell what a week, a year or four will bring, but we left with the distinct sense that he was going to be okay. </p>

<p>Thank you for shining a light on this little gem for us. It may have taken 3,000 miles, but with luck, dust and a few heapings of horse manure, he may, fingers and toes crossed, have found his fit.</p>

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<p>“helped our son and family discover this remarkable school”</p>

<p>I think that is all ThacherParent and the rest of us parents with kids “outside the acronyms” try to do. I could have (and I think did?) write a similar note to the poster known as “ops” for his advocacy of St. Andrew’s years ago.</p>

<p>Congrats and best wishes. Please sample the remarkable Gaviota strawberries the next time you are in the Santa Barbara area…they are too fragile to ship East, but are truly amazing.</p>

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<p>Thacher is truly a remarkable school. Our son is starting his sophomore year off with a 60+ mile trans-Sierra 5-day backpack with 4 seniors, one other sophomore, and a faculty sponsor. One of the seniors is leading he trip, which had to be completely rerouted due to the Rim Fire in Yosemite.</p>

<p>It is certainly not for everyone - but from our experience, it is a school that succeeds in nurturing all aspects of a young adult: academic growth, social growth, and personal/character growth through experiences like the camping and horse programs.</p>

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<p>That’s going to be an awesome hike. What I wouldn’t give to be doing that right now! Did you see these three guys did the 212 mile John Muir trail? Some awesome photos - begins at 3:12 in the video. <a href=“https://www.thacher.org/podium/default.aspx?t=52562&a=239031&play=1[/url]”>https://www.thacher.org/podium/default.aspx?t=52562&a=239031&play=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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Tipping my hat to the Toads, this takes the cake of the day, and a special day it is:

http://www.thacher.org/podium/default.aspx?t=133949&nid=971838&bl=/default.aspx&rc=0

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Heh heh…shameless April foolery.

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@ThacherParent‌ , you think so? It may be “loco”, but I was actually smitten with the return to a tradition!