<p>I'll be a 11th grader next year and I want to go to a prep school, I've received my admissions from both of these schools but I haven't decided which one to go yet. Which one has better academics/activities/teachers/community etc?</p>
<p>Stony Brook in New York
Baylor School in Tennessee</p>
<p>anyone???</p>
<p>Pleaseplease</p>
<p>First, congratulations!</p>
<p>Second . . . wow, these schools couldn’t be more different!</p>
<p>From just a cursory glance at [Boarding</a> School Review](<a href=“http://www.boardingschoolreview.com%5DBoarding”>http://www.boardingschoolreview.com), the following jumps out at me:</p>
<p>(1) Religion - Stony Brook is a Christian school and, from what I can see that permeates their curriculum. Baylor is nondenominational. Which lifestyle are you more comfortable with?</p>
<p>(2) Size = breadth of offerings! Baylor is three times the size of Stony Brook, which means you’re going to have many more choices in course offerings, extracurriculars, clubs, etc.</p>
<p>(3) International student population: Looks to be about the same at the two schools, with Baylor’s international population slightly larger (23% versus 20% at Stony Brook).</p>
<p>(4) Boarding community: Here’s where you’re going to have a significant difference - and since you’re presumably going to be a boarding student yourself, this is something that will matter. </p>
<p>Baylor - Only 30 percent boarding . . . and the overwhelming majority of the boarding students are going to be international. (Do the math: 23% of the community boards; 23% of the community is international.) However, the school has over 1000 students, so even if the majority of boarding students are international, that still leaves some 70 to 75 boarding students who are NOT international, so there will still be a mix.</p>
<p>Stony Brook - 60 percent boarding, but it looks like many of the students board during the school week only and go home on the weekends. If that’s the case, life could end up being pretty lonely for the few students still on campus over the weekend. It’s also likely that the weekend boarding population will be overwhelmingly international - because they’re the ones who don’t have homes to go to on the weekend.</p>
<p>If you’re a boarding student, what you don’t want is to feel lonely & isolated on the weekend . . . you want a school that’s a HOME seven days a week, and not just when classes are in session. From what I can see looking at the numbers only, I’d guess that would be Baylor, more than Stony Brook. With more than 300 students on campus every weekend, Baylor is going to have weekend activities to keep those students busy. Stony Brook, in contrast, might provide you with a place to stay on the weekend (food and a roof over your head), but not much more.</p>
<p>Again, I’m not personally familiar with either school, so I can’t be sure. But if you were my kid, the question I’d be asking is what activities go on at the school over the weekend. You might find that almost the entire student population hangs around on weekends for sports or other extracurriculars - or there might be no one home other than the boarding students. Also, where do the teachers live? Are they on campus and are they involved with school life on the weekends - or is their commitment basically just for Monday through Friday only?</p>
<p>Contact the schools as soon as they open Monday morning and ask them these questions.</p>
<p>Again, congratulations!!!</p>
<p>I see you are in Turkey. Have you actually visited these schools? As the schools are so very different, I am surprised you don’t a preference for one over the other.</p>
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<p>Oops - typo!!! What I meant to write was:</p>
<p>“30% of the community boards; 23% of the community is international.” Doing the math, that gives you some 70 - 75 boarding students who are not international.</p>
<p>I live really close to the Stony Brook School and my mom is very very familiar with it! I don’t know about Baylor, but I myself would not attend Stony Brook. It is very small, and most students do not board. Those who do board are international (most from Asia), and as dodgersmom said, the others do go home on weekends. I would apply to a bigger more well known school, as you are an international student. Congratulations!</p>