<p>Do you guys think Hotchkiss could possibly be the best school in the county?</p>
<p>Peddie and St. George's are equal (if not better) than Taft. Peddie and SGS have higher SAT scores and lower acceptance rates.</p>
<p>Don't I have all three of those schools on Tier 1?</p>
<p>Hotchkiss is definitely in the top five. The best in the country is probably Exeter, though.</p>
<p>I'm not so huge about the idea of going to Andover or Exeter. I mean I would like to go to a school thats challenging, but is it really that good of an experience studying mad at 1 AM for a test while on energy drinks? Correct me if I'm wrong about the workload there. Perhaps I'm going by common perception too much.</p>
<p>I agree. I would rather go someplace where I enjoyed myself and was challenged but not necessarily the best and most elite school.</p>
<p>I wouldn't really disagree about the workload at Andover, though if you're very diligent you can get by without staying up quite that late. Though our school president is rumored to take caffeine pills, so...</p>
<p>Oh, and I also think Millbrook should be Tier 4, not Tier 3. It's not on par academically with most of the schools there.</p>
<p>I think Millbrook should be on the bottom of tier 3, in my opinion.</p>
<p>MDog-
I agree with you about the Andover/Exeter statement. To add onto your workload comment, I'd rather be one of the smarter people at a good school than "in the mix" at a great school. I'm not referring to college placement at all; I simply believe it would be a better academic experience for me.</p>
<p>I would definitely look at other top schools like Choate, Hotchkiss, and SPS, its just that I don't like Andover or Exeter.</p>
<p>In terms of pressure and rigor, those schools are all the same, with the exception of Choate, from what I've heard via reviews and word of mouth. When I looked there, I thought the environment was relaxed and friendly. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, you are going to find very rigorous schools that are not on the "elite" level. How challenging the work is isn't based on the school's tier; it depends on the class level one is taking. A.P. biology is going to be harder than regular biology regardless of the school you attend, etc. etc.</p>
<p>I really like Choate, but I've heard that a lot of kids "fall through the cracks" there and the two kids who went there from my school a few years ago both failed out by the middle of the year. That's why mom is so cautious about the school, but I'm pretty confident I could survive there if I work hard.</p>
<p>I know a kid who failed out as well, but that's because he simply didn't care about his schoolwork. If you try hard, I'm sure you could succeed there.</p>
<p>Well now it's too late to apply for 9th at Choate :(</p>
<p>It's OK though! There are so many good schools out there besides Choate, which still have spots for 9th grade. If you really like Choate, you could apply there for 10th grade.</p>
<p>but i wanted to spend 4 years at 1 school</p>
<p>I think it is unwise to rely too much on Ivy placements in selecting prep schools. Traditionally speaking, prep schools were seen as the ultimate molding experience, even greater than Ivy League universities. I knew a few Old Etonians who were quite content to do without Oxbridge with the knowledge that Eton was far more prestigious than any university in the world, even Harvard. Those who view prep schools through the university-placement lens miss perhaps the fact that the best New England prep schools will do more for one's personal character, ethos, and most crucially success in life[s endeavors than any Ivy. </p>
<p>I might, however, be off as I am a bit more familiar with prep schools in the Commonwealth, but the principle is the same.</p>
<p>
[quote]
best New England prep schools will do more for one's personal character, ethos, and most crucially success in life[s endeavors than any Ivy.
[/quote]
I am not sure if I have ever seen a more blatantly retarded statement in my life. No one cares where you went to HS, maybe your friends you met there will, but no one else. All that matters is where you go to college from there. I go to one of those elite new england preps schools and plenty of kids go Ivy and plenty go to **** schools, and will not end up successful. When you pick HS factor in college placement it is one of the most important factors. Its still high school and its really not that special in regards to building "character or ethos" in regards to most other high schools. High school is what you make of it, but college is far far more important in the scheme of your life. How often do you ask someone 25+ where they went to HS, hmmm not much. Yet college? All the time. Think about it</p>
<p>Bescraze definitely has a point there. Colleges are known throughout the whole country. Boarding schools are primarily known by the Northeast, and even there its not a major subject of discussion.</p>