I have heard so many wonderful things about Choate Rosemary Hall. I truly feel it is an amazing school(only from my tour there I have come to this conclusion :). But, is their anything you don’t like about Choate?
Really, this is going to be personal preference. What’s important is what you like or do not like with a school. So my reason for crossing Choate off the list because it is too far from an international airport (which can be said for many boarding schools) will not be a reason others don’t like Choate.
It’s still an interesting conversation…I like when we let these flow. 
My son didn’t apply because of its location and setting (a bit different from the airport distance…it was more how the school seemed too close to the town…he didn’t apply to PEA for the same reason.
Choate truly is amazing. What I like least about it is the “invitation” that lots of subgroups get to come early before the semester begins to assimilate: athletes, URMs, low income students, internationals etc. They should open it up to kids with disabilities, and frankly anyone else who thinks they can benefit from an early start and or who need a mentoring program! Anything that divides a community instead of bringing it together can do more harm than good.
Amazing school… but we were looking for something smaller.
Two falls ago my DD visited and toured Choate on probably the worst day ever. It was a Friday right before a long weekend and the place was crazy. We never could get a feel for the place, didn’t have the opportunity to meet any coaches or academic interest folks, and in general was just not feeling it. Even follow up messages with DD’s main sport coach went unanswered. This was likely a unique situation and probably doesn’t often happen, although my DD is an impact athlete. In the end, she didn’t apply and happily attends at their rival school.
My kid thought the campus sprawled too much, but has since visited a few times for athletic contests and now thinks more highly of the campus. Impressions can change
@AppleNotFar that’s funny, because my DS was there for a few meets and said the opposite…he liked it less each time—-but he was very particular about the way campuses were arranged. Lol, that’s why there’s a school for everyone!!!
The playing fields and new student center are awesome beyond belief. It may be the most state of the art campus right now with new Math building with Robotics space, Kohler Environmental Center and Student Center. The recent sexual abuse scandal that went on for decades (but all boarding schools had them) is a turn off. The headmaster who is not user-friendly to parents only alumni-friendly is also a turn-off.
Just to clarify headmaster comment: he is known (and not to throw Choatiemom under the bus, she would agree) not to be responsive to parents. But what was particularly appalling to me was preppedparent D2 wanted to go back to graduation 2017 because although she commenced and matriculated in 2016, she had 2 good friends in the class of 2017 she wanted to see graduate.
At the graduation, the parents were all told by headmaster orders, only the students in the four forms could be seated until something like 15 minutes before the ceremony. There was already assigned seating, so there was no need for this. The parents and guests had to watch all the students file past, while they were all kept waiting at the gate. This included elderly grandparents in wheel chairs and elderly grandparents with walkers on their feet not allowed to go in. When I complained to the adult proctors, I was told Headmaster was already aware of the complaints.
Yes, I get it students are future alumni who will be donors some day, but parents are people too, and parents are paying the tuition for current students. Let’s just treat everyone with respect, Headmaster.
Wow, maybe he doesn’t realize that the current parents of graduates may also donate post-graduation or in their will, etc. But sounds like he is just controlling. He needs to think of the disabled grandparents though, and also realize some of the older people cannot stand for long periods.
@sunnyschool Can I “like” your post 1,000x??? At least more than once, please.
@MAandMEmom Apparently the weirdness with the Choate swimming coaches is a long-standing thing. One kid I know of applied to around 20 different schools over two cycles and heard back from every other swimming coach except Choate. After getting in the second time around, one guess where that kids goes…
No thanks @GnarWhail, meter pools are crappy!
She picked Choate @GnarWhail and they have a meter pool @MAandMEmom ? Just clarifying…
Yes Choate and Loomis Chaffee have 25 meter pools.
(What’s a meter pool?)
Meter vs Yards?