<p>This is the new Govs Academy thread. Anything and everything about this school can be posted here(just though I should start this one since a couple of people are interested in the school.)</p>
<p>Just out of curiousity, what and where is the Governor’s Academy?</p>
<p>Byfield MA. Boarding school. about 25% admissions and around an 80 or 78 ssat average. 450 acres and one of the oldest (or the #1 oldest) boarding school in america. </p>
<p>Just a little summary. =)</p>
<p>One of my favorites and often overlooked:</p>
<p>[The</a> Governor’s Academy](<a href=“http://www.thegovernorsacademy.org/]The”>http://www.thegovernorsacademy.org/)</p>
<p>The oldest operating BS in the country.</p>
<p>[The</a> Governor’s Academy <br> (formerly Governor Dummer Academy) - Byfield, Massachusetts/MA - Boarding School Profile](<a href=“http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/24]The”>The Governor's Academy (formerly Governor Dummer Academy) (2023 Profile) - Byfield, MA)</p>
<p>Nice faculty - about a ten minute drive from Andover.</p>
<p>Quick question… since I was waitlisted at both Andover and Exeter this year, would that aspect alone increase my chances for applying next year (If I can’t/don’t get off of the waiting list.) </p>
<p>??</p>
<p>My d will be attending Governors. We will be going to revist. We are looking forward to it. I hope some students as well as parents frm GA will see this thread and be willing to give a little more insight on their school.</p>
<p>Sounds like a pretty interesting school - I must say I’m surprised to learn that I haven’t heard of the oldest operating BS in the country - it just goes to show that if you just look at the big-name schools, you’re going to miss a lot.</p>
<p>Nice school, except the Dummer name - much relieved with the Governor upgrade!</p>
<p>Refresh this thread… I believe the term is “bump”???</p>
<p>I went on the revisit day on Monday. It is atually a second-tier school (Middlesex compares with it.) 450 acres, and about 400 students. I also met this nice boy from Tokyo who will most likely be my room-mate if we both decide to attend The Governor’s Academy. He is deciding between Govs and Middlesex, and I am still on Andover waitlist as well as Exeter waitlist (only applied to 3 schools.)</p>
<p>I’m so sick of students deciding what is or is not a “tier” I don’t even know how to respond anymore - especially when leveled at the ONLY school that accepted them. If it’s second tier, then don’t bother going. Other students on the waiting list would jump at the chance to attend.</p>
<p>Also - most dorm rooms at Governors are singles so you get a roommate only if you ask for one.</p>
<p>They said that in the two boys freshman dorms, there is only 1 single room and the rest are doubles.</p>
<p>Amen, Exie!</p>
<p>Although I admit that the tier nonsense also makes me laugh. There are kids (and adults) here who will only place 5 or so schools in a tier…which means I can’t help but imagine a kid out there saying “Yeah, my school is totally in the 64th tier. I’m way better than those clowns in tier 112…” I honestly believe that most of us could not actually distinguish among the top 20 or so schools if we were dropped into a random classroom. There are smart kids and brilliant teachers to go around!</p>
<p>And I think Governor’s is great. I had a friend who attended many years ago and it made a big impact on her life!</p>
<p>agree that Govs is a fantastic school. anyone would be lucky to attend.</p>
<p>congrats all you Govs acceptances!!!</p>
<p>Coming out of a year’s worth of lurkdom to praise this hidden gem. My daughter is a 9th grader at Govs, and we can’t say enough good about the school and the faculty. I went to Andover, would have loved her to go there, but we all knew it wasn’t a good fit–too big, too competitive-- for her. We made her to to revisits at NMH (her then-first choice), Brooks (her second choice), and Govs (only because I made her go back). On revisit, she had a great experience, and so did we. In explaining the feeling we got to friends, I have commented that, when the faculty did their roundtable for parents, their comments were overwhelmingly about their relationships with students, and how they valued those relationships as an important part of their teaching. The students conveyed the same feeling–that the teachers were friendly and approachable, and really cared about them. Contrasted to another school, where the teachers spent all the time talking about themselves and not about the kids.</p>
<p>At lunch, she asked for a sweatshirt–I almost fell over because I didn’t think she had any interest. The next day, she, her father and her little brother drove up to return the papers and deposit. They came back raving about how friendly and welcoming everyone was. </p>
<p>Those impressions have turned out to be completely accurate. Our daughter has had a tough time with math/physics, despite a strong private school background, and her advisor, teachers, and freshman dean have been wonderful in trying to help her develop better study habits. She has participated in drama productions (which were extremely impressive) and formed a great group of friends. Huge numbers of students showed up to watch their friends perform. The performing arts center and library are great facilities. </p>
<p>Govs is a very different place from Andover as I remember it in the 1970s, which was kind of a free-for-all where you were expected to sink or swim. I loved it, but it would have been a disaster for my daughter. There is a good amount of structure, and the size of the school (about 370) means that every face is familiar. Govs has room and respect for athletes, artists, students, musicians. There are some excellent foreign and internship opportunities available for older students. Boston is accessible by train, and the school runs lots of trips to various places on weekends. The nearby town, Newburyport (short cab ride), has interesting shops and restaurants, as well as Plum Island, a truly wonderful beach.</p>
<p>Govs is well worth a look. Would be happy to answer questions or PM me.</p>
<p>From what I’ve read, it is a great school… but not the school for me (fit.) I think it would be too small for me, and the academic rigor wouldn’t be enough (I was solving 9th or 10th grade honors math in my head faster than the actual class was with paper/pencil on my revisit day.) I’ll take another look, and I do agree that it is a wonderful shool, but I just don’t think it would be a proper fit for me.</p>
<p>@eternal. - So you’re going to turn Gov down and hope for a wl to come through for you?</p>
<p>I’m not going to turn Govs down, I’ll still send in the initial payment. I’ll hope for my 2 waitlists. Worst-case scenario=go to govs for 1 year then transfer.</p>
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<p>EternalTime - From what you’ve said in your other posts, I would think that being waitlisted at Andover and Exeter would most certainly increase your chances of applying there next year.</p>
<p>Now whether or not it would increase your chances of being admitted to either school next year is another question entirely . . .</p>
<p>My only question is where your parents are in all of this and why in the world they would allow you to apply to, much less enroll at, a school you are not willing to attend. And being willing to attend for a year “until something better comes along” is, in my opinion, not the same as actual willingness to attend. Enrolling while waiting for a waitlist outcome is one thing, and I wish you the best of luck with that. But if the waitlist does not come through, I can’t see the point in enrolling at a school you know you don’t like - unless you really have no feasible local option.</p>
<p>Enrolling in a school you already know isn’t a good fit does sound like a recipe for disaster to me. You’d be better off looking for ways to challenge yourself by taking classes at the college level locally as someone suggested before or on line thru CTY or something; best of luck,</p>