<p>Fortunately for us (unlike Stef) we COULD potentially visit the entire list from a geographic standpoint. However, it would still require taking days off from work which will soon be for my husband at no work-no pay as vacation time will be used up shortly.
So, what criteria have you all used to narrow down your list for visits. I'm sure it will be different for everyone.<br>
My son is ok with Saturday classes, ok with all boys, dress code is fine (has one now that is formal one day per week). He is a very bright kid, tons of potential, not always the most motivated kid, but when he is interested he will be amazing work (thus our desire for a smaller school - his too). Long term goal is Naval Academy. Spent 10 days in Japan last summer at the home of one of his friends and would really like to take Japannese, but that is offered at only a few schools. Taking honors geometry in next year. Will be applying for 10th grade. </p>
<p>Currently the list includes:
St Pauls
Deerfield
NMH
Cantebury
Salisbury
Trinity Pawling
Millbrook
Proctor
Holderness
Gould
Kimball-Union
Cushing
Suffield
Avon Old Farms</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, your son goes to an independent school now that ends in 9th grade. You might ask his secondary school placement officer to rank the schools as reach, match & safety. If you are too heavy in one area, you can cut from there. You can also look at college acceptances to find out which schools have a track record of getting students into the Naval Academy. If none of them do, you might consider looking at a few that have this record. Finally, you can give more weight to secondary schools that view his current school as a feeder. He will have a better chance at getting in if your school is a feeder. </p>
<p>If you make your appointments now & in August, you can get Sat. appointments for those schools that are in session Sat. morning. That way, you don't have to miss work. Good luck!</p>
<p>I just read the part about Japanese. That language is being phased out at many schools as I'm sure you know. I studied it a little, and I must say that it is the hardest language I ever studied. Perhaps it would be good to take a local course to get a taste of how it is structured before plunging into serious study.</p>
<p>I've got to say that one of the most helpful preliminary "paring knives" we used were the viewbooks. If you sit down and read a bunch at once, you will realize that they really do tell you a great deal about the individual schools' personalities. Some will turn you off right away when you consider them in terms of your son's experience there; some will click. I had this experience during the application processes for both Smilepups, and while I'm sure it is a fallible system (for instance, there were schools that seemed interesting after looking at the viewbook that were a total flop when we actually got to campus for the tour!), it does help cut down The List. Plus it's cheap (in terms of both time and money)!</p>
<p>And I'm sure, as Burb says, the placement counselor at your son's school will have some sugggestions.</p>
<p>Thanks. Yes, I do know that Japanese is being phased out at a bunch of schools. Realized that when Japanese 2, 3, 4 were in the course book but not 1... :) </p>
<p>Yes, he does got to a Jr. Prep that ends in 9th grade. Interestingly, one of the schools that a lot of people will consider our school a "feeder" for is really even more competitive for the kids due to the limited number of spots for kids from one school and everyone applies. This list was developed with the counselors at school. Several of them are known to "love" grads of our school and one this year has 2 kids going for the first time and is "just thrilled" in the words of our head. We didn't put them in the categories, but I guess DA and St Pauls are reaches for everyone.</p>
<p>I asked my son to go to the web sites and take a good look around and see if any clearly did NOT interest him. Then we would get the books from the others. Although, there is no harm in getting books from them all I suppose. Would make for interesting reading for our 20 hour trip to Tennessee later this month if some came quickly.</p>
<p>Some prep schools are 'foundation schools' for the Naval Academy. Exeter is one and there are others. Acceptance is almost assured at USNA if you attend a 'foundation school'. There are requirements so do some research.</p>
<p>NMH is a Naval Academy prep school. They get 5 or so kids a year as PG's that applied to the Academy and didn't quite make it - they go to a Prep and then nearly all of them will go on to the Academy. It is through the Naval Academy Foundation. Not sure if they list the schools on their site, I know about NMH because thier matriculation stats list 20 to the Academy in the last 5 years so I called and asked them about it. </p>
<p>Gould in Maine I think because of the outdoor / adventure stuff and the motocross connection while not traditional they were thinking it is "adventure" (they meaning current school). It is one I'm thinking of taking off the list.</p>
<p>You know, Loophole's post reminds me that I remember hearing something of the sort about Tabor Academy, down on the Cape. It might be worth looking into since I see that Tabor was not on your original list (or did your son already look at Tabor and didn't like it for some reason?...I am becoming quite feebleminded; can't seem to hang onto details like I used to. <em>SIGH</em>)</p>
<p>I took a look at Gould -- it is one I would take off the list, I wasnt' impressed with the matriculation list.</p>
<p>No, Tabor was not on the original list. St. George either. But they have been on and off sort of. Both might be good. I liked Proctor because of the ocean classroom that they do - maybe Tabor or St. George offer something similar being on the ocean...will need to look at that. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I didn't mention (in this post, I have in others) that his test scores were 87 overall. Not outstanding, but certainly puts him in the ballgame at any school. Same with his grades. A's and B's.</p>
<p>Avon Old Farms is a really good school. My brother goes there and loves it. It's good for athletic, boyish boys (they have a great hockey team). It really reinforces the "boy spirit" if you know what I mean.</p>
<p>That's interesting about NMH, Linda. There 5 kids who went to the Academy from my son's graduating class alone. I was thinking that was a lot. They don't offer Japanese, though. I think Andover still does?</p>
<p>P.S. It's amazing that they are able to pull that off, especially with all those "therapy" kids, dontcha think? <em>wink, wink</em></p>
<p>Keylyme,
I was thinking the same thing!
No, NMH doesn't offer Japanese. Yes, Andover and Exeter still do. Too big though I think. </p>
<p>Thumper, thanks for the info about Avon. We think our son might do really well at an all boys school for a variety of reasons. One being the things he complains about the most at his current school is all the girl "stuff" (no nice way to describe it, but you all know what I mean). </p>
<p>I'm gonna push him to look again this week and then we'll set up a couple of the lower priority visits for Columbus Day (probably the first visits we do) and start booking Saturday visits for November when motocross season is over so we don't have to take much time off from work (thanks for the reminder on that one Burb!).</p>
<p>Regarding Saturday visits, many schools are reluctant to book Saturday visits for "locals" because they want to reserve those spots for kids who are traveling a vast distance. But perhaps, if you book the visits to your local schools early (like now) they might have more flexibility.</p>
<p>Linda - my daughter wouldn't even consider all girls schools because of the girl "stuff" of which you speak. Too much drama and boys are way funnier in her opinion.</p>
<p>Funny is one thing my son is. That's been an "issue" from time to time for him...he is just now learning when it is and is not ok to be funny. LOL.</p>
<p>I'd remove Gould and Kimball Union if I were you. They are my go-to schools for kids coming out of treatment programs and therapeutics. They are wonderful places for giving a kid a second chance. Of course they would love to have a kid like your son, but I think it might be a disaster for him. Did your placement officer really recommend them? </p>
<p>Avon is fantastic. Such a good quality school.</p>
<p>A faculty member at the current school used to work at Gould and I think they recommended it because of the outdoor component I think (knowing that my son loves mountain biking and skiing and is a motocrosser - not that they motocross there but..). That one was also recommended by the person in the group that we met with that doesn't know my son quite as well as the others.<br>
Kimball Union just got 2 kids from our school this year and were (as I think I said somewhere), in the words of our head "thrilled" to have them coming. </p>
<p>I *think *they may have been thinking about schools where he could be the big fish and really excel. We are trying to find the balance between that and keeping him challenged. </p>
<p>Both of these schools were, in my opinion, going to be "safety" schools for us. </p>
<p>We have found when he is not challenged, he doesn't do as well. 7th grade in math, it was easy, the teacher and he had a "personality conflict" and he got B's and B-'s. He was put in the 8th grade class not on track for Geometry in 9th. He liked the teacher, asked the frist 3 days for extra work so that he could get ahead and into Geometry and was moved. They thought it would be "hard but doable" for him. He worked no harder than the previous year and got B+ and A-'s. All about the challenge. </p>
<p>In any case, I'm getting wordy here, we are trying to balance the intense settings of the the AEDS, etc. and the other end which might be Gould or KU or Proctor. </p>
<p>I've been looking at the required summer reading and that has been interesting as well to give insight. Some schools require books that he read for school in 7th grade!</p>
<p>Linda -- that is a good think to look at, the recommended reading list. something else for me to check out for the schools on my son's list.</p>