I know the Masters school really isn’t talked about on this site as it is a “second-tier school” but could anyone tell me more about the school, community, student life. Also I checked on their website it seems they don’t have a speech team is this true?
Paging @SevenDad
This thread has been closed, but could be good starting point for you:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1697637-the-masters-school-dobbs-ferry-ny-p1.html
Note that my daughter (a boarder) ended up transferring to a different school for her final two years of HS. Her reasons for transferring were not academic or discipline or sports-related
I think it is a solid school for the right kid. It does, by virtue of its location, have a very NYC/Westchester-Fairfield County vibe to it. Many of the kids come from extremely wealthy families.
She still keeps in touch with some friends from Masters and has fond memories and positive things to say about the teachers and other adult staff she interacted with. The new FAC building is gorgeous…and as she is a fencer, the Francisco Martin fencing room was a highlight of her second year there. She is also happy she got to fence for Coach Martin, who is a legend in the sport, before he retired.
I just asked her if she knew about a debate team (I think that’s what you mean by “speech” team? Because I don’t think anyone does declamation contests anymore, do they?), and she said she knew that they had a Model UN Program but was unsure about debate.
@SevenDad I am really curious about speech because I have been competing in it for some time and would like to go back to the national stage again. By speech I mean more events such as : Humerious/ Dramatic interpretation, oral interpretation, duo performance, original oratory, etc.
Hmm. I think it would be best to ask the school directly then…either by calling/email or on your revisit day (if you’re in this years crop of applicants).
If something is important to you, don’t feel bad about asking about it. This is true of pretty much any question. I think people get shy or reluctant…but the truth is, that’s part of what the AOs are there for.
@SevenDad I was also admitted to the school and I would love to attend. Could you please give any feedback on the school? Both positive and negative. I am an international student, who has never attended a boarding school before, so I really want to know what I am signing up for 
I have read the thread you linked, but I would really like to hear about your daughter’s negative experience (if there was such).
And also, have you had any experience with financial aid? I got a pretty generous offer, but what concerns me is whether it will remain stable throughout all of the years I attend.
@sonyamarmeladova: I’m pretty busy this week, but will try to reply via PM (you might not be able to reply since you only have 2 posts, though).
In our experience over 2 years, the FA was relatively stable. Generally speaking, unless your family situation changes drastically…a school should be able to maintain the amount of FA they give a family.
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Could someone also share some more information on the boarding program at the school? Are a majority if the students who board international? Do the school’s academics compare to other New England boarding schools? @SevenDad would love to get your opinion.
Before I get too tied up in work today and since a few people have asked for my POV on Masters…
There is a significant percentage of international boarders…but also a fair number of domestic (even local) boarders. The relatively high percentage of day students vs. the NE boarding schools does have an effect on overall vibe of the school. It can feel like it clears out on the weekends…but in some ways that just makes the boarding students have a tighter bond.
In terms of academics, I don’t think it’s comparable to an Exeter or Andover (but how many schools are, really?). But they do use the Harkness (except for math, perhaps?) system and my daughter felt the quality of teaching was pretty good. Pretty sure they have various tracks/level of rigor available based on student strengths.
That said, I think Masters tends to have a fairly impressive (for what people regard as a “second-tier” school) college placement record. I think this is in part due to school factors (I liked their college people/process) as well as the families who send their kids there. Meaning, the parents have fairly high expectations of where their kids “should” go to college…and provide them with every opportunity to groom them for that goal starting at a young age.
There is a nice amount of diversity at the school…not just through international student influence, but also seemed to be lots of kids of color from all parts of the socio-economic spectrum.
The school’s proximity to NYC means that there are some very wealthy, fairly sophisticated kids who go to the school…and I think that does have an influence on the overall culture. I would say that there is a higher incidence of D&A use and experimentation in general at the school. And arguably a more materialistic vibe (kids wearing VERY high end labels daily) than other schools.
As with most of the schools that get discussed on the forum, I think it is the right school for the right person. The academics are strong enough and the college placement is impressive enough. The proximity to NYC is a big draw for many, but it also means that the school has a distinct personality (see previous paragraph).
There was no single negative incident that made my daughter want to transfer…more that she just didn’t feel she fit in that well with student body in general. A large draw for us at the time was scholastic fencing team/coach (now retired) and proximity to top clubs in NYC area. People have questioned how/why sports could play such a big role in our decision…the answer is that she ended up getting recruited by a few D1 colleges, including an Ivy. The was her “hook” and we wanted to do all we could to support her in developing that hook.
@SevenDad thank you so much! I incredibly appreciate the time you have dedicated to answer all of my questions, you helped me to clear things up!
@SevenDad thank you so much for that.