Looking for information on the schools’ culture, specifically the importance of being an athlete, as well as academic rigor.
Athletics is important at Rivers. Unless you’re a top musician - you can swap music at the conservatory for sports. Have you been to campus and talked to students?
@MA2012 Thanks for the response. We have yet to visit. Because there seem to be so many schools that pique our interest, we are desperately trying to get a general feel for the level of athleticism at some of these institutions before visiting. We know our kiddo won’t thrive in an environment where athletics dominates.
@girlprep2 Sent you PM.
Would love to know more about Rivers, as well
My daughter was accepted to Rivers. It seems to have a really wonderful community which values sports but didn’t appear to dominate in my opinion. The music school seemed just as, if not more important than the sports although I was told that they are trying to beef up their athletics somewhat. Absolutely doesn’t dominate though. From what I saw there were really wonderful teachers and administrators and it was a really tough decision for us.
@SkysTheLimit2007 Congrats! What were the other schools you considered?
My daughter loved Rivers and so did her friend, both hockey players…They both were waitlisted.
In regards to Pingree, one parent recently told me that the school was more artsy. They have athletic teams, of course, but it would not likely be a top choice for highly competitive athletes. Their child does play a varsity sport, but it is not at the level of other schools. Other students we know were theater oriented and loved it there and are moving onto academically prestigious colleges and universities in their areas of interest. I think that it is academically manageable. I never got the sense that any of the students we know were academically stressed out.