<p>Hey, so I thought it'd be a cool idea to make a thread, where people can ask one another specific questions, and get detailed (DETAILED!) answers. Basically the rule is that you answer a question you see (try to answer the one above you, but it's OK if you need to re-answer another question, or a new one) and then leave your own. :D.</p>
<p>BTW: I just got back from many interviews at schools, and took detailed notes on all of them. If anybody has any questions about a school I may have visited, feel free to shoot a question (or nine) my way. I'd be happy to help, give some tips and advice, or whatever.</p>
<p>SO, my question goes to Taft students, or people who have visited Taft recently:
What makes you love your school?</p>
<p>One thing I liked about Taft is that most of the buildings are connected. The teachers all seemed friendly and would stop by and introduce themselves. There is also a pretty cool pond type thing behind one of the buildings, seems like a nice place to study.</p>
<p>The students were at an assembly type thing so I didn't get a chance to visit a class.</p>
<p>Anyone want to elaborate? Or any students post your stats that got you in, it would be nice to see where we stand.</p>
<p>Lol, sure :D. I visited Taft, and I was pretty impressed. The interview was set up definitely like an authentic one, [it wasn't like a couch interview, it was more formal] but my interviewer was a VERY nice guy. All of the teachers I talked to seemed to be very into what they were teaching, and they were all intelligent people. I LOVED the art teacher.</p>
<p>The buildings are connected, except for the gym, which is up a trail. It seemed to me that the school was very sports-oriented. They had a very nice workout room, and huge fields that extended very far. The gym is kind of at the top of a minor hill.</p>
<p>The pond was nice, it's behind one of the buildings.</p>
<p>Personally, I thought the dorm-rooms were OK. They have two dining halls, one for snacks and one just to eat in, I guess.</p>
<p>Some of the people I met there seemed very warm and inviting. Other times it felt rather disconnected. I can't quite make out what I feel about Taft yet, so I am still looking for insight from prospective students :D.</p>
<p>i've only visited choate so far but i was pretty impressed
i toured/interviewed the morning of halloween
the atmosphere was pretty cool
a lot of the kids were dressed up ( i even saw one kid in a chicken suit), so it was nice to see that even through the stresses of a top school the kids (and teachers) were not too uptight and knew how to enjoy themselves</p>
<p>looking for a chance to start fressshhh
cuz that's what freshman year is about yeahhh! but i have to spend it in my regular school where i know everyone because we're k-12
+ nice campus (honestly, if the campus purely sucks, you rarely feel motivated. but any decent school has a great campus so it's all goood), good matriculation (purely superficial, i need a school that can signal to universities about my, don't flame me for cockiness or anything, "potential", when they say THIS IS OUR STUDENT. SHE WANTS TO APPLY. CONSIDER HER. A LOT. and just because there are a lot of schools out there, universities i've realized only keep track of a selective few hundred, maybe.)
mostly opportunity. honestly, could you imagine any other school than your boarding schools that offer so much breadth? public schools can't offer you community service trips on the coast of Africa (not sure if boarding schools have this specific program, but they do have similar ones) mainly because they don't have money to, and not everybody is seeking the kinds of things boarding school offers.</p>
<p>anyways ran off track.</p>
<p>how do you guys waste time? :D
(^ totally relevant. march 10 anyone? and i should be working on a myraid of things but who cares. i need to be entertained)</p>
<p>For my interview I wore nice gray pants [NOT jeans], a kind of knit shirt and a black coat. I also wore heels, but I'd suggest just wearing flats, because of the tours. Definitely do business casual. I looked more adult, but it's OK to wear something more teenager-esque. As long as you're in dress code:].</p>
<p>I waste time on here (hehe) and reading a lot. Also, lately I've just been exercising, because I can't concentrate on anything but keeping my body moving when I do that haha. The days around March 10th, I'm going to have to find something more consuming! Ah!</p>
<p>I love to swim- but it's hard because A LOT of the schools I wanted to apply to didn't have swimming ): like Groton said they have two pools, but no interscholastic swim team.</p>
<p>How often are people taken off of waiting lists, or is it just like a sorry you're out of luck kindof thing?</p>
<p>In general, being taken off a wait list is pretty rare. If you do a quick search for last year's info, you'll find a few threads about waitlists.<br>
This year, however, may be different with all the financial "stuff" going on there is speculation that less full pay students will actually go to boarding school...that may mean schools can go to the wait list more often. I'm not sure, and of course who knows what will happen between now and April 10th with the stock market.</p>
<p>I mean, I suppose Linda S didn't post a question, but I'll try to answer whatsshaknbacon's (lol nice name) question: I'd have to agree with Linda that you rarely hear about it, unless I suppose something exceptional were to happen.</p>
<p>Hmm... what have I been pondering these days? Why it's so bloody cold, why is the sky blue (although thanks to my nerdy bro I'm now aware) and why the heck is the winter-time so darn fattening! Oh well, spring will come soon enough... <em>sigh</em>.</p>
<p>What are certain aspects of an application that would make it unique? Also, doesn't being the 'perfect applicant' in a way HARM (okay maybe not harm) your chances? I mean I'm sure many 'perfect' people apply, but surely this only makes them less unique than, say... well I can't think of any crazy examples without sounding not-totally-mentally-sound (lol) but you get the idea.</p>
<p>Mmoynan! I just messaged you. We have some kind of power, because I got your pm like 2 minutes after I sent you one :D.</p>
<p>But to answer your question:
Number 1, the reason winter is so fattening will always, unfortunately, be one of the more miserable mysteries. Boo!</p>
<p>But, secondly:
I think that the essays are the best way to show how you, as a person, are unique. I think it's important to just be as honest as possible, and to pick your passion; that way, your true personality can shine through. Sure, we're not all the "perfect" applicants... some of us don't have straight A's; some of us aren't active participants in our school, but prefer community service. Some of us may even just want a better opportunity for themselves, though their transcripts may not reflect their drive. In the end, we can only answer for ourselves. Show them through your interviews and essays that you're not the one-dimensional, "standard" applicant. We have interests and hobbies and problems and solutions that make us who we are, and we need to let them know why these traits make us a good fit for their school. In my opinion, just the fact that we're all here shows that we're willing to do the hard work, the research, and spend the time to get into these schools. So what else is there? Yourself, outside of what is typically expected.</p>
<p>I hope that made some sense. I don't know. I'm tired, and a little delirious :D.</p>
<p>It's cool that you like swimming, whatsshaknbacon! My younger sister does swimming... other then the typical backstroke/breaststroke/butterfly, I'm pretty limited, although I once held my breath under water for like 30 seconds. :] It was a big accomplishment for me, HAHA.</p>
<p>Well, I believe that a boarding school provides the optimal environment for me and my interests. I'm a TCK suffering from waves of identity crisis, and I want to settle down in an closed community and create deep friendships/relationships that would go on for the rest of my life. Trust me, I've experienced various schools in varying cultures to know that education does indeed change EVERYTHING. I've always loved learning; my past and current schools didn't have the necessary equipment and flexibility to support my curiosity. I've never met any true "clever" kid in my life, and none of my friendships actually lasted because I've been moving around too much.</p>
<p>I just want to settle down in a stabilized school with bright kids that won't make you feel awkward when you're being described as "smart." :)</p>
<p>When I read in the Exeter pamphlet that it was okay to be "smart," I felt a rush of affection towards the school. :p</p>
<p>None of this is implying arrogance of course...;;</p>
<p>My name is Raeann, I am visually impaired. I attended the Indiana School for the Blind, a day and residential school, for blind and visually impaired children, ages three to nineteen years old, in Indianapolis, Indiana.</p>
<p>When I was four years old, I began attending the school. The local public school, lacked the facilities for me to attend there school, they did not have the adaptive technology that I needed to succeed in the classroom, an aide or a vision teacher, so my parents enrolled me in the blind school. The school considered me a residential student, during the week I stayed at school. A bus would take me to school on Sunday and not bring me home until Friday. My dormitory had eight other girls. Weekends, Christmas, spring, and summer vacations, were the only times I went home. The school was like my home away from home, the people in my dorm were like my family. On the weekends I had a nice visit with my family. Summer vacation was like a breathe of fresh air, three whole months with my family at home. The only time I remember going home during the week is when I was seven years old. My dad was taking classes, he would pick me up after school, take me home over night, bring me back early the next morning. Being able to go home during the week to see my family was like a rainbow. It only lasted a few weeks before it had to end, I was so tired at school that I started falling a sleep in class. </p>
<p>My school was a five day boarding school, where the whole school closed on the weekends and everyone went home. My family lived an hour and a half from the school. My best friends Jessica and Lisa, lived at the other end of the state, had to ride the bus for five hours twice a week, just to attend school.</p>