Yes, they do. @austinmshauri
Oh, I forgot to say this, but I promise to post my results (even if they are horrible!) And I’ll try not to be a jerk if I get accepted. @SevenDad
Good. Then those who want to connect have other outlets besides this thread. Thank you, @mathman1201. 
I have to say that I disagree with the comment from @london203 on the (lack of) value in School X vs. Y threads. Of course anyone lucky enough to be making a decision between schools should – if at all possible – attend revisit days. I don’t think anyone’s suggesting that a thread on CC could possibly stand as a replacement for that. Nor is someone going to make the decision about which school to attend based on just a response on CC.
But I don’t see why it’s necessarily the case that comparison threads can’t offer some potentially valuable information and view points. Sure, an answer that just says “School X is the best!” isn’t particularly useful, but then again, no one would particularly rely on that. On the other hand, say someone inquires about two schools that I happen to know pretty well. If my answer is “my son is at School X and his best friend from home is at School Y, and based on what I’ve observed about those two schools, I would say that School Y has a warmer atmosphere (or stronger arts department, or whatever might be pertinent,” I think that would be pretty useful information. Certainly if I were on the receiving end of that, it would be a data point that I’d keep in mind, and further it might lead me to PM that person and get even more information.
Sure, there’s already a lot of information about many (though not all) schools on this forum, which you can find by an advanced search. But sometimes the information in the abstract doesn’t entirely scratch the itch, and you really want to hear what people think about one place compared to another – for instance “my daughter is really into drama, and she’s accepted at both X and Y – both schools seems to have a great drama program, but can anyone help me compare them?” The answer might be “you’re right, both have really strong programs, but you should know that at School X, no matter what the theater head tells you, they never cast 9th graders in the plays, and rarely 10th graders.” That would be awfully relevant to know! (I use that example because it was essentially something we heard in making the rounds of schools this fall, and caused us not to even apply to the school in question).
Anyway, sorry about the long diatribe. I just happen to think that more data is better, provided of course that you do everything you can to assess the quality of the data.
I totally agree with @soxmom I would hope that insensitivity can be avoided at all costs but this is a forum to get and exchange information and kids/parents should be able to ask for that here. I think a kid should be able to ask about the pros and cons of Choate vs. taft, if not here, where?? Yes, revisit days of course but that is a sales pitch, we have all been coming here for honest information and should continue to be able to do so. It can not be that post M10 we are only to console those of us who do not have happy endings. Personally, I feel I might be more willing to post an unhappy ending as I am worried about compromising anonymity if it goes well. I value this forum for its anonymity and am not really longing to connect with other families who might also be going to the same school. Perhaps i would create a new ID if I wanted to do that…
@soxmom I see your point. And, maybe, I didn’t express myself clearly. When you put the “X vs. Y” feedback as you have then, yes, it can be very helpful. I was referring to the kind of thread where someone indicates that they have been accepted to 2 schools and they now want the CC community to tell them which school is “best”. My opinion is that no matter how deep the relationships you might have built on these boards, no one here can tell you which is best, because “best” is entirely subjective and depends on a variety of factors.
Yes, you are correct, that information such as you outlined (as examples) can be very helpful - and it is what I inexpertly referred to when I indicated that CC could be helpful in answering questions about certain courses or sports or, in your example, theater programs. But, to ask an anonymous forum to tell you which is “best” for you seems a bit risky considering the expense and sacrifice that comes with attending boarding school.
I guess my feeling comes from the last 2 years or so of reading this forum where too many posters are asking for someone else to decide where they should apply, and then ask CC where to actually go to school. I think my main point was to say that, ultimately, the forum can disseminate potentially helpful information but that the information should only be PART of your decision process. The final decision as to where you should go HAS to be a personal decision. The real work of deciding needs to be your work – it is part and parcel of the final step in this long and laborious process. Only you know what place feels right and meets the needs you have as regards your schooling goals.
Hopefully, you get what I am saying…
This message is to ask a question about Soxmom’s post from today at 3:13 - my daughter is waiting for answers from several of the schools commonly mentioned on these threads (Andover, Exeter, Taft, Groton, Choate & St. Paul’s). If any of those are the schools you referenced in your post (where 9th and 10th graders are rarely, if ever, cast in drama productions), could you please let me know?
Drama is very important to her, and all the drama departments we saw were very impressive. If she is fortunate enough to be accepted into any of the schools, something like that could be a deciding factor. I see people refer to “pm’ing” in their posts, but I don’t know how that works. I don’t do facebook or any of that type of thing, sorry.
This is my first post ever, and I’m a bit nervous - I would hate to offend anyone, and there seems to be a lot of vigilance and very strict rules about what is OK to post or to ask on these boards, or exactly where to ask certain things. So please accept my apologies in advance if I have asked this question in the wrong way or place.
@SevenDad said
True. Last year I tallied all the admit, WL, denied results that were reported on CC. Two years ago another poster (ruralmama, I think) tallied them.
The observations: the CC acceptance rate was double the schools’ published acceptance rate. Very skewed, non-representative of reality.
@gmtplus7 I don’t know if its self-selection post M10 or pre M10, many of the kids regularly posting on here seem very committed to the application process, it may be that he entire forum skews to overrepresented admits….maybe argues to the irrelevance of keeping track here…
What we’re suggesting isn’t anything different than the tone Junior Boarding Schools set for their VII Formers when they return to campus after Spring Break. Nor are we suggesting anything different than the tone set for Seniors during BS college admissions. It’s just a reminder to be supportive and to extend a little courtesy to your fellow applicants. Nothing more- Nothing less.
Most comparison threads in the past have had a definite ego trip vibe. An embarrassment of riches, if you will, during an intense time for many applicants still reeling from a WL or rejection. If we had more comparison threads like what soxmom described, it would be great but sadly that hasn’t been the case so far…
I think it’s important to add ( to people who receive good news, bad news or a WL) that there are many caring and knowledgeable people ( parents, students, alums, current faculty members, occasional AOs and helpful CC Moderators) who will be here ( M10-A10- and beyond ) willing to help in anyway they can… whether it’s to offer a heartfelt congratulations, useful information, or a shoulder for support. Good luck, Everyone
Welcome, Lurker2!
“Class of 1019” LOL. Epic typo ! Obviously I meant 2019…
@Lurker2, welcome to the fold!
If u have something constructive to contribute, then don’t ever worry about offending.
@Lurker2 I am sure @soxmom will help if she can on that theater question… but as to “PMing” that refers to sending another poster a Private Message here on CC – usually used to ask a more personal question or to get in-depth information from someone who might be able to give you more details. I believe you have to have a minimum number of posts before CC allows you to PM another person on the forum… but I am unsure of the number as it may have changed from when I first joined CC.
You could also (if you were so inclined) start a new thread under the Prep School Admissions forum that would pose your theater question to a broader audience… sometimes starting a new, specific thread on a topic/question such as you posed will get you answers faster than having to wait to be “allowed” to PM.
Either way, welcome to the boards, and good for you for coming out of “lurking” 
Lurker2-
I would wait until your daughter has her results then ask your question in a new thread. That way it won’t be lost in a different conversation. Just hit the orange “New Discussion” button at the top right. You won’t be able to PM until you have more post; I think the minimum is 10 but I may be wrong. So between now and March 10 poke around in the forum and add input where you can be helpful. Welcome to CC.
@LifeLongNYer,
The CC results were skewed, but some very interesting insights emerged about WL. The schools utilize WL very differently.
Deerfield has a ginormous WL pool that exceeded (if I remember correctly) its admit pool. Hardly any outright denials. My take: WL at DA = sugar-coated denial.
Hotchkiss has a tiny WL pool. Admissions guy we spoke w said Hotchkiss is very careful to screen out kids they think would not cope well w living in a remote rural setting (they’ve had issues in the past w unhappy city kids). My take: hotchkiss WL means u still have a chance, albeit a very, very, very bleak chance.
If I can find my results tally thread from last year, I will repost it.
I found it:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1636170-unrepresentative-admissions-results.html
@GMTplus7 - Where is Bad Kitty?
Yes, PhotographerMom! Bad Kitty needs to return before M10. GMTplus7??
I hope everyone gets a good news on M10.
Being a little bit more considerate of others… that’s all we need here.
I would like to give a little permission.
This is a very peaked emotional event for a 13/14 year-old, possibly the first encounter with such an intense whipsaw of anticipation and emotions. If you find, on or after M10, that you are “that student” and are mortified, just step back, give yourself permission to grow in this area, maybe log off for a few days, and come back smiling.
Even if you get some hateful reactions, you will still be loved and accepted. This is a hard peak or valley (or both), especially at 14. If you are momentarily ungracious, you will be forgiven.
Just don’t let it happen again 
@Lurker2, the school I was referring to about never casting 9th or 10th graders in plays is not one of the schools that you listed. But if you are in the position of having to decide between schools, I suggest that you ask some very pointed questions about the breadth of opportunities in the theater program, and how welcoming they are to involvement by kids who aren’t the obvious stars. After I heard this about one school, we started asking much more informed questions at later school visits and got some pretty interesting responses. We ended up realizing that one school (not on your list) which is known for having a strong drama program probably wasn’t a great fit for our daughter (who is an enthusiastic participant but not a superstar) because we got the very strong vibe that the focus at the school was putting on the most impressive possible production. If that meant that the same 3 kids were cast in everything, so be it. At another school (also not on your list), the response was very different – sure, the lead roles often go to older kids because they’re more mature and experienced, but we want anyone to be able to participate who’s interested, so we sometimes create additional minor roles, we view the whole production as a team effort and have kids who didn’t get an onstage part participate in other ways, we put on a variety of kinds of productions including smaller student-run one act plays, etc. Now, those kinds of opportunities are undoubtedly available at School #1 too, but it was telling to me that people involved in the drama program at School #1 (and parents that I talked to) didn’t talk about it that way. It was really all about who were the superstars.