I am having so much trouble deciding between Deerfield and Groton. My heart says Deerfield but I am worried that there is something more at Groton that I’ll miss or something. Also, Groton is way more familiar bc it is smaller. I just don’t know, and it’s so close.
@booksandfries , to me you answered the question. Go with your gut/your heart. You could be missing out on something at Groton, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re missing out on something good…I’m sure there’s more to it than that, but if you feel at home somewhere & your heart tells you it’s right, that’s what I’d listen to. Sometimes it’s the intangible that makes the most sense.
I am also having a tough time making my decision between two great schools, Deerfield and Exeter. I love the harkness method at Exeter, but I am shy by nature and wonder if its the right fit for me (but my teachers always say I add a lot to discussions). Plus I felt at home when i was revisiting Exeter. But also I feel like Deerfield has a strong community that I want to be a part of, my host really wants me to go, and I made more friends than at Exeter, but I am not sure if I like Deerfield as much as I liked Exeter.
Go where you feel like you just know it’s right for you. Listen to yourself, trust me that helps!! @midtowngirl
Can’t wait to see what y’all have decided on the admitted decisions thread! Good luck and trust your heart! Exciting times lay ahead!
Exeter
@midtowngirl I am the parent of a current Exeter lower. I think a big part of this is your (one’s) gut. My son knew he wanted Exeter after the tour. In fact didn’t really want to apply anywhere else and refused to complete applications to several schools after the initial tours. After a day in classes at Exeter observing he was hooked. When acceptances were sent out he didn’t even bother with revisits. Exeter is not perfect in fact it lacks that warm fuzzy feeling that other schools seem to have like Deerfield or Lawrenceville or Mercersburg or Middlesex or even Andover a bit. In fact at revisits I had a few people mention this yet their kids were still leaning to it. Needing that feeling is just as important as liking Harkness or the facilities or whatever clicks for you.
My daughter had the same decision trouble last year between Exeter and Deerfield. She decided Deerfield was HER best fit for a number of reasons which included the following:
- The classes (her path) were pretty equal in her opinion. Harkness (or rather a flipped classroom) is heavily in use at Deerfield and especially in Physics (and I assume other sciences too), English, history, and the languages.
- The class schedule was a better fit for her at Deerfield. Exeter has classes from 8 am to 6 pm with ECs in the middle and DD felt that would not work well with her sport.
- She's a math and science kid but was really drawn to a particular language at Exeter. In the end, apparently it wasn't enough for her.
- The facilities for her sport at Deerfield are phenomenal. The location of the athletic facilities at Exeter ended up in the minus column.
- Campus size was a plus for Deerfield. Not too small yet not too big.
- Sit down dinners and academic dress were a positive for her.
- Deerfield felt like just the right mix of opportunities to shine: academically, athletically, and socially.
I remember that tough weekend like it was yesterday!
@midtowngirl Good luck with your decision making. Both are top schools. While Exeter gets recognition for using the Harkness table, many of the top prep schools use the method here or there. And it is not necessarily the be all, end all in education! The soft reasons to choose are important-if you felt better at one over the other-that’s a good reason to choose. On the other hand, you will make new friends at either school so it does not matter quite so much how many friends you have there before you even matriculate.