Lots of info about both NMH and St. Mark’s on CC, but much of the SMS stuff is pretty dated. Apart from the obvious differences like size and location, how do they compare? Our kid has to choose between these two [excellent] schools and we’d be grateful for any insights from students and parents with current or recent experiences. He is not a super athlete and would not do well in a pressure cooker environment. He has lots of interests (theater, outdoors, drawing, history, languages). Thanks!
The two schools are very different. If you can do revisits, have your child pick the one that feels right for him/her. I don’t think either is a pressure cooker environment although both places are competitive. Kids looked happy at both places. St. Mark’s, IIRC, has dress code and NMH don’t, thus that gave SMS more traditional/conservative feel and NMH more progressive. Although some info on CC is outdated, most of them felt true to me.
We had the same choices two years ago but DS1 decided to stay home, which is working fine. 
In the end, I preferred SMS but DS liked NMH better. There is something cool about having a farm in campus and a hog as a mascot 
I felt SMS might be slightly better for DS in academics (STEM kid) with Math Institute, etc. I don’t remember much about science/math in NMH although I am impressed by their Arts center and the spectacular campus.
Very helpful, payn4ward, thank you.
One concern I have is a few posts on CC that suggest that the advisor-parent communication at NMH may not be as good as one would hope. Any thoughts on that?
You must be referring to this…
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18195845/#Comment_18195845
Since I don’t have a kid there, I don’t know. Perhaps you can ask the admission office to get you in touch with a current family, possibly in your area for more detailed info?
since i’m the one who made that comment, i will follow up…generally speaking, we were under a false impression that advisors would be more pro-active in reaching out, especially to Freshman parents; however, I have been reminded on this forum a few times that “no news is good news” and most advisors are not pro-active and tend to reach out only when there is an issue. While I understand that to be the norm, my personal feeling is that I would like some more frequent communication…in the grand scheme of things, I would not let that deter you from NMH…it’s a truly wonderful school and we have had a tremendous overall experience as first year parents.
One of my children is a recent St. Mark’s graduate. I’d be glad to answer any questions you have. Once you have enough posts, you can send me a private message. Looking back at the experience, I am grateful my child was able to attend St. Mark’s.
Friends’ children attend/ed NMH. They are happy with NMH too. It comes down to what you and your children prefer. I believe NMH offers skiing and swimming, which St. Mark’s does not offer. St. Mark’s is a member of the ISL, and NMH plays in a different league.
St. Mark’s has a dress code, but it isn’t super restrictive.
I think you should attend revisit days, but then I usually recommend that.
Thanks, everybody. We will do revisit days, for sure. Are there any strong negatives, red flags, or concerns about either of these places?
Sorry for the delay–spring break. DD is a current boarding student. While we have been overall very pleased with St Marks, I would say that I wish the percentage of boarding students was 100% and not @75%. When applying, that seemed like a large percentage but it’s really not. That being said, 100% of faculty live on campus and their accessibility is fantastic!
S finally decided on St. Mark’s, but it was a tough call. both revisit days were great and NMH is a wonderful school in every way. As has been said so often in these forums, it all comes down to a subjective sense of best fit.
Thanks to everyone for their perspectives.
Hey everyone! I am a 8th grade and I got into NMH and st marks and I just finished my visiting days. I honestly I have to say St. marks due to the fact that its education is pretty outstanding, and its a solid school. Aswell, it is a hardschool to get into. I hope this helps!
My daughter is a senior at NMH and anyone who is wondering about NMH for next year can PM me. I am not on here often enough to nominate myself to be the official contact but we absolutely love NMH. The students are amazingly diverse and just great kids. They are more hands off re advisors but incredibly responsive when you reach out. Most messages we have sent (not many) have been acted upon immediately and we often have an answer from our advisor as soon as we hit send. The teachers absolutely know and nurture each student.