<p>my little brother is applying to boarding school, and it's really hard to narrow down a list of schools to visit. frankly, the schools' websites all start to blend together, and many of the schools seem to offer the same things. we know that exeter has harkness and that deerfield loves sports, but we need more help.</p>
<p>how would you describe the "personalities" of the schools you have visited?</p>
<p>Dear lehighgal,</p>
<p>Would you kindly give readers a sense of your little brother’s strengths, what he enjoys, background, interests, etc.? That will enable more useful replies.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>@lehighgal,
Well I visited Middlesex last spring. I didn’t interview, but I visited and I got a really good vibe. I thought the atmosphere was nice. And one way narrow a list (this is what I did) is to have a limit to the number of schools you can apply to. My parents say that I can only apply to ten schools max. So I found some schools which I liked and those are the ones which I’m applying to. On the list you should have:</p>
<p>1-3 Reach schools. These schools you doubt you can get into, but it’s worth a shot.</p>
<p>2 High match schools. These schools are not as hard to get into as reach schools, but you will not be surprised to be waitlisted or denied at these schools. Your qualifications should be a little below most successful applicants.</p>
<p>2-3 Match schools. These schools are schools were your qualifications match up exactly with most admitted applicants. You probably will get into these schools.</p>
<p>1-3 Safety Schools. These schools are school which you feel that you will definitely get into. Your overqualified for these schools and generally admission isn’t insanely competitive at these schools like it is at HADES schools.</p>
<p>Good luck and I hope your little brother gets in somewhere. What is your list of schools so far?</p>
<p>Does he want a big or small school, rural or suburban campus, is he looking for the harkness system? There are lots of things like those that determine what schools to apply to.</p>
<p>@lehighgal: Here’s something an admissions person said to me (paraphrased): “Top tier boarding schools are like sneakers. By and large, they will all get the job done. What you and your child have to decide is what seems like the best fit for the child.”</p>
<p>Another anecdote: The school that was at top on my list before our summer tour of NE boarding schools fell off the list after our visit. And a school that was not on my original list (though it was on my wife’s) is now at the top, again, based on our visit. We have yet to formally visit/interview at two more schools…at least one of which is on my daughter’s short list because of the viewbook/promo materials.</p>
<p>FYI, I’m the father of a rising 8th grader. If your screenname is any indication of your actual location, are you enjoying MusikFest?</p>
<p>@Klements- he’s a straight A student who loves math and science. he’s on student council and plays baseball, soccer and tennis. he stands out the most in tennis and has beaten 17 and 18 year olds in local tournaments. he is very active… always wanting to play ping pong or go swimming or have a catch.</p>
<p>@ifax08- thank you. i’m actually in college and have gone through the admissions process for both private HS and college, so we are familiar with the number of schools he should apply to, but it’s difficult to decide which ones he should apply to when there’s not much information on the “personalities” of each school like there is for college (sites like princeton review and guidebooks). he’s definitely applying to the MAPL schools and some new england ones, but again, it’s hard to start a list without understanding the personality of the school (preppy, hippy, conservative, liberal, pressure-cooker, nurturing, sports-focused, arts-focused).</p>
<p>@Dapple- he’s fine with any size, can do suburban or rural, harkness or not, etc. he is very adaptable and easy to please. i think he’s more interested in the student body, whether a school is more sports or arts focused, and those sort of things.</p>
<p>@SevenDad- which school fell off your list, and why? which one is at the top now, and why? this is exactly the kind of information i’m looking for.</p>
<p>i actually haven’t gone to musikfest yet, but i’ll be going soon!</p>
<p>almost all schools except NMH would be defined as preppy by non-boarding students
Deerfield, Groton, Middlesex, Hotchkiss, Kent, and Westminster would be the most prep by far. But because this is the northeast the schools are all very liberal given the overall conservative and old money feel.</p>
<p>@Hcos- that’s what i meant by preppy (brooks brothers, vineyard vines, lily pulitzer-clad kids who summer on the cape and all)… i went to an extremely preppy boarding school in NJ (day student) that fits that description. i’m just not familiar with other schools’ vibes other than my own.</p>
<p>how would you describe taft and choate?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t base your decision to apply to someplace based on an anonymous poster’s comment. Everyone gets different vibes from schools. Some people say that they get a “cold” vibe from Exeter while other people fall in love with it. For the most part it’s all subjective.</p>
<p>@ifax, what were your list of ten schools? you said that you divided yours into columns, ex. reach schools, match schools, etc. could you please give us your list, by number which schools are which?</p>
<p>@2010 hopeful- i’m hoping that there will be enough similar views on certain schools, that we’ll be able to form some generalizations about them.</p>
<p>How about one of the two great CA boarding schools, Thacher and Cate? A Stanford friend whose kid goes to Thacher (dad went to Exeter) said it’s a whole different experience than the east coast and that no matter how smart and accomplished the thacher kids are (and I’m sure Cate is the same way, there is none of that sarcastic, entitled, prepster stuff. When I met his son at a party, that seemed to be true. Going to MIT next year and you’d never know it. Really cool, easy going kid.</p>
<p>Lehighgal – I have a son who went to Blair for 4 years. I don’t think of Blair as being especially preppy, so I don’t think it is the MAPL school you went to. I suppose some might view it as very preppy. </p>
<p>Anyway, I think Blair stands out for having a strong and friendly community plus a beautiful campus. My son has a few friends who went to larger New England boarding schools, and he believes that the Blair community was much stronger and more social. The academics are great, and top students tend to do well in college acceptances. </p>
<p>If you have any questions, feel free to ask here or send me a private message. </p>
<p>I think you will also find a number of Blair graduates at Lehigh, so you can seek them out as well.</p>
<p>@lexie101816,
Here are my schools which I’m applying to:</p>
<p>Andover: High match to reach
Exeter: High match to reach
Deerfield: Match to high match
Milton: Match
Groton: Match
Middlesex: Match
Taft: Low match- match
Concord: safety- low match
Kent: safety</p>
<p>I know it’s not ten, but it’s a pretty good list. I didn’t put too many things down as definite “reaches” or definite “high matches” because some of these schools fall in all of these categories. For example, I consider almost impossible to be a “match” at either Andover, Exeter, or Deerfield simply because their acceptance rates are so low that you cannot be sure that you will be waitlisted. Hope that helped you.</p>
<p>@ifax - with the exception of Taft, Concord and Kent ALL of the other schools you listed are reaches for everyone - full pay or FA, but even more so for FA applicants. I think Taft has a pretty low acceptance rate but not sure about Concord. </p>
<p>And if you are applying for FA, there are no safeties…ever.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to be harsh, but it is the reality. Those schools are all highly selective and get some of the best students in the world applying to them. Jeez, Groton had an acceptance rate of something like 17%. They’ll take maybe 50 boy and 50 girls for 9th grade. The vast majority of applicants to these schools are highly qualified. Are they matches in that regard? Sure, but so are 80% of the other applicants.</p>
<p>I wish you the best of luck, but 5 schools with 20% admissions rate does NOT mean a 100% chance of admittance. I don’t know how anyone could consider Groton especially to be “match” unless your parent is a member of Obama’s cabinet and even then…</p>
<p>Actually, Groton accepted a total of 48 third formers (9th graders) for the upcoming year.</p>
<p>True, true, Sue (
at the rhyme)</p>
<p>I didn’t account for the rising second formers. Do you know what the actual admissions rate is at Groton (and what on EARTH it takes to get admitted there!).</p>
<p>@neatoburrito,
I meant that my academic record matched well with the school. And I understand that when you apply for FA you jeopardize your application, but I doubt that I will be denied everywhere because of FA. And I should have said that a “match” just means that your academic qualifications match those of many admitted students. I would say that no one can say that they will be definitely admitted to any HADES school, but saying that your academic credentials match with theirs isn’t as ridiculous. And btw I don’t think that anyone can have anything below a “high match” at Andover or Exeter. They are just too selective.</p>
<p>I hope you’re right. :)</p>
<p>Taft is definitely a reach for everyone: 24% acceptance rate (same as choate)</p>