Visit/Revisit School Experiences

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hey guys! I’m a fellow applicant for the 2014-15 year! People always talk about the importance of fit and school culture when picking your school, but that can be hard to decipher. After all, most of us are only there for our interviews and revisit days, so we don’t get to see much. I decided to start this thread where everyone can share all of their experiences for ANY prep school, not just HADES or GLADCHEMS schools. Also, if you’re a current student, you could share about your daily life. You could try to answer some of these questions.</p>

<p>A.) Were the students welcoming or did they seem ignore you?
B.) Did athletics, academics, or the arts seem to be some big deal at the school?
C.) Did you feel comfortable?
D.) If you ate there, was the food good? (shallow, I know)
E.) Did the student body seem happy?
F.) If you observed a class, did the students seem overly focused or too goofy?
G.) Was the campus pretty? (yes, shallow again)
H.) Did visiting the school change your opinion on it?
I.) Did your visit confirm/debunk any popular beliefs/rumor about the school?</p>

<p>I know that list is long and daunting, but you don’t have to answer any or every one of those questions. They were just guidelines. I hope this thread can help us make final decisions about fit. If you have something important you want to throw in, feel free to do so. Just to make sure that personal preference doesn’t take over (although, some questions force it too), please mention if you</p>

<p>A.) were having an exceptionally bad or good day
B.) had an exceptionally bad or good interview/tour
C.) had the specific school/schools as a first or last choice
D.) are being exceptionally optimistic/pessimistic about the experience</p>

<p>Thanks! And I hope this helps all of us ☺</p>

2

<p>This is a thread I created a long time ago. Just bumping it up since revisits are starting.</p>

3

<p>A.) Were the students welcoming or did they seem ignore you?
The students were very welcoming and I felt comfortable and at home.
B.) Did athletics, academics, or the arts seem to be some big deal at the school?
Academics were definitely the most prominent and you could watch athletic practices after the actual planned revisit. Arts seemed to be sort of combined with the academics.
C.) Did you feel comfortable?
Yes, of course. Everyone was very nice! I felt like I had been there longer than a couple of hours.
D.) If you ate there, was the food good? (shallow, I know)
Good, I guess.
E.) Did the student body seem happy?
Yes, but kind lazy.
F.) If you observed a class, did the students seem overly focused or too goofy?
Very goofy in some classes and some very serious.
G.) Was the campus pretty? (yes, shallow again)
Yes, but it was raining so that made it less desirable.
H.) Did visiting the school change your opinion on it?
No, I had already decided I was going to be attending.
I.) Did your visit confirm/debunk any popular beliefs/rumor about the school?
Yes. Academics were amazing and the athletics seemed very good too. That is what I previously believed.</p>

<p>A.) were having an exceptionally bad or good day
I was having a pretty good day. The excitement of the revisit day helped, but I was not feeling that great.
B.) had an exceptionally bad or good interview/tour
Ok… I got a good interview, but I did not get to go on the tour due to weather.
C.) had the specific school/schools as a first or last choice
Andover was my first choice.
D.) are being exceptionally optimistic/pessimistic about the experience
No, I I’m not doing either one.</p>

4

<p>I went to Taft!</p>

<p>A.) Were the students welcoming or did they seem ignore you? ** welcoming! **
B.) Did athletics, academics, or the arts seem to be some big deal at the school? nothing in particular, but if i HAD to say academics jumped out a bit more
C.) Did you feel comfortable? Yup! Very cozy school
D.) If you ate there, was the food good? (shallow, I know) this is not shallow okay, this matters lol. But wowwie yes it was veryyyyyyy good
E.) Did the student body seem happy? very much so, and everyone seemed very comfortable around each other
F.) If you observed a class, did the students seem overly focused or too goofy? they seemed right in the middle. You could tell they were all focused yet actual kids
G.) Was the campus pretty? (yes, shallow again) it was gorgeous
H.) Did visiting the school change your opinion on it? nope, I’m not going there this fall haha
I.) Did your visit confirm/debunk any popular beliefs/rumor about the school? ** well it’s probably not a popular belief, but I don’t see the school being a diverse as I’d want it to be. But don’t get me wrong still very diverse, just not up to where I wanted**</p>

<p>Sorry I didn’t feel like doing the second part, but it was overall neutral. </p>

5

<p>@boardingjunkie: Where are you going, then?</p>

6

<p>@boardingjunkie is off to Exeter. :slight_smile: She/he was almost sure but decided to revisit a few schools anyway.</p>

<p>@mathman1201 </p>

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<p>@stargirl3: Thanks!
@boardingjunkie: Congrats! You’re going to my dream school…</p>

8

<p>@boardingjunkie you’re going to my dream school too!</p>

9

<p>no comment</p>

10

<p>@needtoboard: haha that’s so funny! Congrats on getting into your dream school. </p>

11

<p>Haha thanks @mathman1201 it was just an innocent joke, I don’t want anyone to take it the wrong way.</p>

12

<p>wait I’m confused why no comment @stargirl3‌ ? Also I am officially gong to Exeter! I’m going to post a thread on the 10th asking everyone where they’ve decided to go. @mathman1201‌ @needtoboard‌ </p>

13

<p>^^Good idea</p>

14

<p>She has no comment becuase of needtoboard’s joke. </p>

15

<p>I know I’m extremely ignorant but I don’t get needtoboard’s joke?¿</p>

16

<p>What needtoboard means is that boardingjunkie is going to his/her dream school (Exeter), where he is going.
Get it?
It’s sort of ironic, which makes it kind of funny… (It’s just an innocent joke btw. :slight_smile: </p>

17

<p>I’m late I know, but yolo right? Anyways…</p>

<p>1) Were the students welcoming or did they seem ignore you?</p>

<p>EXTREMELY welcoming. It may have been because a lot of people on campus already knew me from my instagram account, but everyone was very nice regardless. </p>

<p>2) Did athletics, academics, or the arts seem to be some big deal at the school?</p>

<p>No ONE of the tripple A’s stood out but all of them were evident. As I was walking on campus I saw people in their athletic uniform, and I saw people with backpacks on, and I saw people reciting monologues and so on. All of them are extremely apparent. </p>

<p>3) Did you feel comfortable?</p>

<p>I felt very comfortable on my revisit. As I said before a lot of the people I met already knew me, so I felt already apart of the family, which is really important for a revisit day. </p>

<p>4) If you ate there, was the food good? (shallow, I know)</p>

<p>Yaaaaaas. The food was on point! I took pictures of the food it was so good omg! Like, the school had those pancakes that you dont need syrup to eat because they’re so good. </p>

<p>5) Did the student body seem happy?</p>

<p>The student body was literally a big, happy, family. Everyone knew each orher and if they didnt necessarily know each other, they definitely smiled, waved, and greeted them. </p>

<p>6) If you observed a class, did the students seem overly focused or too goofy?</p>

<p>It kind of depended on the class. In the math class which was early in the morning, students werent AS active as I would have hoped. By biology and english (3 & 4 period) the mood was just right with students getting work done while cracking a joke here and there. There is a very nice balance depending on the class as well as the time of day. </p>

<p>7) Was the campus pretty? (yes, shallow again)</p>

<p>The campus was abosloutely marvelous! It took my breath away with every step I took. Though established in 1778, the campus gives off a historical, yet trendy vibe which I personally fit right in with. Facilities were amazing. Old looking, but amazing nonetheless. </p>

<p>8) Did visiting the school change your opinion on it?</p>

<p>Visitng the school did nothing but reinstall in my brain that, that was the place I was meant to be. I could vividly picture what I would be doing there doing my revisit and it was all smiles! Now were there things I found out or noticed that I didnt necessarily like? Yes, but I’d much rather know the enemy’s tactic when going into war rather than wondering and stepping on a land mine. (horrible analogy but you get the point)</p>

<p>I.) Did your visit confirm/debunk any popular beliefs/rumor about the school?</p>

<p>Uhm…nah not really. Just the fact that it is the #1 boarding school in the nation and I can now see why. Duh. </p>

<p>I was having a really good day, and I was revisiting at my school of choice therefore, I am slightly bias, but my responses are still valid. I am beyond excited to be attending Phillips Academy Andover in the fall. Hope I helped!</p>