<p>I heard it's pretty elite and acceptance rates are pretty low, but it ranks around the second teir on a couple of websites. What do people have to say about it. Im very interested in applying there next year!</p>
<p>We visit Westminster last fall. It has very beautiful campus. Excellent squash facilities, great golf courses, their golf team is quite strong. THE MOST FRIENDLY ADMISSION OFFICERS WE EVER MET. I remember they have a course offer for students who are interested in architecture and the instructor is a college professor. Some students continue at college for architecture and did very well.</p>
<p>What state is that in?</p>
<p>Connecticut.</p>
<p>Random thoughts, not in any order:</p>
<p>According to one faculty member I know well, they consider themsleves to be "a mini-Deerfield but with 1/2 the students and 1/10 the endowment."</p>
<p>They have, hands down, the coolest theater. They are building a new academic building that will open Fall 2009. </p>
<p>The acceptance rate is low, but I do know that last year their yeild for 9th grade was higher than expected, making 10th grade this year more compeitive than ever - only 14 or 16 spots. Additionally, this year I'm sure they cut down on the number of 9th grade admits in order to not over-enroll again. In any case, you may see their acceptance rate even lower this year because of those factors. </p>
<p>It appears that they are starting Chinese next year (saw them advertising for a teacher a couple of months ago). </p>
<p>We were very impressed with their health center. </p>
<p>We got the impression they are a big hockey school. </p>
<p>We got a strong sense of community. </p>
<p>Formal Dress Code</p>
<p>Good financial aid according to their stats and I know someone who got a "very generous" offer last year. They are one of the few schools that we saw that outright says that their financial aid is competitive and awarded to the "best" students in the FA applicant pool. </p>
<p>If I think of anything else I'll add it.</p>
<p>From our direct experience with one of their big feeder schools, Westminster does offer generous financial aid to their best...hockey players. Academically or musically talented students should look at the better schools in the area.</p>
<p>Our friend who received a generous offer was an athlete, but not hockey.</p>
<p>We saw a musical there this winter and it was wonderful. I think the academics are as good as any.</p>
<p>What is their average SSAT score?</p>
<p>The average I saw reported on BSR is 70% but I'd take that with a grain of salt. My son with a 92 was waitlisted (we didn't stay on the list) and I know a student with quite a bit lower than 70 that was waitlisted and then accepted, one with quite a bit higher that was waitlisted, stayed on it, told them it was 1st choice and didn't get accepted. I wouldn't put too much weight on it.
Also, based on a few of your other posts MDog, the SSAT is important, but if you got an 89 (did I read that on another thread?) you are "in the game" so to speak at the schools.</p>
<p>That is correct. I realize that I need to stop looking at SSAT scores and realize that those scores is only a small part of why people are accepted. It's like how people think about SAT scores when applying to college.</p>
<p>What other schools should I look at with my SSAT scores that I have a chance of getting into?</p>
<p>You have a great score. My son's was the same going into this and then his fall score did go up. </p>
<p>I would say you can look at ANY school with that score. REALLY. It puts you in the game at every school - even the ones with "average" scores in the 90's. But you need to look at what kind of school you want. </p>
<p>Academically intense? What kind of sports do you play? What other EC's? Do you have a geographical preference? Single gender (I highly recomend at least considering it), formal dress code or not? Saturday classes or not?</p>
<p>While it may seem to most people that I'm not academically intense, i actually am. I've just never felt that challenged. I go to an academically tough private day school named Stanwich, and even there i do not feel that challenged. </p>
<p>As for sports, I play baseball, basketball, football, and golf on a casual level with tennis as my competitive sport. I am also going to start playing competitively in baseball and golf.</p>
<p>I am my 8th grade class president and I also did community service at my school.</p>
<p>I don't care really about geography. I just want to go someplace that is the right fit. </p>
<p>I would like to have a casual dress code, but I could live with a formal dress code. Same thing with saturday classes.</p>
<p>I visited Westminster. Very pretty school, but the students seemed almost morose when we were walking around. I do agree with Arling; the people on Admissions were quite amiable. </p>
<p>It is a VERY good school, academically.</p>
<p>I know someone who was accepted at Westminster, but decided to go to The Gunnery instead. They felt like they had not been treated that special and that Westminster didn't really pay much attention to their child. The Gunnery, on the other hand, jumped through hoops to get him and did everything possible to try to convince him to go there, since he was a very good student academically wise. Now I know this is only one instance, but I just wanted to through this story out. I think Westminster is a great school, and I will probably try to apply late this year or for 10th grade if I don't go to boarding school next year.</p>
<p>We didn't get that feeling at Westminster. We were welcomed warmly and felt that it had a nice family/community feel to the school. We were waitlisted and did not stay on it. But I know one family that stayed on the waitlist and was eventually admitted and could not have been happier with how they were treated by admissions in discussing the options.</p>
<p>Well I guess that one kid's situation was just a fluke. Besides that one kid's story, I've heard great things about the school.</p>
<p>It is an excellent school. the students could have been having a bad day, lol. Whatever it was, though, it wasn't very appealing to me, even if it was just one day. The people on Admissions were very nice to us, but the kids essentially were not talking, and were not smiling either. </p>
<p>Please don't think I'm bashing the school; I liked it a lot, with the exception of what I stated before.</p>
<p>Yeah its hard to judge a school if the kids are too nice or too mean. You could have gotten the only deppressed kids in the school. I want my tour guide to be neither too nice nor too mean so I can see the school on a neutral stance.</p>