Hello, this is my first post. I have been peeking at several other threads and I first want to thank everyone who takes the time out of their day to help applicants for these prep schools get more clarity on the application process.
I have been accepted to Milton Academy, Concord Academy, Phillips Academy Andover, and the Thacher School (Ojai, CA). I live on the east side, so boarding at a school like Thacher will definitely be a different adjustment to get used to. But I’m down for it, and my parents are supportive about the school.
Now, to the point, I really would like it if you could break down the pros and cons of these schools, as I really want to attend all of these schools. But, I can only attend one, if you could also explain what school you’d choose to attend if you was me and why. I’m really attracted to Thacher because of its unique programs such as the horse and outdoor programs that teach its students to embrace nature as a daily teacher and mentor in life. Yet, Andover is a very prestigious school and is a school that many applicants are willing to die for. I still fail to understand how I got accepted, but I don’t want to lose such a valuable spot in their school.
With Milton, I find it to be very close to home, which makes me feel at ease with my boarding experience at the school. I also love the facilities and the people there, as soon as I stepped foot on campus, everyone was so welcoming and a few students even walked up to me to chat about their experience. Overall, a very welcoming community.
Thacher was the only school that communicated with me after notifying me of my acceptance on March 10th. My interviewer at Thacher called me on March 11th, once again congratulating me on my acceptance and explaining how my application stood out against hundreds of applicants. He highly encouraged that I visit campus and even offered to fly me out from Massachusetts to California so I could get a deeper feel of the community at Thacher.
Also, I am apart of a non-profit organization called Beacon Academy. This is intended to help minorities get into independent schools by reclassing incoming 9th graders to stay in their one-year program that helps them hone their skills and build positive habits for independent schools we may get into; such as time management and advocating to our teachers if we’re struggling. They support us throughout the entire application process with editors that help us polish our essays, so we can submit our best applications possible. The point of this is that Beacon has sent previous students that have since graduated from Beacon, into two of the schools I was accepted to, Phillips Andover and Thacher. So, if I do go all the way to California, I won’t be alone and will have someone that has experience at Thacher to guide me. I thought that was something worth adding.
(Sorry if I wrote a lot, I’d appreciate any response! Thank you)
So if you like adventures and your parents are supportive it’s not a bad thing to try it or take advantage of what they are offering you to go see it first before you decide.