Which schools would be the best fit for me?

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hey everyone! I'm in 7th grade, and was just wondering about fit - which schools I would be comfortable at and which I wouldn't for when I apply next year. The problem is, I have never actually visited these schools (with the exception of a brief visit to Choate), and thus know almost nothing about their student bodies. I am limited to visiting 7-8 schools, so I need to choose wisely. I have typed up a list of my current favorite schools, in order of preference, and wrote a bit about each one and the impression I have gotten from afar, to give you an idea of what my ideal school is like. If you could just list a couple of schools that you think would be a good fit for me, either from my list or not, that would be great!</p>

<ul>
<li><p>St. Paul's School: I love the idea of 100% boarding, and the community that comes with that. SPS seems very traditional, which also appeals to me. I have only set foot in a church twice in my life, but for some reason I wish I had grown up in a religious household. I really do love churches, and for that reason, I love the Episcopalian tradition at SPS.</p></li>
<li><p>St. Andrew's School in Delaware: For much the same reasons as with SPS, SAS is at the top of my list. Specifically, SAS is somewhat overlooked here on CC when compared to the HADES, but I get the impression that it is no less grand. </p></li>
<li><p>Groton School: As for Groton, I am a little uninformed. The reason I have ranked it so high is that everyone on CC seems to speak highly of it and compares its community and setting to that of SPS and SAS.</p></li>
<li><p>Phillips Exeter Academy: I received an incredibly-written letter from a sophomore student there and really got the sense that the students are a very articulate, aware bunch. I know that I cannot base my opinion on this one representative, however. I ranked Exeter lower than the above schools because I have read that it is made up of a very stressed community.</p></li>
<li><p>Choate Rosemary Hall: Perhaps because it is the only school on my list that I have actually visited, I think Choate seems like a special place in which to learn. I spoke with some nice boys there who seemed to genuinely love the place. The only reason I have put Choate nearer to the bottom is because the campus was HUGE! I know I would get lost in a place like that unless I tried super hard to swim against the current. Coming from a tiny school with only about 200 kids in the middle school, I'm sure this would be an incredible challenge, and possibly one that I could not overcome. </p></li>
<li><p>The Loomis Chaffee School: I know next to nothing about this school. What I have learned from CC is somewhat negative in my opinion, such as a large day student population and no crew team. The reason I'm considering it is because a friend of my parents recommended it highly after a recent campus visit.</p></li>
<li><p>Miss Porter's School: I honestly don't know if I would thrive in an all-girls environment, which is why Miss Porter's is at the bottom of my list. I have heard that it is one of the best girls’ schools in the country, though, and my mom has a great respect for her friends who went there. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>Sorry this is so lengthy, but thanks for bearing with me :)</p>

2

<p>I don’t really know how to give you a suggestion. In all honesty, just go for which schools you like the most. You seem to like community aspects (warm, cozy, and close-knit), and because I am so incredibly biased, the Peddie school is a close-knit school with 2/3 of the community being boarders. That would be my suggestion. I would also look to some “safer” schools, with a high percentage of boarders, considering that the schools you listed are fairly hard to get into, and there are plenty of other schools that aren’t mentioned very much on here which would have that environment with some great academics. So look at some other schools! And, by the way, if you don’t think that you’d do well in an all-girls environment, DON’T DO IT! I happen to enjoy that environment (I applied to an all-girls school), but you either love it or hate it. It’s not for everyone. If your parents are pleased with all the schools you applied to, then don’t feel the need to choose the school they’re pushing. Don’t even bother applying, unless you would be happy there.</p>

3

<p>I’d suggest spending some time on [Boarding</a> School Review - College-Prep & Jr. Boarding Schools](<a href=“http://www.boardingschoolreview.com%5DBoarding”>http://www.boardingschoolreview.com). Most schools have reviews posted by former students. Even if they are a few years old, read those reviews. You’ll then have a good starting point for further research of the schools. Good luck!</p>

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<p>As you know little about loomis chaffee I will tell you about my perspective on it. I was applying to boarding schools this year, and Loomis was one of the last visits I made, because I hadn’t ever heard of the school. So, I visited, and it had one of the nicest, and coziest campus’ I had seen. It uses quads, so it really makes the campus look very pretty. Also, the dress code is casual, unlike most of the fine boarding schools. Also, the education is at a top tier competing with many of the HADES schools, so I would highly suggest it.
Also, I would like to know, what your interests are,grades,EC’s, ect… so then I could reccomend schools to you.
But, as of now you seem to have a solid list of schools down. If your looking for a traditonal campus I would look at Taft. Also, most of your schools on your list have an acceptance rate of 25% or below, I know loomis dropped to like a 23% this year. With the exception of miss porters, because i know nothing about this school. I think since all the schools you plan on applying to have a lower accpetance rate then other schools, you should have a “safety school” or tier down school… But I really need to know your grades to give you a safety school. But some schools that are a bit lower of a tier than you listed would be, NMH,Kent,Willinston,Westminster,Pomfret…
Sorry for the long response :)</p>

5

<p>Thanks so much everyone for your great answers! </p>

<p>laughalittle, I have not visited Miss Porter’s or any other all-girls school so I couldn’t really say if I would be comfortable in that type of environment. Maybe I’ll start a thread about the pros and cons of a single-sex vs. coed school. I must say I’m surprised that you mentioned Peddie - I initially thought of visiting, but some way or another I didn’t find the time to research it. Assuming you go there, could you maybe PM me about your impression of the school in terms of academics, athletics, arts, and student life?</p>

<p>kraordrawoh, thanks for your suggestion - I hadn’t even known that it was possible to actually read to reviews - just thought that they were there to show college matriculation :slight_smile: I know… </p>

<p>yankeefan1234, great answer! I looked at Pomfret, Williston, and Kent, but I don’t really see myself going there. Perhaps NMH or Westminster. </p>

<p>As for grades, I have all A’s in school, but since my school is very difficult, I have to work really hard to keep them that way. My main strength is in French - I have been ranked in the top 10 students in my level nationally every year, but I also love writing, math, and science. I like ancient European history, but not so much U.S. History. I’m interested in art, specifically drawing, and have sung in concerts for many years. I play on three soccer teams in the fall, one soccer and one squash team in winter, and softball or soccer in the spring. As for community service, I have made casseroles for soup kitchens, raised money, helped briefly in a nursing home, and I walk my elderly neighbor’s dog for her. At school, I am in Chess Club, Photography Club, and am thinking of running for Student Government next year. I know I don’t have many EC’s, but I’m very dedicated to my music. </p>

<p>Anyway, thanks for answering guys :slight_smile: Anyone know of any really good safety schools that are also somewhat traditional?</p>

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<p>Some safety schools you should apply to in your case would be NMH and Westminster.</p>

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<p>Thanks a bunch. Would Miss Porter’s be considered a safety? The thing is, I don’t know whether I really like NMH or Westminster too much, and I really don’t want to apply to schools I wouldn’t feel comfortable attending.</p>

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<p>Sorry, about the letter you said you received from a sophomore at Exeter - that’s not one of the letters they send with the brochures and stuff, is it?</p>

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<p>Yes, it is. Did you recieve one?</p>

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<p>I’m not going to touch the term “safety school” with a ten-foot-pole because we’ve seen too many times here that nothing is really safe. Most schools have a range of students, and even if you are at the top of your class, you are going to be in class sections surrounded by other top students.</p>

<p>But it seems like you want a school with top-notch academics that isn’t drowning in applications, and for that, I think you may have to look outside of New England. Both The Hill School ¶ and Episcopal (in the DC Metro area) offer close-knit communities, have formal dress codes and sit-down meals, and are academically very strong. Episcopal is also 100% boarding, and not too small. The kids I met there seemed really happy and they loved their teachers. Academically, I consider it comparable to Peddie and Loomis (I was told SAT median is 1950’s), but due to the location, they get far fewer applications.</p>

<p>I disagree with the poster who said that a single sex school is a ‘love it or hate it’ situation. I taught at a single sex boarding school for 4 years, and while a few clearly loved it or hated it, most negotiated the good and bad aspects as you would with any school. I’ve known lots of kids over the years who really thrived in single sex schools. </p>

<p>Keep investigating and best of luck. May you discover some hidden gems!</p>

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<p>Thanks for your response! I actually visited Hill with my family this year, but I completely forgot about it afterwards. I do remember it having great classical language classes and a very friendly admission office. As for Episcopal, I had a friend go there who LOVES it, but I had no idea that it is 100% boarding. Sounds like it’s worth a visit :slight_smile: Also, I agree with you that single-sex schools can be adjusted to, and, who knows, maybe in a year I’ll actually prefer single-sex to coed! For now, I’ll just keep an open mind.</p>

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<p>I don’t know what the academic and sporting differences of a girls school would be, but I really don’t think anyone would do badly in that sort of environment. In my area in the UK, the best public secondary school around is a girls one and almost all the academic girls I knew went there with me. The lessons are more orderly, but except from that there is very little difference to the co-ed schools. I actually love it, it’s just a lot easier and a more comfortable atmosphere</p>

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<p>You might look into Blair Academy. It offers a close community with 80% boarding and almost all faculty living on campus. They have a range of students with top students doing very well in college admission. There are many challenging classes for academically talented students. Crew is an important spring sport there. The school just finished a multi-million dollar renovation so buildings are new or renovated. The campus is beautiful. There is a casual dress code but there are also formal dinners. Check it out [Welcome</a> to Blair Academy](<a href=“http://www.blair.edu/index.shtm]Welcome”>http://www.blair.edu/index.shtm)
And good luck next year!</p>

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<p>Definitely check out Middlesex. It’s small and has an amazing campus…plus of course great academics.</p>

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<p>@futureboarder-have you considered Deerfield Academy? When I visited SPS, I felt a very similar preppy, warm, and tight-knit vibe like the one in Deerfield Academy. BTW, majority of students at DA are boarders, I think. (IMHO, off topic, but I thought SPS was very spread out.)</p>

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<p>@Alixindigo – Thanks, I’m not really that concerned about how good Miss Porter’s will be academically, because it is known to have great academics. But, I was a little worried about the social atmosphere. In my area, most of the girls at single-sex schools tend to be somewhat unkind to each other, and that is definitely not the type of boarding school experience I’m hoping for. Well, I guess when I visit the school, I’ll be able to see what the girls are like myself.</p>

<p>@Burb Parent – I checked out Blair’s website. Beautiful campus! This school actually might be what I was looking for :slight_smile: Thanks for suggesting!</p>

<p>@prep123 – I did do a bit of research on Middlesex, and overall, I noticed that a lot of people have said what a friendly student body there is at that school. Do you go there?</p>

<p>@circlemidnight – Thanks, I talked to a parent of a boy there – he recommended the school highly. I’m surprised that you would compare it to SPS, though. I more often hear that it has more of an Exeter/Andover feel. How do you think it compares to Exeter?</p>

<p>Anyway, thanks so much for helping me out guys! Please PM me about the school you suggested – your experience with it.</p>

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<p>@futureboarder: Based on reasonably close observation, I’d say Deerfield and Hotchkiss are more similar both culturally and academically than are Deerfield and Exeter. </p>

<p>To understand student culture, there is no substitute for visiting and observing the kids’ interactions. This will help you to know whether you’d feel comfortable joining their ranks. In terms of academics and ECs, between this site, BS Review and a close reading of the course catalog, club lists you can get a pretty good idea. Know where you’re passions and strengths are, and find the place that will help you to excel.</p>

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<p>Thanks kraordrawoh, it’s interesting to hear that comparison - hopefully I can convince my parents of a campus visit. Do you know if it’s possible to visit without interviewing during the summer?</p>

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<p>@future: It depends on the school, but you certainly can tour many schools without interviewing. If you’re in the N.E. you can probably make Saturday trips to schools with Saturday classes before they leave for the summer. There’s a lot more value to being on campus when it’s populated than when it’s not. One of the reasons kids are so significantly swayed by their revisits is that those days are the first time most of them have been able to freely interact with groups of students or really watch them in their “natural habitat.” Attending a school play or sporting event is a good way to decide whether to seriously consider a school. I’d suggest narrowing down your list to 2x the number you will ultimately apply to and start trying to figure out which of those are the best fit. To help in that process, you might want to consider taking the SSAT in June. You’ll get scored as the grade you’re going to enter so it’s a good benchmark. Also, when you take the SSAT in the fall, a June test won’t show up and indicate multiple tests.</p>

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<p>Ok, I’ll do that. It completely slipped my mind that of course I’ll want to see the school with kids there. Unfortunetly, I’ll be having exams in late may/early june, so I just hope I’ll be able to squeeze in a visit. For some schools I might have to just judge based on the campus/admissions officers.</p>