Hi, could you please help us choose between these schools? Last year our kid applied to several BS with no luck. This year after casting a wider net, he got into six schools out of 12, but we are only considering these four that gave him full FA. We have never been to the US and cannot go to visit now, so would be really grateful for any advice.
Of course we would like DS to go to a school with strong academics (though not a pressure cooker, which I understand none of these schools is), but most importantly, to a school that is better at teaching the kids to learn independently and in helping them to achieve their full potential. DS is a bright student but needs a lot of motivation and help with organization and time management; he can sometimes get distracted by computer games. We think that an environment with strong, motivated, and driven students will motivate him best and help him realize his potential.
Equally important for us is how the school develops personal qualities considering that the kids spend there some of their most formative years - can you please share which of the schools is best for developing kind and compassionate (as opposed to ‘entitled’) students?
I’m afraid that there is no school that combines all of that, e.g. EHS seems better at academics, Westtown - probably better in the personal department, considering their Quaker values, etc. DS’s interests include English, soccer, entrepreneurship, film-making, debates and MUN, etc. Which of the schools will be a better fit in our case? Thank you in advance!
Mercersburg Academy is an excellent school. Episcopal High School is also. Certainly Mercersburg has the healthiest endowment & therefore is a very stable institution from a financial viewpoint.
I am unfamiliar with Westtown & Williston Northampton so I cannot offer any advice.
I know a boy and a girl from my area who attend Mercersburg. They are both very bright, sociable kids and I believe they are happy there and involved in multiple activities. I don’t know anything about the other schools (but I’m not a prep school parent so that doesn’t mean anything.)
@Publisher @inthegarden thank you for your replies!
Are there any students/parents who considered all or some of these schools and had to make a similar choice? How did you make it? Those who (or whose kids) are currently at these schools, what do you think about fit for our DS based on the information in my post? Many thanks!
@Evrgrn @twinsmama @neatoburrito @i70sband could you please help if possible? The clock is ticking, and we don’t know what is the best choice in our situation…
@gurumsag I am confident that Mercersburg has the kind of culture you are looking for with regard to your son’s personal development. However, I have no experience with the other schools you mentioned. We did look into Episcopal a bit and it sounds like a fine school. I know little about the others, sorry. It must be very hard to make such a big decision from so far away.
@twinsmama It really is hard, and we are so afraid to make a mistake, that’s why I’m looking for collective wisdom at this forum. Your posts about Mercersburg are mostly my main source of information about this school, thank you very much for being so active here and sharing your experience. And for your answer of course!
Do you think that the majority of Mercersburg students are motivated and hardworking? I think our DS will do his best if most of his peers are eager learners; it’s not like he would do it on his own no matter what.
@gurumsag, my only knowledge is anecdotal (and just a sample size of two!) but the two students I know at Mercersburg are both gifted and motivated. One moved with her parent to another county while in elementary school to be able to attend a magnate school for gifted children prior to going to Mercersburg, and the other began Mercersburg as a high school sophmore because our local high school was no longer challenging enough for him, especially in math (even though it offers a number of APs.) Both of these students are self-driven and enthusiastic about learning and have always been so (I have known each since early childhood.) I don’t know if that’s typical for Mercersburg but I do know that the parents of each chose Mercersburg over local options because they were looking for a community of like-minded peers for their kids (as well as the formal offerings of the school.)
@inthegarden that sounds great, thank you!
@neatoburrito has been gone from this forum for quite a while. I’d sure wish she’d visit us again.
@choatiemom, me too! @gurumsag my kids have told me that most students at Mercersburg are highly motivated to do well and to learn. It’s hard to survive at prep school if you don’t work pretty hard. Mercersburg is fairly structured, especially for 9th graders, and there is plenty of support available to help students learn to stay on track.
@twinsmama thank you, I guess that’s especially important with 9th graders who are new to the whole prep school environment.
Don’t know if this’ll help much but I’m pretty sure most schools have MUN so he should be able to keep track of that passion no matter where he is. But again, I’m not quite sure so you might want to browse the ECs catalog.
Does he have any personal preference or opinion? Does he seem more drawn to a school than the other?
Anyways, congratulations! Those are wonderful schools so I’m sure he will be happy no matter where he chooses to go.
thank you @missinghome21 ! Yes all four schools have MUN so that should be OK. He doesn’t have any strong preferences only being able to judge from afar, or rather he likes different things about different schools, but he is only supposed to choose one. It is especially difficult to assess Westtown and Williston as there is relatively less info on these schools on the forum.
Westtown has a new head of school. She is a Harvard Law graduate who came from Princeton University where she was a dean (of students, I think).
Williston Northhampton has a significant day school population.
Mercersburg & Episcopal have large endowments of $275 million & $220 million respectively. Episcopal High School is 100% boarding.
@gurumsag I see, well try Googling up some alumni reviews on those schools. They’re always at least one or two and they provide very positive, insightful looks into the school and community.
Also, maybe have him try and see what things he values more than the other and decide on a school with that value.
Again, revisit days should be useful!
I hope this helps! 
I’m new here, but I can add that Williston Northampton has a great program. It’s not a super competitive school like Andover or Exeter, but it’s a friendly community of motivated students and teachers. The campus is located by 5 colleges (Amherst, Smith, etc.) and a lot of the day students are kids of local professors so the honors program is rigorous. They have good sports and art offerings. They will support a student who wants to pursue an academic or extracurricular interest that they don’t already offer. They have a CORE program for incoming freshmen, and they have a scholar program so that accelerated students can partner with local college professors for independent projects. There is a new freshman dorm opening next fall. Only a visit can confirm the fit between any school and student, but in general this is a good one.
My son has applied to boarding schools for next year (as repeat 9th grade boarder), and he is not a competitive kid so we focused on strong 2nd tier and hidden gem schools. He wants smart and hardworking friends around him. We have visited Williston twice in the past year, and we’re leaving in an hour to go to the Williston revisit sleepover tonight.
@missinghome21 It would be great to go visit the schools of course, but that’s where the problem is - we cannot go to the US and need to make a decision now.
1 Like
Mercersburg is the safest bet among your four options because Episcopal & Westtown have distinctive cultures, Williston Northampton has too many day students.
That being said, Williston Northampton would have the most enjoyable non-school related activities due to its location & proximity to many colleges. Episcopal offers a lot of cultural attractions in Wash DC. Westtown offers Philadelphia for entertainment. Mercersburg’s overall vibe is one of friendliness.
The more I think about your situation, the more confused I become. Your situation really calls for on campus visits. But, since you are unable to do so, you really have four very good options, & no bad choices.
You will find strong, driven & motivated students at all of these schools–but not as an overall school culture. If your son needs a support system for that, I would suggest a school that has Saturday morning classes to keep your son academically on tract.
Not sure if any have Saturday classes.