I am looking into both of these schools and they seem very similar. If anyone knows information about either of the schools let me know! Thank yoh
I have several friends with kids at Williston. It’s a pretty warm, nurturing school. There are a broad range of students there, but they have plenty of honors and AP classes to challenge more serious students. There are lots of places to walk to in town-- and it’s close to Northampton, which is a big college town with lots to do. There’s a fairly large day student population, but plenty of boarders there so plenty of people around on the weekend. It seems like friend groups include both boarders and day students and, from what I’ve heard, it’s not too cliquey. I can’t compare it to Berkshire (because I don’t know anyone there), but I can try to answer any specific questions you have ( or can ask people who would know).
Happy to answers questions about WNS as well. I have lived in Northampton for my whole life and have many friends who go to WNS. It’s not Exeter. It’s small, but has a lot of “stuff” to offer. College placement excellent.
Is it hard to get into WNS? I heard that the school is located in a small town?
@Daykidmom @essaysarefun
Thank you both for your answers! To be honest it sounds perfect. I really am not looking for an exeter type school. I was wondering if either of you know about the girls basketball team? Also how heavy is the workload? Do the kids seem overall happy? Thank you @tramtpm for you input.
Apparently Berkshire is very white and preppy, but a warm, nurturing environment with nice kids. At least that’s what I’ve heard from people that go there.
Tramptpm: you can see admission stats and compare them at boardingschoolreview.com. Williston is located in a small town (Easthampton), and you can easily walk to bagels, coffee houses, an ice cream store, and several restaurants, banks, stores, etc. It’s also a short bus ride into Northampton, a busy college town (the 5 college area of Western Mass) with galleries, live music, shops and restaurants, galleries, etc. Outings from the school include trips to Northampton and also to Hadley, another nearby town with movies and a mall.
Prepster1234: yes, kids do seem happy, from what I’ve heard. The workload seems reasonable: it’s definitely lighter than my son’s workload (Deerfield), but there’s certainly a fair amount of homework, especially if you take honors and AP classes. Teachers seem VERY accessible and always willing to give extra help. I’ll ask more specifically, but I think both girls’ basketball and girls’ hockey do pretty well. Overall, it’s not a giant sports power house, maybe because it’s not as big as some other schools, but the athletic facilities are quite nice and I’m pretty sure those 2 teams do pretty well.
@NChopeful do you know anything about the work load at Berkshire?
@Daykidmom could you compare the schools academics to another school? Maybe compare to Tabor? Tilton? NMH?
Well, you can look up the stats. I think of it being a bit more selective with a bit higher numbers (SATs and the like) than Tabor or Tilton, maybe a tad easier to get into than Berkshire (but similar academics), with NMH being a bit more selective with higher numbers. But I’m sure you can get an excellent education at any of them. Williston is a bit smaller than a couple of the others, has more day students, and is closer to a real town than some of those. I’m not saying those things are better or worse-- just things to think about when it comes to fit. Again, I know some very good students who went to Williston, liked it, and had went to good colleges-- but those students tend to choose honors and AP courses and challenge themselves. There is a broader range of students, I would say, than at NMH (to take your list), but I think it seems like the academics are very solid and, if you are a good student, you’ll be challenged and do well. But, out of your list, the only other place I really know personally (from kids/families who have attended) is NMH.