<p>Trying to decide between Williston and NMH - and Choate waitlist but that's another story.</p>
<p>B+ student - never really challenged hard in public school - reacts well to challenging teachers.</p>
<p>Average/Below Average athlete but like to play and will compete/try hard.</p>
<p>Not especially arts driven, but interested in technical theatre, drawing and video production.</p>
<p>Revisit days at both places were great. Kids are excellent both places. Faculty excellent too.</p>
<p>NMH seemed too liberal. Seems to have swung way to the other side of traditional prep school model. Williston doesn't appear on paper to have the same level of student as NMH - but we didn't see that in our re-visting experience other than reading the scores and college lists.</p>
<p>to be overly blunt: is NMH really that squishy liberal and yet also that much "smarter" than NMH? We want him to be at the best school possible but also studying more than the plight of endangered tree frogs. lol.</p>
<p>and, oh yeah. we noticed that NMH has lots more money i.e. MegaEndowment...but Williston is giving us a good sized financial aid package...</p>
<p>Help! thanks in advance.</p>
<p>It’s hard to find decidedly conservative schools in New England unless you go for super-unknown ones. And trust me, at NMH the kids learn more than “the plight of endangered tree frogs.” If I’m to be frank, I’m not sure where you’ve gotten your conception of the “traditional prep school model” unless you’re looking back 50 years or more. When my mom was at Andover the school was just as “squishy liberal” as it is today.</p>
<p>My son goes to NMH and he is a conservative. I do think most of the New England bs are quite liberal in thought. What particulary about NMH do you find to be “too liberal” and not “the traditional prep school model”. Other than no dress code (and the schools that do have dress codes are pretty relaxed about them, for the most part), NMH is pretty similar to most of the top New England bs. Any questions that could help in your decision, feel free to ask!</p>
<p>Cards on the table: I went to NMH, though it was about 30 years ago. My sole experience with Williston was from those days, and it was only on the playing fields. I have 2 children deciding on schools now, among them NMH.</p>
<p>I do not recall anyone ever associating the two schools as comparable. I always viewed them as attracting different sets of students; in short, the student bodies were self selecting. </p>
<p>NMH is indeed liberal, but as Tom noted, you’ll find much more than tree frogs in the classroom discussions. That acknowledged, NMH has become much more traditional in recent years than it was in my day. Old school traditions have been resurrected; names have been carved into wooden scrolls; classes sit with one another in chapel; only seniors can use certain entryway doors, etc. </p>
<p>NMH arts have a long and strong tradition. The new arts center rivals any arts center anywhere, prep school or college. Certain athletic teams tend to be exceptional: in my day it was track/x-country/ice hockey, and now it is soccer & wrestling.</p>
<p>NMH has also always had a strong international streak. Students from all over the world, as well as most all US states. The school is deliberate in its internationalism, as evidenced by the student body and recruitment efforts, featured speakers, terms abroad, and the curriculum.</p>
<p>I was never accused of being a liberal, but NMH was the 3 greatest years of my life.</p>
<p>Klements</p>
<p>If I were ever called a liberal, I’d take it as a compliment =)</p>
<p>I know I was at risk saying liberal, because we associate that with politics too quickly. And recent events cause us all to be over sensitive - and maybe I am being just that. I guess the best way to describe the experience is that I know learning about Darfur, Paraguay, Katrina, Brazil rain forests, diversity of cultures, poisonous out-gassing in our carpets, and the plight of global warming are all important topics. And all touted as examples of NMH students getting involved in the world’s issues. </p>
<p>But they are not the only topics. </p>
<p>Shouldn’t they be balanced alongside Washington DC internships, semesters in London or Paris and other industrialized centers and tours of fiber optic laboratories?</p>
<p>I don’t want this to be a discussion of liberal education vs conservative education; I just want to see if there is balance to the NMH education.</p>
<p>And is Williston in your experience a school well below NMH. Cause we really didn’t get that impression on our visit - other than clearly the difference in capital spending. thanks all.</p>
<p>I don’t know very much about either of these schools, but I feel obligated to pipe in none the less.</p>
<p>I really don’t think that you should be saying Williston is “well below” NMH. I live near both of these schools, and, as I’ve said before on these boards, it’s not as though our entire part of the country walks around talking about how fantastic some of these schools are vs. others. </p>
<p>If Williston impresses you, and seems to be a good fit-- don’t disregard it just because it’s not as popular on CC. Make the right choice for your s/d, not for the adverage CC user.</p>
<p>Does Williston offer DC internships or semesters in London? Do some of the other preps? I agree with you, but I do think most of them lean toward what you call the more “liberal and pc/pro-diversity” options. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. My son’s in South Africa right now…visiting the US Embassy tomorrow. I know NMH has a strong Model UN team that recently returned from Hong Kong.</p>
<p>Lillium, I didn’t say Williston was less than NMH academically. I asked the question. But the SSATs reported, the SATs reported all seem to indicate that NMH students perform academically at a higher level than Williston. But sometimes those scores are old or are somehow presented in the best light for those reporting. So I asked for your impressions. By no means is that the only opinion we’ll seek, but as much first hand knowledge we can collect the better. </p>
<p>And Keylyme, I think all that’s good too. But it’s good to teach both sides of the coin. thanks all for the input.</p>
<p>We looked into Williston quite a bit and it was highly recommended to us. We did not get to visit and my son chose a MAPL school, but I think very highly of Williston and it sounds like it might be a better fit for your family.</p>
<p>mikes18…I agree with you about teaching both views. I am curious though if Williston does this. I presented the last two items as examples of “less liberal/?more conservative” activities.</p>
<p>mikes…while I can’t answer specific questions about Williston, I can answer any NMH questions you might have and would be happy to do so.</p>