<p>Also had a great revisit at Mercersburg. It is the only school D applied to so I can't compare it to others but it really solidified my D's desire to go.</p>
<p>Deerfield was extremely organized, yet welcoming. The headmistress stopped at every table to greet families. Furthermore,
the hosts were extremely well matched to the prospective students--our son spent the day at 6 classes, tried a new dish for lunch, and spent hours at lax practice in the rain with my husband. They returned the next morning to spend more time on campus. They explored the area and even found Richardson's homeade candy shop and an authentic pancake house with fresh maple syrup. Overall a successful trip!</p>
<p>LOVED exeter revisit : )</p>
<p>NMH was absolutely, positively amazing. I already knew it was the school for me, but all of my nerves were diminished after yesterday. My shadow was really really nice, and I was introduced to kids from completely different walks of lives than myself, which I found comforting as well as intriguing. Though I've always known NMH is different, I thought that some of the prep school stereotypes probably applied, but I was completely wrong. I didn't meet any kids I didn't like, and felt completely at home, but also as if it was a place that could change me as a person.</p>
<p>"On our re-visit, my son was not matched with a student. The "classes" we attended were "mock" and parents and potential students went. It was controlled. Interestingly, on your initial visit there, you do not get a student tour guide - the admissions officer tours you (most of them are alumni of the school) and a student is in the admissions office when you arrive to spend 15 minutes or so with you to answer questions. Again, very controlled."</p>
<p>I am a St. Paul's parent and have to say that the above quote regarding the initial visit is not accurate with respect to a typical visit when school is in session, not the norm at all. The re-visit information also is not reflective of the arrangement in recent years, so must be old if it applies to St. Paul's at all.</p>
<p>I find it interesting that the children of some posters had these impressions of the classes not being engaging, because that does not ring true at all to what we, as current parents, hear. St. Paul's is a high engagement school, in classes, work for classes, sports, other activities, and the community. I wouldn't expect 100% of any group of teenagers to be fully engaged in any class, especially on a dreary morning, but most are most times. It also might be hard for some students when they are visiting a class where they haven't done the reading, aren't familiar with the material, or don't speak the language - yet. Also, their view of engaging might be confused with entertaining.</p>
<p>Not every school is right for every admitted student, or would be the best choice among options, but we have not heard any complaints of boredom, only a few of less than ideal teachers, among the families we know. If you have any questions, feel free to pm me.</p>
<p>If the revisit is on a Friday or a rainy day you can expect teenagers to be less engaged.</p>
<p>I wasn't talking about St. Paul's revisit Alevelon23.<br>
We didn't apply to SPS as we had a tour guide who told us info that is likely not on the "script," we didn't get to see a classroom (except for a small peak in a door window) and decided it was definately not the right place for our son for those and a variety of other reasons.</p>
<p>In respects to the visit I did describe, yes, it was controlled, but you got ACCURATE information, which is why I htink they do it. And, you can stay over prior to applying (very few schools allow you to do that) and that is when you get a match, you get to see very uncontrolled information and to visit classes on a "regular" day. We found that to be much more helpful. When you have students taking you around it's either great or horrible, not much in between.</p>
<p>Dazzle,
Unfortunately Asheville was "too close" for my daughter. We visited and I loved it and had some great discussions with their director of admissions - even when I told him we were not going to apply, he helped me with questions of other schools. I think you will love it.</p>
<p>My revisit day was absolutely fantastic. Student match up as pretty good, but after the "official" revisit day was over I left my host and hung out with my good friend and her friends. THAT is when you find out what a school is about, and I loved it. I made new friends, and one kid said he'd hang out with me over the summer, because he'll be there for sports while I'm there for orientation (and I'll be one of the few juniors). It was also very interesting meeting all of the people she'd talked about all year. I felt as though I already knew them, and they knew about me as well, so we all instantly bonded. I had a few of them come up to me before I'd even seen my friend and say "OH, you must be [friend's name]'s friend! We went out to dinner and then to a concert. Her friends were awesome. The classes were great. I'm so excited for next year!</p>
<p>Regarding kids being "engaged" in class: I think we have to remember that these are high school kids we are talking about. Even though they may be brilliant and attending superlative schools, they may still act tired, bored, or completely disinterested in the class discussion. No one is "on" every day. </p>
<p>One thing to consider when youre looking at boarding schools is how well you identify with your potential classmates, as they will be an integral part of your experience. If you dont feel comfortable with your fellow students, you will not enjoy boarding school, no matter how highly ranked the school is or how gorgeous the campus is. The kids who are happy to be attending the school, serious about their studies, and contribute to class discussions can enhance your overall feeling about the school. Conversely, if there is a morale problem, and kids are not happy at the school, it can negatively impact your overall experience.</p>
<p>Great topic: the mysteries and surprises of revisit day! Our experience,</p>
<p>Choate: We were very impressed by the faculty and administration, who seemed truly committed and caring. Especially enjoyed speaking with the Registrar, who seems genuinely engaged in playing a positive role in helping each student achieve his/her academic goals. Unfortunately (and to our surprise and disappointment) the match-up with the tour guide was a bomb, so my daughter left feeling that she could not picture herself at Choate. Honestly, I think my daughter would probably likely thrive at Choate, but now it's water under the bridge ...</p>
<p>Hotchkiss: Wonderful day! Good match with tour guide. Friendly and engaged faculty, interesting revisiting parents, daughter really enjoyed spending time with current and revisiting students. By the end of the day, she felt she had a much better feel for the school (and likes it more than ever).</p>
<p>One more revisit to go ...</p>
<p>Thank you Linda S!
I think i will stick around for a while longer, and help the new-applicans next year. I'll be a constant reminder that the perfect school isn't always going to Be the big New England school that's oozing with prestige.
SQUEEEEE I'm SO EXCITED!!</p>
<p>Choate: I do not think that the friendliness shown at Choate was at all "phony". Everybody seemed genuinely excited to have us visit and we enjoyed the visit. The step presentation at the beginning was really cool and broke the ice well. I particularly enjoyed having the student panel to answer questions. They were funny and informative. I loved the classes and participated in a discussion in my history class about the Qing Dynasty. Any doubts I had about Choate were erased after such a lovely visit.</p>
<p>i read where someone had their first visit at sps led by admissions. my first visit included a tour led by a student. during the revisit, i got to sit in actual classes even though i spent little time in one class due to the schedule of events.</p>
<p>What did you think of the class you sat in on?</p>
<p>i sat in an art class and a humanities class. both were great. i generally have not liked art due to wack teachers in my local schools. the art teacher at sps was great and got me involved in making ceramic sculptures. i liked what i saw of humanities but it was cut short.</p>
<p>jenny craig - your comment is sooo right on. I believe that my son's revisit and then overnight stay were so successful because staff at the school really got who he was and made an effort to match him up with someone that he would actually hang out with. (turned out to be keylyme's son, small world) Not only did he like his tour guide but his friends as well.</p>
<p>Both of my revisits were great. My student hosts were friendly and I had a lot in common with them. The schools were great. Everyone was very friendly, too.</p>
<p>Schools - and businesses, people, etc - have certain things they are good at and certain things they excel at. It seems to me reading these posts, that some people think that a well put together revisit day = a good fit or a good school.</p>
<p>Now while I agree there are lots of things to learn from a revisit day, consider that marketing to a crowd may not be the core competency of the school. They may excel at teaching, but just not do a great job of marketing. They really are different competencies.</p>
<p>I would definitely want to know if students I met at a campus warned me not to go there, or kids were disinterested or sleeping in class. But a revisit day is not what you are spending your tuition on. Trying to see PAST the revisit day to the reality of attending that school is going to take imagination, effort and research.</p>
<p>What are the schools core values, competencies, and educational philosophy? Does this match with yours? Why bother about the dog and pony show?</p>
<p>Andover: Amazing. The host was a great matchup and the admission's office greeted us and told us that she read my application. All of the freshman in one of the smaller dorms were extremely kind and welcoming. I loved it.
:) i stilll have to revisit St. Andrew's in DE....</p>