mommytiger

question #15 is for OldCheme

mommytiger

Which school did you end up going with?

dodgersmom

mommytiger - oldcheme only posted once, two years ago, so it's not likely you will get a reply. Sorry.

FaithAlive

I am in the same situation and I am so curious!....

bashishg3

Episcopal vs. Haverford,

My son has been admitted to EA, Haverford and Shipley at Grade 5. All of them are simply considered Academic Powerhouses. And that is true. One should consider the personality of the child in considering the school. If someone is NOT a huge SPORT person, i would advise the most comfortable environment would be Shipley. It is the least of the social intimidation. In simple words, bulleying is least pungent in Shipley. The student can comfortably land into top 5 LAC in the country and also in Ivy (if they are competitive enough). Environment is certainly most friendly in Shipley among the 3, in other words, they are the least snob among the 3.
Haverford, being all boys, have the least tranquilizing effect, and so quickly you are adjusted to how they think, so better it would be for you. If you are NOT GOOD in Sports, or NOT have a height in other thing than academics, please get used to a bullying. Once used to, you would learn to handle it in the lower grade.
EA has the tranquilizing effect, being co-ed. They are more traditional in academics, Sports is a huge plus here, because they have to fight w Haverford or AIS in the Inter-Ac. In terms of college placement all 3 of them have strong records of placing people.
The edge in EA in terms of college placement, in the thread, comes from their student recruiting. They are very strict in terms of student recruiting in the school. They are not all-inclusive in terms student admission.
Shipley is the best in that.

So, please judge the kid's/student's personality in terms of choosing the school. All of them gives an outstanding teaching and prepare for a great citizen/statesman.

FaithAlive

Good thoughts... Which did you choose?

FaithAlive

HI so which did you choose? my son is wait pooled at Haverford and EA, he was accepted to Shipley.... but I did not feel lower at Shipley was a good fit for him... I would prefer EA as I like a spiritual component to education adn the people there are just so courteous and respectful, I feel like it is a very warm yet vigourous community..... great combo..... Haverford was very impressive as well and the all boys component may be a great thing, I do not know.... so now I am widening my travel distance and looking into other schools up to 18 miles away.... Chestnut HIll, Friend's Select, Germantown Academy... I want him to have a school this fall and all that I feel are good fits from him are full!... .its so frustrating...

bashishg3

To FaithAlive:

Before coming to where my son went, I would like to add something to your school list. Along with the 3 schools which accept boys, one more name should be pronounced as 'academic powerhouse'. That is Germantown Friends. For girls, you need to take Haverford out and can replace that with 2 other schools.
I think all of them (Haverford, EA, Shipley) are faith and values-based school, NOT a religious school per se. All of them have monthly assemblies, similar to chapel in EA. These help in the development of soul, spirit of a kid as (s)he is growing. I attended Chapel in EA and all-school assembly in Shipley. I am a believer, but NOT a Christian. I felt good in both schools. All of them make plenty of successful citizen for future.

I don't know why you did not like Shipley. Indeed, Shipley is the v good all-inclusive school. In fact they are the most inclusive among all-3.
My son went to Shipley in his Fifth grade, which is on-going. It is an wonderful school, they also almost customize to the childs' need in order to induce confidence in the kids' mind. It's safe to say here, the kids who may be 'picked on' or 'bulleyed' for no faults of their own in other places, Shipley integrates them. For advanced academic kids, they provide opportunities to various 'advanced academic try-outs'.

I may not be best person to talk about other schools, but what I learn... so much of customization may not be the case in other 2 schools. It's nothing good or bad: it's just the way Shipley separates out from the other. In fact I know boys who transferred from these 2 schools to Shipley. I know to girls who transferred other all girls schools. The key thing is they and their parents are happy for the 'all-inclusive' paradigm.

My son, in 6th Grade, is transferring to EA in the 6th Grade (middle school) from the Fall. The sole reason for our decision is competitive sports: He is a competitive athlete in tennis, he wants to play in Middle school A team & in "inter-Ac" league and beyond.

Dear FaithAlive, We could chat off-line in terms of getting into a good school for your son. Sooner the better for you... I think that would be more productive.

rebelangel

I went to EA for many years, back in the single sex days. These are all good schools, all a bit different. A next generation of cousins went to Shipley and liked it very much. These were the reputations back in the day:

Haverford - strong academics, rough and tumble/sink or swim, all-boys, good sports programs, too small a campus, blue blood, moderate to very WASPy, religion not a big day-to-day component

EA - strong academics, study of religion more instituionalized (school largely Christian, some Jews, one or two Muslims), went co-ed (smart), more mannered than Haverford, also blue blood, huge new Newtown Square campus (miss the old, less "white bread" campus on City Line!), strong sports programs, moderate to very WASPy

AIS - the athletic girls, good academics, steeped in tradition (like the others), nice campus but nothing extraordinary, very WASPy, religion not a big day-to-day feature

Baldwin - the smart girls, academic powerhouse, nice campus, but nothing extraordinary, more Jewish and inclusive than the others, not religious at all

Shipley - the bluest blood girls, now co-ed (did a very good job assimilating boys), nice campus but nothing extraordinary, excellent academics, not religious

FaithAlive

Love to chat offline.... how do we do that? Is there a private
Message Link?

bashishg3

FaithAlive

debashisg@comcast.net

bashishg3

To Rabelangle,

Nice way to summarize all schools. All of them are academic powerhouse. By published list: EA has the cumulatively most #s Ivys in 2009-11. 2012 list is not out yet. But considering Best LACs & Schools like Johns Hopkins, Duke, Stanford, Barkley all of them will be similar. All girls schools have less MIT/engineering students, as expected.

I would say among all these schools, Shipley has the most tranquilizing environment. Even more than all girls schools described above. That's how Shipley is distinguished than the others.