@GMC2918 at the end of the day I think deerfield is arguably a happier school as well! I have my fingers crossed that things will go in my best interest! Even if that means not getting off the WL
@mrnephew that’s a very wise perspective. While I conform to that, I hope my parents cool down about all this WL hype so that we can start thinking more realistically!
Exeter and Andover is still my first choices though, that hasn’t changed. I’m just trying my best to be more realistic. Fingers crossed though! I’m truly praying for the best to happen.
First of all, Congratulations on your acceptances to Deerfield and Milton!
I think time would be better spent on deciding between Deerfield and Milton and preparing your life 30 hours from home. There are a lot of things to prepare and consider for the move and new life. Looks like you are leaning toward Deerfield. Absorb as much as you can on Deerfield from websites and threads here and get in touch with friends or students in DA. Review course catalogs, consider which sports and afternoon activities you would do, and even start summer readings to take mind off from your parents. Plan your summer activities and/or jobs.
You will have the same situation in 4 years. Your parents will shame you when you get accepted to Yale and Princeton but wait-listed at Harvard. If you know how ridiculous that sounds, you should know how ridiculous it is now. God forbid that you would rather attend Amherst/Williams or Harvey Mudd not Harvard!
I can’t remember when the last time either Exeter or Andover went to the waitlist; it was not recently. Leave those behind and spend your energy on researching the 2 amazing, fantastic options you have.
I don’t think that there will be any possible way that Exeter will look to the wait-list. They accepted 446 kids for 307 spots. Their yield has been above 70% for many years and the trend has been up, so if they yield 72% like last year, they will have overenrolled 14 kids.
I know that Exeter has the Phelps and I think Andover has a DNA sequencer, but IIRC, Deerfield has some extremely impressive new science center (funding by the Koch bros, I think?).
I agree with GMC2918 that in some circles, Deerfield (and SPS and Groton) are considered more prestigious than A/E.
Agree with GMC2918 and 7Dad…the Koch brothers’ funded Science center has an excellent Center for Fracking. Just kidding!!!
A & E are truly great schools but Deerfield, SPS and Groton are definitely more prestigious … largely because they don’t try so hard 
@payn4ward thank you so much!
I am leaning towards deerfield and for the mean time I’ve already started roughly deciding what courses I would take!
Unfortunately I truly can envision that happening in a good 3 years time!
@skieurope I am aware of how slim (or non-existent) these chances are! I need to get it into my parents head that I’d gotten into deerfield which has even slimmer acceptance rates!
@sevendad - Yes! I’d seen the Koch science building during my visit. It’s great too! And realisticaly, all these schools are spectacular and have far above-average facilities and educational opportunities. It’s definitely a blessing to be accepted at either, I should cease the opportunity with open arms rather than pondering on the “what if’s” of my WL situation.
@photographermom thank you for that! I guess you’re right!
Hello! I’m a student at DA currently and I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. You should really come to a revisit day if you can because it will definitely get you pumped about Deerfield. I’ve loved my time at Deerfield and I’d say it’s no less “prestigious” than Exeter or Andover. There are students who would do well at one school and not at the others. You really can’t go wrong with any boarding school in the top 15, and the top 5 are indistinguishable! Anyway, feel free to reach out!
What is prestige? What do you mean @PhotographerMom when you say Deerfield, SPS, and Groton are more prestigious? Does it mean you are held in higher regard if you attend there by other people who think they are prestigious as well? Does it mean they are more “Upper-Class” and have less kids on FA and more legacies?
Not trying to say they aren’t prestigious or good schools. I know they are. I even applied to SPS. Everyone has a different fit, I’m just asking what gives these schools prestige.
@ehphant - Thank you, that’s very kind of you!
One thing I couldn’t quite grasp from other forums is the dorm life. I understand that almost the entire student body in DA is given a single - which I find great! I was just wondering if that made socialising harder in the beginning? Seeing as in other schools, having roommates is a great kickstart to their Boarding school social life.
@eighteenohfive I actually found it nice to have my own space, PARTICULARLY in the beginning. When everyone in the dorm has singles, everyone has to leave their room to hang out with others. People don’t really pair off into roommates, but rather do things as a hall a lot during the first few days. I would hang out in my dorm’s common room a ton with the other girls which helped me make more friends.
Now that I’m older, I like having my own space within the larger communal campus. I eat all my meals with friends, walk to classes with friends, sports, and the after dinner im with friends. It’s really nice just having a space that I can call my own and go back to when I need to “recharge” or just do homework! I can sleep in when I want, go to bed early without having a roommate get ready for bed in the dark, have my room messy or clean to my liking.
Are you entering as a freshman or a new sophomore/junior? The housing model is changing for next year, so some freshmen will have doubles. I’m sure it will work out fine, and those few that do have roommates will still want to hang out with their peers who have singles.You need more than one friend in high school! So much is done as a hall too, with hall bonding trips and hall feeds, that you’ll know so many people on your hall in the first few days, not to mention your sports team and classes! Basically, I’ve loved having a single and I have a relatively social life at DA
@Ehphant - I’ll be coming in as a sophomore! For additional info, how big are the rooms? Which dorms are sophomores placed in?
@GryffinHunter:
An attempt to explain…if I were to ask the average person what the most prestigious golf club in the US is, I bet many would say Augusta National (home of The Masters). But if I were to ask the average person if they’d ever heard of Pine Valley, they’d probably shake their heads and say “No.” But people who know these things know that Pine Valley might just be the most prestigious/exclusive club in the country. And OMG, it’s in New Jersey?
Which goes to show you what an illusory canard* “prestige” can be, and the folly of chasing it.
Because there are levels and there are levels. And IMO, the higher the level, the less one cares or even talks about “prestige”. A friend of mine in retail has this phrase “the luxury of the cognoscenti”…and as pretentious as that sounds, I think there is some accuracy to it. Those who know, know.
*BTW, I think I deserve some sort of special award for gratuitous use of SAT-prep words this week: hubris, excoriate, illusory, canard, folly, and cognoscenti. My work for the week is done.
Its all those M and Ms