I go to loomis and can say that one thing that separates Loomis is that we have a really nice town right as you walk off campus and we are also really close to Hartford which lets students have easy access to off-campus activities on the weekend. Students can leave campus on the weekends as long as it is approved by their parents through an app that the school uses. If you want to walk to town, however, you can pretty much just go whenever you want and we have a grocery store just off the side entrance to the school. For me, I really wanted to make sure I didn’t feel isolated from the outside world while I was at boarding school and I think that’s much easier to avoid at a school like Loomis compared to Hotchkiss or Deerfield which are very rural campuses. While you can pretty much do what you want on the weekends, the school also organizes on campus and off campus activities (Mall trips, shows, etc.) that often receive ample attendance.
The theater program at Loomis is also really well-known and we actually have a lot of support from former alumni who go on to become professionals in the industry. I believe they’re creating a new theater by next year so that might be something that would peak your interest. I’m not a big theater person, but I do know that the plays are really well done and virtually everyone tries to get a ticket to the show.
When it comes to Athletics, loomis has a reputation as a very athletic school and we do extremely well against other schools both within the Founders League and NEPSAC. I will say, we are not good at football—we are notoriously bad at football—some people feel like that detracts from our school culture, but honestly I think having a relatively weak football program allows a more balanced school culture since it doesn’t allow us to become a heavily sports dominated community. We really have strong programs across the board in the arts and athletics and students are hyper-involved in both areas.
Overall, Loomis is a pretty relaxed school in terms of everyday culture, I wouldn’t say we are as relaxed as Choate or NMH as we still have a basic dress code that has to be followed and there is a more structured schedule, but I do feel that the school administration does a good job of providing students with a reasonable amount of freedom while maintaining proper oversight.
Loomis also is a member of the school year abroad and semester abroad programs. We also have the GESC and Alford Center for Global & Environmental studies which establishes a lot of other international educational opportunities for students (I would definitely look into this if you’re considering loomis).
Good luck making your choice! I really feel for all the newly admitted boarding school students, making a decision like this is incredibly difficult without revisit days, but I’m sure it will work out in the end.