Hey Guys,
If you know any of these schools first hand can you please tell me about academics, grades (reasonable/inflation/deflation), pressure/stress level, life in the doors, social life, sports and any other helpful info.
Thanks a bunch!
KH
I meant dorms!
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An important distinction is that Groton starts with the 8th grade rather than 9th. Those entering after 8th grade may encounter established friend groups.
All are great schools. Groton is small.
That may have an impact but probably not a huge one. Iirc, the eighth grade class is VERY small and the majority of students enter in 9th. Has that changed?
It does make admissions that much more competitive, though.
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This feels like the story of the 3 bears … sort of … just hard to say which is just right. You will need to experience them/get to know them better to determine that. (the below is just our opinion, others might have a different take).
Exeter is a very large school (one of the biggest). There is constantly new construction - one of the largest endowments. The school sits in the town. The town is considered part of the campus.This has pluses and minuses. Lots of places to go and grab food or shop. Makes the campus feel even more spread out. Spend more money, and an additional distraction. It is not a pretty campus (but the facilities are great). There is very little oversight. It is the closest to the college experience. It has endless classes and clubs. Very competitive, self-induced atmosphere.
Hotchkiss is a large mid-size school. about 1/2 # students of Exeter. It sits on a beautiful campus, away from town (more remote of the 3). Wonderful facilities with a healthy endowment. It has more oversight and feels like a close community. Of course it is amongst the top schools so the academics are strong, but seems to be less of a pressure cooker grind.
Groton is on the smaller side at a little more than 1/2 the # of students at Hotchkiss. This is a very tight knit community that includes an 8th grade, but with most kids entering in the 9th grade, I would not let that sway you. It is a pretty campus situated around a circle. While the school has more acres, community life is more centered in a small radius. It is not near the main town. There is a lot of oversight in that there are proctored study halls during the day for younger students. The headmaster hosts each grade at their home weekly. Everyone knows all the students. (They really get to know their applicants as well - they send an incredibly thoughtful and personalized acceptance letter to each of their admitted students. It is considered a pressure grinder, and students shared that they feel competitive with one another. But they do have activity breaks across grades and community throughout the day to try to bring everyone together. Given the large endowment, the facilities are probably the most tired, though some of it is part of its charm. See the old schoolroom. The lower dorms are not for everyone.
Note to consider: Large schools offer a ton of options but is also means a large pool competing for the same opportunities. At a smaller school there are more opportunities but less options. Something to consider.
Certainly these are 3 amazing schools that will help you figure out what type of school you want to be at. Consider that there are many more in this same caliber and offering. Each school has its own heartbeat. Get to know the schools the best you can as often your opinion changes throughout the process as you get to know the schools better and more about what you want. Good luck. Happy to share more thoughts, you can email me.
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the 8th grade at Groton should not factor into anyone’s decision in terms of “established friend groups.” That simply isn’t an issue I have ever heard a single kid bring up. Ever. Totally irrelevant.
Note about oversight. There is much less oversight at most boarding schools than parents are led to believe from the way schools talk. If you do not trust your child to handle themselves with very little adult supervision keep them in a day school at home. There is certainly not a lot of oversight at Groton. Sure 9th graders have to go to study hall. For one semester. Then many make honor roll and no longer have to attend study hall.
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On another thread about Groton, a poster wrote that the 8th grade class at Groton has 30 students many of whom are repeaters. 9th grade is much larger–probably 85 to 90 students.
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Can anyone please offer me some insights into politics at these schools? I don’t want my daughter indoctrinated in one way or another. I experienced communism in China and I am hoping democracy is still present rather than a lean to a one sided woke ideology.
Greatly appreciated!
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You should wait until you have acceptances in hand to evaluate all of your options and which is best for you.
Fwiw, most kids will be far more influenced by their peers than anything the schools wish to impose. None of these schools have agendas.
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i know some people who go to exeter and they are not having a good time there due to the amount of stress that they are receiving. take this with a grain of salt though, since it might be different for your kid if your kid went there. there are lots of stressors in the environment there that might affect a student’s stress levels. might be the large campus, huge amount of coursework, or something else.
i know lots of people say that they would like a very academically challenging environment to learn in, but I would recommend seriously considering how one may impact your kid and your kid’s mental health. it can be very easy to get burnt out before you even enter college. exeter likely wouldn’t be enjoyable if you aren’t absolutely sure that your kid has have great time management skills and motivation.
i recommend revisiting if you are accepted to see firsthand if it’s a good fit for you or not. that’s the best way to learn about what the academics, social life, sports, etc. is/are like.
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See where your child gets in and then ask again based on the acceptances!
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Politically they are all pretty much alike, New England - very liberal. Like the colleges in the area.
The Deerfield student newspaper had an article (last year or two?) complaining about it by the two conservatives there 
Size wise, Groton is small. Hotchkiss medium and Exeter, large. Very different feel. They likely wouldn’t ALL be a good fit for one person.
See where your kid gets in…
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Thank you!
Thank you for your reply.
I am a parent of a DS24. I attended Exeter so long ago that practically nothing I could tell you about my experience would be relevant now. At the time I attended, Exeter practiced serious grade deflation - I get the impression that this hasn’t changed. (Interestingly, I see that while Harvard got rid of its old 15 point gpa scale in favor of a 4 point scale at some point, Exeter appears to maintain an 11 point gpa scale where an 11 is an A, 10 is an A-, 9 is a B+.)
I will say that I don’t regret attending. My son didn’t want leave home for high school, but I would have sent him to Exeter had he been interested.
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PM me
In my opinion, good schools (and teachers) teach students to think critically about what they hear, see, and read. Perhaps the question is how does a school emphasize critical thinking within their program…
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Hotchkiss dorm life is incredible. Each dorm has its own persona – and trust me, the social life here is fantastic.
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is it true the wifi is horrible
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Correction – the cellular data is not strong due to its remote environment. However, the wifi is completely fine when on campus.
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