<p>I highly recommend visiting when school is in session so you can get a good feel of what the student body is like.</p>
<p>i agree with the ones who say that you shouldnt get too hooked up the school’s ivy matriculation. 2 many ppl 4get the other sixty/seventy% of prep school kids who do NOT go to an ivy/first tier college.</p>
<p>wow some ppl thought about prep school since 6th grade? i didnt decide to go until late september of last fall when my mom started to worry and decided to ship me off to boarding school in the following fall - i was rather against leaving, but grudgingly researched the schools and found how spectacular they were - totally fell in love with them.</p>
<p>Im still a little hesitant to even apply to one. I’m not sure if I want to be away from home for nearly the whole year. Are there more breaks thoroughout the year than public school? When does school start and end. (months) Is the adjustment easy?</p>
<p>Jonathan,</p>
<p>There are actually fewer breaks at most breaks at most boarding schools, but the breaks are longer.</p>
<p>Although the schools vary their break start and stop times somewhat, you can get a general idea by looking at the calendar for any school.</p>
<p>The following link is the draft calendar for the 2006-2007 school year at Andover:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.andover.edu/academics/studies/calendar_06-07.htm[/url]”>http://www.andover.edu/academics/studies/calendar_06-07.htm</a></p>
<p>Wow, the breaks do seem to be much longer than my school’s. :)</p>
<p>Remember, some of these schools have a tougher admitance rates than HYPS or whatever</p>
<p>Start now looking at the entrance exams required, you will take the tests in the fall, but practicing now- I think its the SSAT test you will be taking</p>
<p>THe book stores have a variety of practice books</p>
<p>Keep your grades up and look around this web for other threads having to do with prep schools</p>
<p>Enjoy 7th grade and good for you for thinking about this now, but do not obsess</p>
<p>When you apply to highschools you will need recommendations, etc, so are you starting a new middle school in NYC? if so, REALLY get to know the counselors, the staff- as you are new, they need to get to know you well so your recommendations will be strong</p>
<p>And if you stay for HS in NYC, you will need those same things, if going private</p>
<p>Thank you. :)</p>
<p>Breaks are really long at boarding schools. There are also many long weekends, but if you live really far away you probably wouldnt go home, but maybe to a friend’s house.</p>
<p>Thank you. 
So far, I have chosen Andover and St. Paul’s as my top two choices, and Exeter, Choate, And Deerfield following after. (This was based soley on information on their websites. :))</p>
<p>oh, those are good choices! those are all of the schools that i applied to, except i had one more. actually, i had andover/exeter as my top two, followed by deerfield, choate, milton, and sps last. i didn’t like sps as much for some reason. firstly, i got the vibe that many students were legacies, and so seemed a little snobby. but the campus is beautiful, and many other students have had wonderful experiences at st. paul’s.</p>
<p>just remember to keep your mind open. you may find that you fall in love with deerfield or something like that. once you visit the schools, you will really be able to determine how you like them.</p>
<p>Thanks. </p>
<p>I’m going to call my dad soon and talk to him about driving down there sometime this summer… :)</p>
<p>oh, make sure to visit when all of the students are there. you can see the environment better. also, you can check out where the students hang out. :-)</p>
<p>While you’re there you should also take a look at Hotchkiss.</p>
<p>I go to Peddie and I can’t stress enough how environment has an impact on your studies. Prep schools, even ones like Peddie, Blair and Lawrenceville, are pretty much the same, socially - but academically, can be streets ahead of other schools. I’m an international student, so I’ve been in another system, but I was considered academically very bright at my last school. At Peddie, I <em>fit in</em> - two of my friends are among the top ten percent, both National Merit Scholars, both Science Team, both getting outrageous offers from universities for financial aid (merit-based). Peddie is like that, as are most of these schools - this is how Peddie and others get their statistics. One kid here is an African politician’s son, elected something like ‘future world leaders of our generation’ and got in ED to Harvard. It’s like that. Be sure you can handle being a very ordinary fish in a huge pond full of competitive jumpers before you sign on - you’d be better chanced for an Ivy with a high school that allowed you AP courses but wasn’t seen as ‘hothousing’ like a prep school.</p>
<p>Thanks. :)</p>
<p>Yikes. I’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t be here, but it pains me to hear of a seventh grader looking for a boarding school with an “impressive college matriculation” record. </p>
<p>I’m sure you precocious types have all read Hamlet, so I think I can ask you to pardon me if I pontificate </p>
<p>Haha, well Jonathan, I was also ‘one of those 7th graders’ who was looking at college matriculation. I never really looked at otherr schools though (I probably should have) I just applied to Exeter and Andover and Choate, because those were really the only ones I knew about at the time. I didn’t apply to Choate though in the end, just because of the gut instinct. But everyone is different!!! It is such a fun/exciting time when you’re applying. (Tedious too, but fun.)</p>
<p>Maybe this will help. Just a note on an update, Middlesex is currently (last 5 years) at 27%, as is Groton,. Hotchkiss is at 22%. Nobles is really a day school. </p>
<p>American College Preparatory Boarding School RankingPrepReview.com Premium Content</p>
<p>2005 American College Preparatory Boarding School Ranking
Based on Percent Matriculation to Ivy League + MIT and Stanford Universities</p>
<p>Notable Alumni in Politics, Government and Public Service</p>
<p>Global Top 50 Boarding Schools Ranking American Top 30 Boarding Schools Ranking British Top 30 Boarding Schools Ranking Canadian Top 10 Boarding Schools Ranking Endowment Ranking</p>
<p>Rank Preparatory Boarding Schools Location IVY+MIT Stanford Harvard Rank Top 20 MIT Rank Top 10 Yale Rank Top 20 Stanford Rank Top 20 Princeton Rank Top 20 Median SAT School Mean SAT School Mean SAT Public Mean SAT State Board Grade Board Age 2004 Tuition Boarding School Type
1 St. Paul’s School NH 40% 6 unranked 7 12 11 1345 - 1026 1043 9 - 12 14-18 $31,125 Coed Board Only
2 Milton Academy MA 32% 7 unranked 15 19 unranked - 1340 1030 1041 9 - 12 14-18 $29,275 Coed Board Day
3 Groton School MA 31% 3 unranked 12 unranked 5 1360 - 1030 1041 8 - 12 13-18 $33,930 Coed Board Day
Phillips Andover Academy MA 31% 13 3 13 20 16 - 1350 1030 1041 9 - PG 14-19 $30,100 Coed Board Day
5 Noble & Greenough School MA 29% 14 unranked 14 unranked 4 - 1310 1030 1041 9 - 12 14-18 $29,300 Coed Board Day
6 Phillips Exeter Academy NH 28% 15 4 19 16 8 1365 - 1026 1043 9 - PG 14-19 $30,000 Coed Board Day
7 Deerfield Academy MA 27% 16 unranked 17 unranked 14 1330 - 1030 1041 9 - PG 14-19 $29,960 Coed Board Day
8 Hotchkiss School CT 25% 18 unranked 18 unranked unranked - 1300 1016 1030 9 - PG 14-19 $29,925 Coed Board Day
9 Middlesex School MA 24% 11 unranked unranked unranked unranked 1320 - 1030 1041 9 - 12 14-18 $32,800 Coed Board Day
10 Lawrenceville School NJ 23% 19 unranked 20 18 11 - 1340 1013 1015 9 - PG 14-19 $30,335 Coed Board Day
11 Choate Rosemary Hall CT 20% unranked unranked 16 unranked unranked 1300 - 1016 1030 9 - PG 14-19 $31,590 Coed Board Day
12 Thacher School CA 21%^ 18% unranked unranked unranked 9 unranked - 1320 1005 1020 9 - 12 14-18 $31,250 Coed Board Day
13 Hockaday School TX 20%^ 16% unranked unranked unranked 5 unranked - 1280 988 972 8 - 12 13-18 $28,920 Girls’ Board Day
14 Taft School CT 18% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked - 1290 1016 1030 9 - PG 14-19 $31,000 Coed Board Day
15 Webb School CA 15%^ 15% unranked unranked unranked 8 unranked - 1310 1005 1020 9 - 12 14-18 $29,300 Coed Board Day
Loomis Chaffee School CT 15% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked - - 1016 1030 9 - PG 14-19 $30,900 Coed Board Day
St. Andrew’s School DE 15% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked - 1290 955 989 9 - 12 14-18 $29,000 Coed Board Day
Northfield Mount Hermon School MA 15% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked - - 1030 1041 9 - PG 14-19 $30,300 Coed Board Day
Cranbrook Schools MI 15% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked 1270 - 1131 1136 9 - 12 14-18 $27,930 Coed Board Day
20 Cate School CA 13% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked 1280 - 1005 1020 9 - 12 14-18 $31,500 Coed Board Day
21 Concord Academy MA 12% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked 1350 - 1030 1041 9 - 12 14-18 $31,985 Coed Board Day
St. George’s School RI 12% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked - 1260 991 1005 9 - 12 14-18 $30,000 Coed Board Day
Miss Porter’s School CT 12% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked - - 1016 1030 9 - 12 14-18 $31,500 Girls’ Board Day
Emma Willard School NY 12% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked 1280 - 993 997 9 - PG 14-19 $31,200 Girls’ Board Day
Peddie School NJ 12% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked - - 1015 1015 8 - PG 14-19 $30,400 Coed Board Day
26 Kent School CT 11% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked 1290 - 1016 1030 9 - PG 14-19 $31,900 Coed Board Day
27 Episcopal High School VA 10% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked - - 1019 1024 9 - 12 14-18 $29,300 Coed Board Day
Woodberry Forest School VA 10% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked 1280 - 1019 1024 9 - 12 14-18 $28,400 Boys’ Board Day
Georgetown Preparatory MD 10% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked - - 1017 1026 9 - 12 14-18 $31,270 Boys’ Board Day
30 St. Mark’s School MA 8%-10% unranked unranked unranked unranked unranked - 1270 1030 1041 9 - 12 14-18 $31,900 Coed Board Day</p>
<p>Prepparent, do you honestly think that Ivy/MIT/Stanford matriculation is really the right way to choose a boarding school?</p>
<p>I find that really wrongheaded, for many reasons.</p>
<p>First and foremost is the issue of fit. A boarding school must fit the student. A student who’s eccentric and has so-called “alternative” cultural tastes would probably never feel comfortable at Deerfield. A student who’s an arch-conservative probably wouldn’t feel comfortable at a place like the Cambridge School of Weston or Idyllwild Arts Academy. </p>
<p>That’s just school culture. What about classes offered, school size, quality of students, quality of teachers, etc.? </p>
<p>You’ll probably say that a high Ivy matriculation rate demonstrates student and teacher quality, but I disagree. The schools lower on your list may be “second tier,” or they may send some students to top liberal arts colleges instead of to Cornell and Penn (easy Ivies). You don’t know.</p>
<p>In any case, I think that there are a myriad of more important factors that should influence a kid’s/parent’s choice of prep school than Ivy matriculation rate. Don’t you?</p>
<p>Thank you preparent, that helped a lot. Could you give me some information on what the percentages and other numbers are?</p>