I am offered a place in these schools and I am having trouble with deciding which offer to accept. I liked Suffield academy most for its friendly environment. Moreover, I have a twin brother who was only accepted to Kent and Loomis.
The thing is that I am confused with the fact that Loomis offers 58 Ap courses, Kent offers 38 and Suffield offers only 18… Dose it say much about the school?
I’m also confused with rankings, where Kent (sometimes) is estimated to be even better than Loomis… How much shall I trust these rankings, can they be tampered?
Summing up: is it better to trust your own feelings about the school or I shall really on rankings?
The only ranking that matters in this case is your own. All three are fine schools, and even if they were not so close in terms of the various ways you can rank them, it still would be important to give a lot of weight to your feelings.
One way to look at it is that Loomis is defintiely better than Suffield, and Suffield is better than Kent. What makes it confusing for a lot of people is that Kent is actually better than Loomis, which leave Suffield as both better and worse than Loomis and Kent. And vice versa.
I can look at various data points and tell you that each one could be made to look better on paper in a certain way. In the end though, each offers so much that you could never take advantage of it all. How many AP courses are you planning on taking? No even 18, I imagine, so it matters mainly how well a school will help you meet your goals given your own unique situation in terms of what the schools offer. If you are just looking for an excellent high school experience, it comes down to the school at which you feel most comfortable and feel you will be best challenged.
@mrnephew - I saw one set of data that had Kent ahead of Loomis by 30 or 40 points on average SAT scores. Since Suffield has a lower admission rate than Kent it must be more selective, but Loomis has a higher SSAT score than Suffield … where are we again? More importantly, why are we even here?
I’m going to backtrack and stick with “go with your gut.” If anything, it makes more sense at the end of the day.
Loomis has a lower admission rate, and its college matriculation has been kicking butt over the past two years… And its average SAT is the same as Kent and better than Suffield, from what I’ve gathered. I’ve still yet to come across a ranking of prep schools that has either Suffield or Kent on top of Loomis. Not that I put much stock into these rankings, but regardless, that’s how the cookie crumbled.
It means nothing. My kids go to different boarding schools w zero AP courses.
There’s no official “ranking”. All 3 schools are excellent and very well regarded. Colleges aren’t going to care about the “ranking” between Kent vs Suffield vs Loomis. Colleges are going to care about YOUR ranking vs. the other students at Kent, Suffield, Loomis
This is going to be your home for the next four[?] years. What do you want out of the school? Are there special ECs/sports you want? Are you comfortable w a formal dress code? Are you a long-distance student? Suffield and Loomis are a stone’s throw from BDL Airport.
If your parents can swing the logistics, it’s more complicated but totally doable to have kids at 2 different schools (as I well know).
FWIW, here is a tool to compare the schools’ numbers side-by-side, to compare stats, demographics.
I know it sounds like I’m pushing for Loomis here, but I still think you should trust your gut. It’s just that I loved Loomis so much during the entire decision process, and it still remains my favorite (non-L’ville) school.
Many schools have fewer designated AP courses, but their students can still take the AP exams. Not officially designating courses AP gives the school more flexibility with the curriculum. I feel certain that @mrnephew and other L"ville kids will take AP exams.
To all kids out there trying to make decisions about schools, please take all advice on this site with a big grain of salt. The goal is to find an environment you love and you will thrive in as a result. Make sure the kids are nice and the atmosphere is healthy and positive. All of these schools are prestigious and they all send students to Ivies and other great colleges every year. Scores and admissions rates won’t be what you remember about your high school, you’ll only remember the experience and what you accomplished there. My kids went to Kent and loved it there. The beautiful little town is walkable and considered an extension of the campus. Is that important to you? Kent has a beautiful new pre-engineering center and a pre-engineering certificate program and special programs with Penn and Harvard etc. Is engineering in your future? Kent has one of the best crew programs in New England. Want to row? It has stables and an equestrian program. Want to ride? Think about what you want to do in school and how you want to spend your free time. These schools will all have a rigorous curriculum and plenty of AP classes – more than you could ever take. But where will you do your best work and find inspiration?
I just finished my revisits and have decided on Kent. That’s just me and I definitely think you have to go with what you feel. When revisiting if you feel like you’re forcing yourself to like the school or feel the students aren’t friendly, drop it off your list. Go with what feels right and where you feel you will fit in the best. Good luck with your decision and congratulations on your acceptances!
