Lawrenceville or Deerfield

Prep School Admissions Prep School Cafe
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Hi guys, I just recently got accepted to both Lawrenceville and Deerfield and am absolutely torn between them in deciding where to ultimately commit. I need help in making my decision as they are both very good schools.

Actually, I put way more effort into my Deerfield application than I did into my Lawrenceville app because I chose to apply to Deerfield whereas L’ville was my parents’ choice, and my interview for L’ville was super mediocre and almost close to bad, so I basically had no intention of going there at all, but I still somehow got accepted so of course now I’m considering it because it is a top school after all. The choice is very difficult to make between the two. Here is some information:

About myself, I’d be a female southeast Asian international student going into 10th grade. I’m not an athlete & do not play any sports. My interests involve writing/reading/English, debate, MUN, filmmaking+video editing, language learning.

I originally was intending to attend a school in New England (prioritizing Massachusetts), so naturally I’d lean towards Deerfield. But looking at Lawrenceville, they offer a Harkness curriculum (good because I thrive off of discussion based learning), very close proximity to major cities, nice big campus, and a considerably more diverse student body compared to Deerfield. I also heard that it’s a very good school to go in as a tenth grader because of the housing system. However I like the general vibe of Deerfield more. I stayed in regular contact with my interviewer and I loved the acceptance package they sent over, they also made a really nice congratulatory video for me. From Lawrenceville I only got an acceptance letter and nothing else. I might have the acceptance package coming in the mail but it has been taking quite a while.

Anyways, I really need help in making this decision because both seem to be excellent schools with equally great qualities unique to themselves which makes it difficult to choose one over the other. Please tell me about their rigor, people, culture, college counseling, and basically your experience with either school at all. I’d like to hear your thoughts. Thank you!!

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@confusedaboutFA might be helpful as a recent L’ville grad.

Fwiw, Central Jersey has a large population from Asia and India, and this tends to be reflectin the L’ville demographics as well.. Not sure where you are from, but in the general area, you will not be an outsider.

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I assume you are going to the revisit days? That will probably clarify things for you.

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I wish I could, but being an international student who’s tight on time, the trip would be very far to make… The reason it’s so hard to choose is simply because I’m unable to attend the revisit days as well. It would be so much easier if I could visit both and get a real life feel of the campus and vibes and immediately be able to tell which one I like more :’)

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Good to know, thanks!

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I think you are putting too much emphasis on the admissions experience and not enough on the objective characteristics you list in favor of Lawrenceville. But you could probably be happy and fulfilled at either institution. You may want to contact the admissions department of both schools and ask for them to get you in touch with other students on campus who share some of your interests and/or originate from your part of the world.

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Could someone tell me about/compare their rigor, social culture and traditions, and general vibe – what type of student would thrive in each school? By the way from what I’ve heard L’ville puts much less emphasis/requirement on sports than Deerfield – can someone confirm this for me?

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Deerfield students all engage in after school opportunities. It is required each term. The theater lover might be in a play. Or a musical? There will be different sports each term. If community service is your thing, you can enroll in a service co-curricular. So the requirement is there. How you fulfill it is up to you. My child wants to try a new sport in the autumn, he’s not sure yet about winter (maybe not a sport?) and spring offers the sport he loves best. He will work out/train year round for that in his personal time. It’s one of the reasons he chose the school. You will be encouraged to try new things and hopefully something clicks for you.

I do think that all of the boarding schools we looked at require some level of engagement. It does not have to be sports. Maybe someone here can clarify about Lawrenceville?

However, Deerfield does have great school spirit. Sometimes you are cheering from the sidelines or the audience. Sometimes you are on the field. Or in the orchestra. And I’m sure sometimes you can’t attend because there is so much work, you need to get to the library. I do think the school attracts a student who thinks all of that sounds fun.

Adding… I feel for you. Choosing between two great options from afar without revisits is tough. We just did this. I hope you find your fit.

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Congratulations! They are both wonderful schools, so you are spoiled for choice. However, they are very different, so you are wise to seek advice, especially in the absence of a revisit day (usually the best way to decide).

As @ameridad points out, sounds like you’re analyzing the admissions experience rather than the three years ahead.

Regarding the schools themselves: the comments are perceptive. Academic/intense versus sporty/community-oriented is a facile but helpful summary.

Some of this is due to location: one school is in the orbit of Princeton, while another is in the gorgeous but remote Pioneer Valley. Whether or not you’d like a vibrant South Asian community nearby is a decision only you can make for yourself.

As a close reader, I detect a bias in your original post which makes a strong case for one school over another. Take another look at your own words to see if the answer is right in front of you!

Good luck and congratulate yourself on having achieved two wonderful outcomes!

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This is true. I also go to college somewhat near Deerfield, and the area is incredibly white (and the Asian food painfully mediocre…). It’s also very annoying to get to major cities, and Deerfield is even less connected than where I am.

Currently traveling, but I’ll respond in more detail when I arrive at my destination.

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Hi - I hope yow saw the DM I sent you outlining the sports and other bits you were asking about. IF not ping me back as there are tons of non sport options to fulfill your ‘sports time’ at Lville.

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Lawrenceville is a lot bigger than Deerfield, and has many day students. The community, as one has pointed out, will have more Asians and therefore quite competitive. Deerfield is in a very rural and predominantly white area, but if you have sufficient experience living or traveling in the US, you should be fine. There are more traditions at DA than L: sit-down dinners is one example. Since you do not plan on revisits, definitely speak to multiple students with backgrounds/interests similar to yours. Both schools are great. Congratulations and good luck!

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Go where your gut says you should! From looking at your message it seems you really love Deerfield so I suggest you go there! I recently had to make a decision two very top schools and I ended up choosing the lower ranked one although my parents didn’t agree. Dont worry about anything else but what you want and make sure to speak to lots of students because I’m international too and that helped me tremendously to make my decision

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This is very helpful, thank you. Deerfield’s remote location was also one of my cons.

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Yes, I saw it! I’ll get back to you right now :blush:

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I posted some of the co-curricular offerings that Lawrenceville has in another thread; while you have to participate in an afternoon activity, it doesn’t have to be sports. Options include theater tech crew, visual arts, sports journalism, etc.

The English department is probably Lawrenceville’s strongest. It was so good that I still ponder declaring an English major in college. My writing skills have improved tremendously since I started there, and we read some really good works. I’ve had teachers who are so good at running their classes that they can completely change the direction of a discussion with one sentence. I highly recommend!

The MUN team was stronger than the debate team when I was there, but it seems like the debate team has gotten a lot better in the meantime. Still, I would say that “interscholastic competitive activities” (aside from sports) are one thing where Lawrenceville isn’t super focused; none of these (or similar activities, like mock trial, etc) were a big part of student life, while in-school activities like publications or theater were pretty big.

L10 News is Lawrenceville’s online video news show. You can watch episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQcjgnM6R9b4xKJHXzoAg5uHLNRkEwHB_.

The language department is pretty good, but some languages have stronger teaching than others. That said, all of my friends (regardless of language) were able to succeed in their college-level language classes, and they all had placed out of the introductory level. I personally have continued to learn my language in college (beyond the requirement), and I plan to study abroad in the country where said language is spoken.

Harkness prepared me really well for college-level humanities classes (sometimes a little too well…I have had some professors who don’t really like discussions all that much, and I get a bit feisty at times). As I mentioned, some of the teachers at Lawrenceville are legitimate geniuses when it comes to leading discussions. With that being said, “Harkness” is really a buzzword more than anything, and you’ll probably get discussion-based classes at any school you go to.

I already spoke about this, but one nice thing is that from Princeton Junction train station (~20 minute drive from Lawrenceville), you can get to both NYC and Philadelphia with relative ease; NYC takes ~90 minutes, Philadelphia ~1 hour. Plus, downtown Princeton (which you can take a bus to from Lawrenceville) is a very nice little town. I won’t even attempt to explain the absolute mess that is getting to Boston from Western MA via public transportation (and Uber doesn’t work, either)

I love the House system! I’m still close with a lot of my housemates today; if I’m ever in town where any of them goes to school, I try to grab lunch or something. It’s pretty amazing in that way. I also have a ton of house merch that I like to wear around.

I don’t know if a generic acceptance package copy-pasted to a couple hundred people should mean much.

On the other hand, this is very important.

I said this in another thread, but at both schools, the only real “requirement” to thrive is to be willing to be busy 24/7. Make sure you enjoy that!

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Thank you so much for your input—this is extremely helpful, especially now knowing the strength of L’ville’s English department. Would you say time management is something students need to have mastered beforehand in order to succeed in boarding school or is it something they learn to develop over time?

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Lawrenceville is the better choice, particularly going into 10th Grade. I faced the same choice as yours and I am happy with my decision to attend Lawrenceville (starting in 11th Grade). My daughter, who is American but has grown up in Thailand attending Bangkok’s best English language school, chose Lawrenceville because she is tired of the bullying that is rampant in Asia’s best schools.

Oh, and by the way, her interview with Lawrenceville was the worst, something I mean to address.

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A fact not known to most, is that Lawrenceville students on occasion attend classes at Princeton. That, and the proximity go Lawrenceville to New York, made the decision for my family.

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Lawrenceville’s house system is tailored for whom athletics is not determinative. Ask any Lawrenceville graduate and she will tell you the House Olympics is the highlight of the school year (assuming you are not varsity material). Under the house system, the least athletically inclined students have the most fun. When I was at Lawrenceville I played football for my house even though I had never touched a ball before.

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