<p>We did not consider Miss Porter’s. We briefly considered Westover, but based on input from friends and advisors, took it off the list. Emma was the only single-sex school GG applied to, out of 8 school apps total (and 13 or 14 visits… the memory is, blessedly, hazy). </p>
<p>FWIW, we have always viewed Emma as a school that has a higher academic mission for its girls than some of the schools that started out as “finishing” schools (not now, but back in the day). It was founded on the (then radical) principle that girls deserved access to the same academic opportunities that boys routinely received—and in traditionally “male” subjects such as math and science, to boot. In more recent years, the other girls’ schools have embraced STEM in the curriculum, but we felt Emma truly “walked the talk.” Our impression is that it is also more socially egalitarian than many of the other “old girls” schools. From what we’ve seen so far, and from what GG tells us, girls from all economic (and racial, religious, national, etc.) backgrounds come together without a lot of snobbery, focus on clothing or popularity, or jockeying for queen bee status. If wcmom checks on this thread, she will likely corroborate.</p>