For girl entering 9th grade. Beside the suburban vs. rural – which school would you choose and why? Revisits are already scheduled. Thanks in advance.
We visited both and DD chose not to apply to NMH. The island has great appeal and NMH while beautiful, was hilly and spread out. Some of the facilities, specifically the science building, is really dated. The performing arts center at NMH is nice but I personally like the Loomis facility better. This is from a mom’s perspective but I thing my daughter has similar sentiments.
Agree with @MAandMEmom. DC visited NMH, but ultimately decided not to apply. NMH has some beautiful vistas on its campus, but it appeared to both DC and I that the school needs some sprucing up of its different facilities and the science building was a particular negative to us.
NMH recently received a multi-million dollar donation and a chunk of this is being used to create a new science center, and although you may walk up and down the hill a bit over the course of a day, the views are pretty stunning, and the adjacent farm partially run by the students makes it’s own ice cream! NMH is also know for having the very best food overall. As a parent, I appreciate that the facilities are extremely well maintained too. However, I think these are bells and whistles. My daughter chose NMH because we felt the students there seemed truly happy to be there which was not true at every school we visited. It is laid back but there is still plenty of rigor. It’s big enough that a child can flow easily between groups and everyone finds friends, and because of the small, discussion based classes, students and teachers know each other well. Every single teacher my daughter has had has understood her and supported or challenged her as needed, and even the teachers she has never had know who she is. NMH sends kids to the Ivies every year, but you don’t need to be at the top of the class to feel like you are making a valuable contribution to the school. My daughter also loves the long block schedule. Classes are very engaging and the 90 minute blocks allow time for great discussions as well as projects. Some of the sports teams are at the top of their leagues (both girls and boys basketball this year, for example) but there are plenty of other activities if competitive team sports are not your main thing. The school is able to fit a wide variety of kids and it is also boasts one of the most diverse student populations, 1/3 are international students. Honestly, there isn’t anything I don’t like about NMH, and I went to Taft! Go hoggers!
Okay maybe I made it too obvious that I drank the NMH kool-aid so to walk it back a bit, a lot of schools can claim some of these same traits, and yes the current science building has a 50s vibe that is out of character with the rest of the school. If you are a STEM kid, Berkshire’s labs are brand new and amazing.
My DD looked at and was admitted to both. One distinction that we felt was that the vibe at NMH was a bit more alternative and laid back and LC was more traditional and driven. Just one POV.
I should have mentioned that DD loves science and it will be awesome when the new building is done, but that may be a few years and for her that was important enough. The new residence hall is really nice but maybe someone can chime in on the older giant one.
DD has been to revisit days at both NMH and Loomis and loves both for different reasons. NMH feels like a very happy place with friendly students and teachers. Loomis has newer dorms and the campus feels very scrubbed. Both places seem to be on the rise in popularity. At first I was concerned that Loomis had such a high percentage of day students but that is changing to 70 % boarding and I think the weekends are now filled with more social events than in the past.
I’d love to get more feedback from anyone on the teaching from NMN and Loomis.
@ karen0…my daughter was accepted to both last year. If you want to PM me, I will be happy to answer any questions. Congrats on two great choices.
I can’t really compare, because I didn’t look at Loomis, but NMH is perhaps where I am going - it was one of my most favorite schools. The whole holistic program they have, the location, the vibe I got from being there - I just absolutely loved it. I have a big decision I have to make very soon, and if I don’t go there it’s really nothing about NMH, just someplace else won out.
My DS is loving his first year at NMH. Feel free to PM me, if you have questions. It was a great choice.
They’re both fine schools.
But do trips home require flying? If so, then I vote for LC. NMH is considerably more inconvenient to get to. LC is within spitting distance of BDL and Amtrak.
Yes, I know NMH will offer shuttles to the airport. It’s not the same thing as having easy access. I know. I have/had one kid in a remote school and one in an easily accessible school. Travel & hotel booking for Parents Wkend is a challenge for my kid’s remote school.
Plus LC gets bonus points for the awesome BBQ restaurant across the street from the entrance of the school, and nearby supermarket tbat kids can walk to replenish supplies.
@karen0 we are facing the same decision and as of right now we are torn. Initially we did a live interview for Loomis but did a skype interview for NMH. We recently did a revisit for NMH and are doing Loomis this week.
I agree with @GMTplus7 that NMH is significantly more inconvenient to get to – it is a definitely a major factor in the “con” column for us. On the other hand, I think the remote location, rightly or wrongly, makes me feel as if my DC would be protected and safe.
For what it’s worth, here are our thoughts on the two schools:
Vibe: our impression was the same as @erlanger and others – NMH seemed very laid back and bohemian, with most teachers even being referred to by first name, while Loomis seemed a little more traditional and preppy. Although I have read on these boards that Loomis too is relatively laid-back (at least when compared to other boarding schools) so we will re-look at this during revisit. Both schools seem to have equally strong athletics.
Campus: For us, the edge goes to NMH on this, although admittedly we did not see the science center mentioned above (seems that the tours steer you away). Although Loomis is nice also – we did not realize from our tour how large the campus is, and will be looking again at this on revisit. The library at Loomis was impressive.
Academics/Teachers: still open on this one, but was surprised to be so impressed with the block system at NMH. I know this is not for everyone but I think this would benefit my DC greatly. Based on a quick review of where teachers went to school (not a great method of comparing, I know), they seem to be very comparable. I get the impression that a lot of teachers at NMH are refugees from more traditional pressure-cooker boarding schools. Will be looking closely at this during Loomis revisit.
Academic support: NMH offers academic support services for kids that may need generic help with basic study skills, time management, etc. which seems to be commonly used by the students. Not sure yet if Loomis offers anything like that and how broadly it is used, but will be checking at revisit. I know Loomis has structured study hall with doors open and cell phones in the hall, which I like.
Reputation/Rankings: Loomis on this one. A lot of people we know, even those that have attended BS, have not heard of NMH. While Loomis usually (but not always) is listed among top boarding schools, NMH is only sometimes listed among top boarding schools. While this will not be a driving factor, at $60k a year, it will be a factor we consider.
Test Scores: Loomis again on this one. We know scores aren’t everything, but they are again something to consider.
College Matriculation: Edge to Loomis on this one, but I’m starting to wonder if NMH is closer to Loomis than I thought. Although admission to ivies are a decent litmus test, we are looking also at admission to other quality schools (e.g. williams, bowdoin, carleton, vasser, carnegie mellon, georgetown). NMH seems to offer a lot of support in the college app process (selection of list, essay review, etc.) - I’m guessing Loomis does too but need to hear more at revisit.
work program: both schools have mandatory jobs for the kids, which I love. NMH has mandatory 4 hours a week, not sure about how Loomis’ works.
@ Frydaddy… as I posted earlier, if you have any questions either before or after revisit day please feel free to PM me. My DD is currently at Loomis, but had NMH as one of her choices.
Feel free to PM me with specific questions too regarding NMH - there are a few “big” dorms. Chimneykid is in the least attractive one for girls all 3 years but it has the basics (lounge, decent sized rooms etc) and she loves it. After freshman year it is common for kids to stay in the same dorm for the remainder of their time so the students and dorm parents in residence forge strong bonds. Freshman live in the row of cute cottages. Dorms compete against each other throughout the year starting with “Hoglympics” and the kids have a lot of dorm pride. They do have supervised study hall each night in their rooms but do not take away phones - it is against the rules to use them during study hall though and cell use is pretty discouraged in general on campus. I think the remote location does feel a little safer for this age - no where to get into trouble really and creates a bubble of sorts which I like. They do offer van rides to Greenfield for shopping and dinner out and the kids can call cabs too but there really isn’t much within walking distance.
Regarding support, although NMH does offer study skills support and there is no extra charge and anyone can access it (many schools limit access and charge extra) and the vibe is relaxed, the 2 semester schedule means classes move at a brisk pace. Kids are covering a years worth of material in just six months and there is not a lot of hand holding but the work load is pretty manageable for most students. Not sure if Loomis’s schedule change will mean the schools are more similar or not.
Regarding college placement, I think NMH certainly holds its own. This year non athlete seniors are attending Brown (very popular at NMH),Wesleyan, Swathmore, Duke, Penn, etc.
Also for the students who are mature enough to seek out extra help for any reason (not just study skills), it is easily accessible. Teachers all have office hours for extra help, peer/student tutors have regular hours, etc.
@Frydaddy…Loomis has academic support services for both kids who have documented LD’s and those who just need extra help in a subject, on a test, etc. They encourage kids to self-advocate and go to the LRC or the QRC when they need help. They also have a peer-to-peer tutoring as well. Hiring outside tutors is very rare and not encouraged unless the child is truly failing in a course. Hope this helps.
@GMTplus7 What is the name of the BBQ place? I would like to visit when I visit DS at NMH 
The BBQ joint:
http://places.singleplatform.com/nat-haydens-real-pit-barbecue/menu?ref=integration
It’s near Loomis, not NMH.
But my favorite restaurant of all in that region:
Alinas (Italian)
http://www.myalinas.com/
@GMTplus7 I wouldn’t call Alinas “in the area” since its 45 minutes north of Loomis