Hi!!
I know you already committed (sorry it’s been a while) and I just wanted to chime in a little as someone who attended mburg. Mercersburg is not really a pressure cooker (though I suppose that’s subjective) but definitely not academically freshman year(gathering what I know from my peers). At least for my freshman year, a lot of it was spent making memories and friends with events every weekend (my favorite being cupcake decorating, bingo night, and walking around the beautiful campus). And all of those activities definitely won’t make you lose focus on academics as we love studying in the one north coffee shop and SSC. It definitely gets more academically rigorous as you move up the grades but you can adjust that by choosing classes to your liking and level! Mercersburg prioritizes academics but I would say community is at the top of their list. I would say mburg is great for chill time with friends especially compared to my friends in other boarding schools.
So to re-address your concerns, I would say you don’t have anything to worry about. The first week of school will be jam packed with inbound (orientation) activities, pga (performance group activities), and plenty of bonding time. You get to spend time eating breakfast and dinners with your PGA so it’s easy to make new friends. Mercersburg has a lot of academically ambitious individuals but it’s never a “competition” all the time, as mburg really focuses on personal growth and your own academic journey.
So that’s all I can say! I’ve had a wonderful time at mburg, I would be lying to say there weren’t bad moments, but that’s boarding schools in general and boarding school is definitely what you make of it! And if you or anyone has concerns or want a student perspective feel free to contact me here! I’d love to help.