So decisions are in and my daughter was wait listed across the board except Madeira and Peddie. She liked Madeira and only applied to Peddie as they waived the application fee and FA fee. We will visit Peddie in early April.
Daughter is a smart (straight A’s and 97% SSAT) inquisitive young woman that loves STEM. She is small so will not excel in athletics but wants to try new things like crew and squash. She is shy and not a Type A. She will do extra curriculars if pushed and then enjoys them. She is friends with everyone, but not deep friendships as she prefers to be by herself. We need her to get out of her shell.
So now the choice are these schools. Is there one better suited to her? Not necessarily looking for an IVY feeder, but would be happy if you went down that path.
I was surprised that no financial aid was offered as our salaries are $250K combined. Therefore this is not the financial decision that I feared.
Congrats on the two acceptances! I can’t speak to Peddie, but my sisters both went to Madeira, and both look back on it fondly and feel that it prepared them well. Both have had very satisfying careers in medicine.
The co-curriculum internships program Madeira offers was especially interesting for them. Both interned on Capitol Hill, one of them for an MD who became a Senator, where she began thinking about medicine. She then interned at NIH her senior year, which only further convinced her that medicine was the path she wanted to go down. Both did well academically (one to U Wisconsin, then on to UCSF for med school, the other to William & Mary and then UVA for med school), and have enjoyed their work as doctors.
I’m guessing you’ve visited the campus, but if not, it’s jaw-dropping.
I suspect that the revisits will make things clearer to you. Peddie is known for being a friendly school with a nice, tight community. They have a nice maker space.
Madeira, being all girls, has a different feel.
Odds are one will feel more comfortable to your D, and that’s the one where she’s most likely to be able to develop into the best version of herself.
Your DD has 2 great options! My DD is a freshman at Peddie and is thriving. Peddie has a very strong STEM program (their robotics teams win competitions and also check out their Research Science signature experience on their website - lots of really impressive high level research opportunities available between junior and senior year).
Their rowing program is very good (according to my DD) but they don’t have squash. My DD is not an athlete either… but played tennis this fall and is going to try lacrosse this spring. Neither were sports she had any experience in prior to BS. Peddie does require all freshman to do a sport in the fall which helps force non-athletes to try something new. Everyone also recommends doing the freshman musical, even if you’re not a theatre kid. It’s just fun and a great way to meet your new classmates. The show is a big community event in the fall.
As far as college placement, check out the IG for peddie2025decisions for where this graduating class is heading. Lots of great schools. I’m sure Madeira has something similar.
My DD is being challenged in her classes and I have gotten actionable and insightful feedback from her teachers at midterm and finals. Her advisor has been great at keeping us in the loop about how she is doing in her classes.
I am happy to try to answer any other questions you have.
I agree that the best way to decide which school is the best fit is by visiting and trusting your gut.
Hey I also got accepted to Peddie and (Blair and Rutgers prep). Do you think Peddie is a good choice? My parents want me to go there, but I liked Blair more. I don’t know anyone who goes to Peddie, and I have a few friends from ECs at Blair. Would you mind asking your DD how hard or easy is it to make friends at Peddie?
I would really encourage you to visit both school for the revisit and get the vibe. Only you can determine which school is a better fit for you. Having options is always a good situation to be in.
I think both Peddie and Blair are equally great choices (but don’t tell anyone I said that because they are big rivals!). You will have to decide for yourself which is the best fit for you. My DD loved Blair as well and had a really difficult time choosing between the two. In the end, there were a few things that Peddie offered that were specific to her interests, that put it over the top for her.
Ask yourself why you like Blair more, and ask your parents why they’d prefer you go to Peddie. See what the reasons are. I’ll mention that some of the reasons my DD liked Blair were superficial. It’s a beautiful hilly campus and the buildings and dorms look “rich” - I’ve seen it described as a country club, and I would agree with that description… but that’s not a good reason to go there (at least not from a parents perspective). I’m not saying that to knock Blair, I was really impressed by their academics and programs, I just mention it as an example to hone in on why you like one school over another and make sure it is for good reasons.
My DD says it’s very easy to make friends at Peddie because you are with classmates all the time (classes, meals, sports, ECs, dorms). That will be true at any school.
Like I told my DD last year at this time, there’s no wrong choice. I hope you are able to revisit them all and find the one that fits you best!
One potential issue with single-gender schools is there tends to be some form of bullying from students senior to you. There exists a hierarchical dynamic that is hard to break, similar to the military ranks. I have not visited Madeira but have heard nice things about Peddie. I hope you love the school you end up choosing.
I’m not discounting that there can be toxic hierarchies in schools of all kinds (single-gender, mixed-gender, high school, middle school, public, private, whatever), but I thought this thread from DCUM — Which all-girls school does NOT have a mean girl problem? — from a few weeks ago was interesting. The very first answer is “100% Madeira”. The second one says “Madeira. Friends shift; groups change; people get upset with other people; people find new close friendships. You know, like life. But there isn’t a “ruling” class or popular crowd that determines the social scene, and everyone finds a friend group that fits.” The third says “+1 for Madeira. It’s been a great fit for my daughter. I agree completely with the post above, describes the school really well.” Pretty much every comment that mentions Madeira after that only reinforces that. And DCUM isn’t, like, a Madeira booster forum.
I think being aware of how social dynamics play out is important, but would encourage you (@SmartInSF) to focus on actual reports from current students, parents, or people who have actually visited the schools in question. (Note! I’m not one of the above! At least not recently!) Agree with @Patriot6 that I hope you love the school you end up choosing!
Peddie parent here! My son is a sophmore and is having a great time there. He’s a pretty shy kid and he has integrated in the community quite well. Peddie is known for their strong STEM program. My son never liked math at his other schools, but loves it here. the teachers are great and always available to the students! Peddie usually sends about 10%-13% of their graduates each year to Ivy leagues including schools like MIT, Rice, Duke. It’s academically challenging, but not a PRESSURE COOKER.
I was planning on applying to Peddie but ended up not doing it. I regret it a lot because they have an amazing stem program, a good music program, and as a robotics kid their robotics team is one of my favorites.