<p>This article from The Choate News, the official student newspaper of Choate Rosemary Hall, presents an interesting argument regarding Second Visits Days, the visiting days for accepting students. While many of the points were likely already considered by visiting students (of course the campus is going to be cleaned up for visitors, for example), it is still a fairly unique perspective to be broadcast. </p>
<p>As a student at Choate, I did agree with many of the author’s arguments. However, I think that visitors would still find many positive characteristics of Choate students regardless of the day of visit, including the general sense of friendliness and welcoming that the article references.</p>
<p>Does anyone really think that Revisit and Second Visit days are the same as being a fly on the wall during any randomly selected school day?</p>
<p>Do people really think that the bright kids who were accepted and their parents are so gullible that they don’t look at these days through a filter?</p>
<p>The notion is that you get to see the school as it puts its best foot forward. If you’re doing multiple revisits, you need to compare what you’re getting on the basis of how good you feel under ideal conditions at each school. If you’re not comfortable with that choice under these ideal conditions, you ought to think twice because it’s possible, but not likely, that it won’t ever be much better than that (except for those fleeting moments when you breathe in the rarefied air for, say, being the Seeker who helped your team with the Quidditch Cup). </p>
<p>Being duped by the trappings of a revisit would be like going out on a first date and thinking that it’s going to be entirely the same, day after day, after 23 years of marriage. I reckon that there are plenty of people who are naive enough to think that way. Probably not about revisits, but it might explain the divorce rate.</p>
<p>Bumping this ancient thread to see what others thought of revisit days. As sanitized as they probably are, people say they are important to get a ‘real understanding’ of the school, and first visits are so often brief. How to get a real sense of the school?</p>
<p>I really do understand the interest in discussing revisit days and trying to figure out how to get the most out of them. I just think it’s awfully premature to be considering revisit days when one hasn’t even been invited yet!</p>
<p>Yes, many of the participants on this board will be fortunate enough to get at least one, if not several, invitations. But many others will not. And speaking as a parent who has participated in such discussions in the past, I can say that there’s not much worse than making grand plans for revisit days only to find that one has not been invited to any. It’s a lot like buying a prom dress before being invited to the prom.</p>
<p>So, that’s my word of caution . . . now continue as you were. :)</p>
<p>Definitely noted, Dodgersmom, thanks for the reminder. </p>
<p>We tried to make sure that any school on the list would be one that DS would be happy to attend. We don’t have reaches on the list, nor safeties. We also don’t have viable public school options. The board has been quiet so I figured it might take some weeks for anyone to see this post, figuring they’d log on closer to March 10. Of course we are on edge, but I will try to keep perspective! :)</p>
<p>Thanks, @dogersmom, for always keeping the conversation real. That’s important, but I’ll post anyway. ;)</p>
<p>DS had two options, and we attended revisit days at both schools. Both schools were in their Sunday best, of course. First school did an amazing job of wooing (they had ME at hello) and DS was convinced on this second visit that this would be his choice–until he stepped on the Choate campus for the first time on the following day. Then, it was all over. The resource-richness of Choate (facilities in areas of interest) was comparatively overwhelming, and we could see on his face what no words could express, he was home. In this case, revisit was first visit, so had we been able to tour/interview at Choate previously, perhaps we would not have felt the need to attend revisit days at all. However, I would like to mention that our impression of Choate has only improved since then, and the student DS shadowed on revisit day was not just going through the motionshe sought our son out in September, and they have become good friends since. That type of connection speaks volumes, although perhaps it is not common.</p>
<p>ChoatieMom- we had the same experience! The only downside to the “embarrassment of riches” and genuinely great kids is that college can be disappointing. While the overall quality of everything at Choate was high, experiences at college, including friends, have been more hit or miss.</p>
<p>^^I think this is all too common. College can be a letdown after the incredible experience that is boarding school. Since the living away from home and working things out with roommates/hallmates aspect isn’t novel, and suddenly there are no mandatory study halls, sports & ECs, it’s usually not at all demanding for BS kids to get their collegiate workload done. But then the question is, what else? Some are so burnt out from BS there is a tendency to coast for a while; some, try as they might, cannot reproduce the intense camaraderie of BS even by overcommitting themselves to handfuls of campus initiatives. Some find a faculty mentor early, establish a personal bond that replicates the adult expectations that were forged in the fire of BS life, and proceed with blazing passion into a particular discipline or field. </p>
<p>Personally, the first semester of college was the worst. I tried to recreate a BS curriculum, taking math, english, history, government, and a majors level foreign language literature course. By the next semester I got a little smarter, and by the fall of my sophomore year I hit the jackpot with a senior faculty member who shepherded me into the distinguished majors program in my field. There is certainly an adjustment, but there’s no question the BS experience puts you at a significant advantage.</p>
<p>Great post, PelicanDad. My kids have also found that some of the facilities, food etc are not what they found at prep school. There are less helpful, caring people; and some of the other kids, while smart, would have gotten the boot at boarding school a long time ago! I keep telling them that they are spoiled by the prep school experience, but being at college has really made them appreciate the gift that was given to them for their school years!</p>
<p>Another perspective–DC found BS very difficult and stressful–not warm and fuzzy and caring: too much left to self-direction at too young an age. So, college was a welcome change.</p>