Hi guys,
I recently went to spring visit days at schools, hoping to find the school that is best for me easy. However, I am not even MORE confused as to what school I want to go to; I am torn between Choate and Deerfield… Any input or advice would be extremely helpful as I have been trying to decide for over a week and I’m almost out of time.
To provide a bit more information…
I am a rising Junior (girl)
I am really into sciences (Biology and Chemistry mostly)
I play center midfield in soccer and do the 1500 and 3000 meter races in track. I wouldn’t say I’m the best (collegiate level) at either, but not the worst.
I play the trumpet
I am an international student
I am interested in writing for a school newspaper
These are what my impressions were on each school
Choate:
I came into Choate not expecting to like it as much as I ended up liking it. For the most part, I got a very friendly vibe from the few people I was able to meet, and they all seemed very proud of their school and excited to meet new students. In terms of size I felt like the school was a bit big, but it didn’t bother me much as I wasn’t able to see this size firsthand. I didn’t really like the fact that 25% board and that the whole school can’t fit in an auditorium. In terms of the classes I am interested in are Biology and Chemistry, and many people mentioned the SRP program. However, as I looked into it later, I found out that it requires an application in the fourth form, which means I wouldn’t be able to participate. I really liked the campus and the location, although walking distances were a bit far between classes (can’t imagine what it would be like in winter!). I feel like I fit in well with the students, but in terms of academic interests, I’m not sure if I would be able to pursue classes I am interested at the highest level (e.g. Biology). If I am wrong, please let me know. For sports, I was told that the center midfielder was graduating this year and were looking for a player. I wanted to know more about the students and science courses at Choate: are all the students nice? does it feel like a close community? Is the competition beneficial to students or detrimental? Are there any advanced Biology courses offered? If any of you have any insight that would be great.
Deerfield:
To start off I had a very bad headache the day I visited Deerfield, but I won’t let that be an excuse. When I got on campus it looked very beautiful, but I felt a bit stranded (not much of a problem since I will be a junior, and studying/extracurriculars will be of utmost importance to me). I didn’t get to meet too many students throughout the day personally, but that may have been because they were busy. During class, the students seemed really smart which intimidated me a bit, since I have never experienced a classroom that has so many bright students. The student that showed me around was very nice, but I was a bit shy maybe because I felt a bit overwhelmed after attending classes. I really liked their library, facilities, and courses offered for students interested in science (e.g. AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Neurology). My buddy also told me how she had more freedom to choose courses as a junior with little requisites (2 years English, 1 year US history); is this the same for Choate? I got the sense that they were able to receive more opportunities than students at choate, but again, I didn’t meet everybody, and I didn’t get to see the schools entirely in just a day. Their newspaper was very nicely
published, but when I went online to the Scroll many articles were complaints or had some sort of negative thing to say about the culture at the school. I felt like the students were more mature, and the girl who showed me around really coincided with my own personality, yet I felt a bit uncomfortable at the same time. It may seem like I like Deerfield more, but I want to know more about the students, as that is what is making me doubt my decision most. How inclusive is Deerfield around international students? Are they nice? Is the competitive atmosphere detrimental? Do students get bored?
All in all, my dilemma lies between feeling comfortable at one school, but feeling like I have the best academic opportunities in the other.
Again, any input or “debunking” about either would be extremely helpful.
Just have faith in yourself and your abilities. Both schools chose to admit you because they felt you were well qualified and have something amazing to contribute to their schools. Just follow your heart and think about what you really want in a school–I’m sure you’ll do amazing at either one.