i’m interested in
thacher
choate
webb
phillips exeter
i would like them to be preferably in california
and not ‘athens’ or whatever its called shank u
I’m from California and a current boarding school student. If you are looking at applying to schools only in California the ones on your current list are the ones you wil be applying to. That’s not to say that there aren’t other boarding schools in California but they are certainly not to the standards of Cate, Thacher, Webb, or Exeter. Also, what is “Athens”?
What are you looking for in terms of size and vibe? It is hard to tell from your list. Are you a boy or a girl?
Depending on what you are looking for, you might want to check out Midland, Dunn, Stevenson, Santa Catalina (girls), Woodside Priory… Or, also in the West but not CA: Armand Hammer United World College in New Mexico, Colorado Rocky Mountain School, or Orme
To add onto @CaliMex I live right near Woodside Priory and have friend that go there. The boarding population at the school is actually quite small. A majority of students are day students. I know that this information would have impacted what schools I was looking at when I was applying to schools so I figured I would put that it there.
i’m looking for more of a school that will really prep you for college… i’m a girl.
i’ve looked into webb and thacher, but not so much the others.
All of those schools will challenge you and prepare you for college. You need to think about what size school you prefer, if you want certain sports or extra curriculars that might not be available everywhere, whether doing “work” looking after animals or growing things on a working farm or ranch is a turn on or a turn off, etc.
If you’re looking at Webb & Thacher, you should add Cate.
My son is looking at both Cate and Thacher. One of our concerns is the small size of these schools. Do any students find issue with this? Any experiences related to this would be very welcome
There are advantages to both! At a large school, there’ll be more and more varied advanced coursework across all disciplines. There also will be more and more varied sports and extracurricular activities. These are also likely to have more kids with previous experience and perhaps even highly developed expertise. If you are already a highly accomplished musician, award-winning debater, robotics champ or athlete, you are likely to find stronger ensembles and teams at a large school. Larger schools can afford to have more specialists.
If you want to try new activities and sports and have no experience in them, larger schools can be tougher. It is less common for absolute beginners to eventually make Varsity, for example. At a smaller school, kids need to be generalists and wear multiple hats. That opens up more opportunity for beginners. The communities are tighter and less cliquish, though they can (Not always) also be more conformist, whereas at a large school, you are more likely to find someone else with your interests, no matter how obscure!
Both are great options, depending on the kid and what you are looking for…
@CaliMex makes good points about the pros and cons of large and small schools. You can arrive at a small school as a world-class oboist or star athlete, but that will not be enough to be happy and do well. The size and philosophy of Thacher, for example, is geared toward kids who want to get out of their comfort zones and try new things. Kids who only want to pursue a single passion would be disappointed. Well roundedness is a virtue.
The other big difference is social. A school Thacher’s size looks for kids who will be actively engaged in the daily life of the School AND who are naturally disposed toward looking out for other guy. Sharp elbowed competition with others is frowned at, competition with one’s self is celebrated.
Thanks both for the feedback. Very helpful and much appreciated.
Is it Athenian?
I’m guessing you mean Athenian rather than Athens. Its a good school but the boarding population is pretty small.
FYI Phillips Exeter is not in California. Assuming you know that, but the original post was confusing…
I think the OP was saying he would like PEA to be in California, @london203. So would a lot of folks. LOL.
To the poster above who suggested the United World College, I believe that United World College accepts only rising juniors.
@ChoatieMom Heck, I would like my house to be in California! LOL