I’m an incoming 9th grader who has a very busy schedule. I’ve inquired to all the boarding schools I’m interested in (Mercersburg, Cate, Middlesex, in order of preference) and some of the big ones, like Andover and Exeter, just to see if I can get in. I can’t visit all the schools on my list, and I can’t start to narrow my list down until I visit them to get the vibe, so I am stuck. Which ones are the most important to visit for someone who likes a little bit of everything? If I can’t visit any of them, my first choice would be Mercersburg.
Will you be able to come to the re-visit days for admitted students in the spring? While visits are important to understanding the “vibe” of a school - and certainly helpful in figuring our where to apply – they are probably more important in figuring out where to attend, so you may want to wait to see where you are admitted. Those re-visits are more extensive and informative. There’s no need to have a first choice now.
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Hard for me to imagine a student who would fit in at Cate and Mercersburg.
Mercersburg students do not fit the typical profile at Andover & Exeter.
CONCLUSION: Odd list of schools so you need to visit as many as you can. Wait until decisions come out and attend the revisit day for accepted students.
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Depending on where you live and how long you can travel for, Exeter, Andover and Middlesex are all within an hour of each other. However, they all have low admission rates and there is a chance you wouldn’t get into any of them (just by the numbers, I have no idea what your stats are).
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I’d agree that this is a slightly eclectic list. Can you provide any insight into how you’ve prioritized these schools?
If you were starting from zero, I would advise that you visit one large school (e.g., Andover, Lawrenceville), one small school (e.g., Groton, St. George’s), one rural school (e.g., NMH, Mercersburg) and one sub-urban school (e.g., Milton, St. Marks). The advice about trying to visit 3-4 different schools that are in close proximity is also helpful if you’re trying to understand the vibe that you’d like.
Middlesex (Since you mentioned you were interested in it)is also a small (400)suburban school and about an hour from Exeter/Andover.
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And minutes away from Concord Academy (which I know wasn’t on your list, but should be from what I’m gleaning) and Groton. Old School New England prep schools, all. And different enough that it would be a good compare and contrast vibe-wise. Groton is more academically intense, so a consideration as you think about the environments you can be your best self in.
I was surprised at how similar the vibes at Andover and Exeter were. Different physically, as Exeter is more compact, but the kids were all similarly bright, shiny, friendly. polished, accomplished and well-spoken. Don’t know Mercersburg, but my sense is it’s different there.
Milton’s got a “Smart-But-Fun” vibe, yet provides all the academic rigor and challenge you can take. Also Greater Boston so can be combined with others there depending on how much time and interest you’ve got.
Anyways, throwing it out there in case any of these descriptors helps cull. You’re right that it’s important to do a tour and get a feel even before revisit.
What are the busy things in your schedule?
Lawrence Academy is just down the road from Groton.
St. Marks is 35 minutes from Middlesex. Could be a school to look at if Middlesex and Mercerberg are of interest.
If possible, I would recommend visiting Loomis. It’s a bit of a Goldilocks school. Not too intense, but still rigorous. Nice size, so lots of clubs and programming. Good facilities and sports. Generally easy to get to. Rural feeling campus, yet walkable to shops and close to Hartford. Selective, but slightly less than some of its peers.
We aren’t a Loomis family, but know many who have enjoyed it, and think it is an excellent school to use as a comparative baseline.
Don’t use your limited number of visits all on the most selective schools.
At least two reasons:
- As people note time and time again on this forum, it is very hard to get into those schools even for students with the most amazing credentials.
- You may develop the mistaken belief that only those highly selective schools have beautiful campuses, vibrant student bodies, welcoming faculty, amazing resources, etc.
Save the hair-splitting between Exeter and Andover until after you’re admitted.
I think Concord is about 30% boarding - worth considering in my opinion