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<p>Bamagirl, Couldn’t have said it better and totally on target. </p>
<p>My take: Groton is also a village far from city life. Not impressed with some of the pretentious/entitled alums posts on CC either. Religious affiliation. Noo, not applying. :(</p>
<p>Hey guys, sorry if this sounds irritating to you, but I think the purpose of this thread had better be directed to providing personal reasons why you think a certain bs and you are not the best fit i.e for example, from revisit experience, what are the qualities of the school and yourselves that make you think you won’t belong or thrive there. So far this thread has contained negative and exaggerated generalizations.</p>
<p>Groton is a village of under 10,000 people. No exaggerations here and it’s not a fit for me, I’m a city type and want to be close to one.</p>
<p>hmmm…now I’m going to get off track and not be negative, but my son applied to Groton two years in a row and in our experience, the kids and adults there were some of the warmest, least pretentious we met anywhere. I didn’t meet his second tour guide but the first could, truly, not have been friendlier and more down to earth. Out of all of the schools to which he applied, the staff at Groton were the ones who responded most quickly to every question and the AO there the one who did the most reaching out (through personal notes). He got waitlisted both years, so we don’t have any particular reason to feel positive about the school–yet we’re left with an entirely positive impression of the whole place. I’m guessing neato would agree with me. </p>
<p>It IS a small school and in a wealthy MA village that some might describe as pretentious–I’d say more old-school preppy. And that’s definitely and negative for some, positive for others.</p>
<p>Old-school preppy it is, even though it is a lot younger than Andover and Exeter. While other older schools have changed with times, it appears time has stood still at Groton. Hmm… we don’t need time travel to go back in time! :D</p>
<p>Pulsar, have you visited Groton?</p>
<p>No. don’t plan to as it doesn’t fit my basic criterion of in or close to a city. Seriously, what can you do on a weekend there?</p>
<p>It would seem to me that Pulsar’s reaction to Groton should be an endorsement of the school and his affection a blemish.</p>
<p>Yes, I agree 100%. Groton is a special place. We found nothing pretentious about it at all. I suppose some people would understand (and maybe assume that we would) if we felt bitter towards it or whatever, but we don’t. It is, in our family’s opinion, one of THE great schools. The only reason that I would say that it was not a “fit” for our son is because he was not admitted :). But, just because he was WLed doesn’t mean I think any less of the school - same with Hotchkiss and Andover. My son was outright denied at SPS and I still think the world of that school. </p>
<p>It bothers me when people say that Grotonians are pretentious simply because it flies in the face of every experience we’ve had with the school and it’s students. Groton has a spirit to it that is hard to pinpoint. Apparently, not everyone picks up on it and that’s fine. Don’t apply. But before you make blanket assumptions Groton being snobby or pretentious, I urge you to read the chapel talk archives, look at the kinds of things the alumni end up doing. It’s a classy school, through and through - one that I believe takes its motto to heart.</p>
<p>LOL, parlabane!</p>
<p>ssrs (copyright: BlueRaven, Groton 2014)</p>
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<p>I agree. People on CC are a lot smarter than what the parents that are trying to push the schools on to the newbies think. School spirit is good, but it has it’s limits.</p>
<p>Then I’m a little disturbed that you’ve judged it without seeing it. As someone who doesn’t live in the area I would imagine you don’t know many Groton students personally. To say that you don’t want to apply because it’s too small for you or too far from a major city is one thing. To say that “time has stood still” at a school you’ve never seen and to judge its current-day population based on the posts of a few alums. is quite another.</p>
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<p>I am replying to someone’s comment about “old-school preppy” who has actually visited the campus. That’s why I have to use the phrase “it appears” as opposed to I saw, I heard etc. Please don’t gloss over the posts, read it fully before you reply please.</p>
<p>It sure feels like a lot of passionate NE recruiters on these boards, doesn’t it? :D</p>
<p>I did read it thoroughly. When you say things like “old school preppy it is” you imply you have some actual knowledge of the school.</p>
<p>BTW, Pulsar, who are you? Parent, student? You seem to post with more than one “voice”. If you are the applicant are you home schooled?</p>
<p>Why do you want to know? this is College Confidential, lol. May be you are on the wrong boards. Not reality tv either.</p>
<p>Because when you post as multiple personalities it calls your veracity into question.</p>
<p>Then take it with a grain of salt, as I do with all internet posts. Are you a recruiter/adcom for the schools?</p>
<p>No. I’m a parent who attended prep school, has one child in prep school now, and has another who is currently looking at schools for fall 2011.</p>
<p>My child will not be applying to Groton so I have no skin in the game. I just hate to see stereotypes furthered by people who don’t really know what they’re talking about.</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, Groton does not recruit. It does not market. It doesn’t need to. It is one of the great boarding schools.</p>
<p>If you want a city setting, most of the boarding schools will not fit the bill, as they were intentionally built on isolated sites. To call the town of Groton a “village,” is to reveal that you haven’t a clue. Information found on the internet only helps if you have a suitable frame of reference.</p>