Choate Rosemary Hall - Review #1

The first thing that hits you about Choate is the beautiful campus. The place is amazing. The buildings are so pretty and they are kept in perfect condition inside and out. The facilities (athletic, academic, residential, dining, and otherwise) are all really great. Lots of boarding schools have great campuses, but from all those I've visited Choate is certainly one of the best.The academic environment is another unique aspect of the school. If you are not into working hard, then this is not the place for you. It's a school for kids who like school. And if that's what you like, it's perfect. The teachers are top-notch, the classes are exciting, interesting, and engaging. There are all kinds of topics to explore that most schools don't offer and Choate has the faculty and facilities to explore those topics with the same depth and rigor as some of the best universities.

The academic rigor of the school certainly changed me. I think I learned a great deal at Choate and more importantly I learned how to learn and how to open my mind to new ideas. I learned how to cope with stress and get things done even when it was really tough. I was rewarded internally for putting in so many hours and so much effort. I really think it made me a stronger, smarter, more able person. I was also rewarded by the school. They didn't forget about your achievements and people who were really committed and did the work were recognized for it.

One thing I would change about what I did was enter my freshman year. I showed up a year late as a sophomore and a lot of kids had already made their friends and established groups. Showing up later made it more difficult to get into the social circles and participate in the student life. So I would recommend starting life at Choate when most kids do: as a freshman.

The integrity and academic strength of the school. The place is really committed to a quality education. A life-changing education. It is a school that builds really intelligent, really well-rounded, just plain brilliant people. We go to the best schools after Choate and we get the best jobs. We are the world's leaders and it is no coincidence.

The support system for students under the kind of stress that Choate imposes could be better. It is a high school, kids are going through a lot as it is. With the kind of pressure Choate adds to growing up they could provide a little more advising and support. Parents aren't there to give the cuddles that even big kids need sometimes, so the advising and counseling needs to make up for that.

Work hard at Choate because you will be rewarded for it. But also remember to have fun. Meet people, be open to meeting people. Try to be open to meeting everyone and being friendly with everyone. It's a small school really. And you can easily be great friends with everyone in your grade if you are willing to. People tend to form small groups that they stick with, but at a place like Choate, you'll be really rewarded by getting to know all the great people there.

The diversity of classes available was really the best thing about Choate's academics. There were so many interesting topics from Human Anatomy to Chinese to Classic Literature. Even with so many options, all the classes were great. The teachers knew their topics and they loved teaching them.

Sometimes the academics can be a little too tough. It's not an easy school and everyone there is the best of the best. There isn't too much competition, but there is a lot of work to get done. There can be a lot of stress and late nights.

The strong sense of team that all the sports created was very important. The fantastic facilities also made the sports fun. And the fact that our programs were so good and we won a lot of the time made it fun, too (they say it's not that important, but hey, it feels good).

There isn't much to complain about. There are options for everyone. I guess sometimes the sports can be taken a little too seriously, but other than that I have no complaints.

The arts program has amazing facilities. The building was designed by I.M. Pei. And it's full of studios, galleries, a great auditorium, music practice rooms, etc. The staff there were all really enthusiatic and excited about getting students involved in the arts.

The one complaint is that there often wasn't enough time in my schedule to take art, music, and theatre classes. There are so many other things going on and the school emphasizes the other area of studies more than art, so it's tough to get quite as much of it as you do the other things.

The options for extracurriculars are endless. I was part of a really great environmental club and a Chinese culture club that held all kinds of events. I also volunteered with the local food bank and did community service with a Choate program in Suriname. Activities outside the classroom are highly encouraged and a lot of fun to be a part of.

Because you can choose to do whatever you want and there are so many options it's hard to complain. And if there is no club or volunteer activity you are interested in then you can start a new club just as easily.

The dorm life is very friendly and the advisers who live with students are all very good at what they do. They are always around when you need them and very helpful.

Even though the dorms are beautiful and all pretty recently renovated, the rooms can be a little small. It also takes time getting used to having a roommate.

The facilities are beautiful; you won't see many dining halls like Choate's. The food fluctuates. They switch things up a lot, which is good. Sometimes it's great, sometimes not so much. The important thing is options. There are always lots of options.

The food can be a little under par sometimes. The other thing is that the dining hall can be a little clique-ey. Walking around finding a place to sit can be intimidating since people group up in specific sections and you don't want to sit where you are not wanted.

The student body is pretty friendly. Any place, especially high school, can be intimidating at first, but if you get out there and say hi and meet people, they are all very receptive.

There is a lot of diversity. The school prides itself on that, but the integration is not complete. There were still separate groups of kids that would only hang out with kids like them. It is hard sometimes to break down barriers especially with international students from very different countries.

The weekend always included dances at the Student Activity Center and there were often plays and gallery openings. We often got permission to go to the next town over and see a movie. It's pretty fun.

There isn't all that much to do in the surrounding town, but you are free to explore. We would wander around quite a bit. Head down the hill to Subway and Walmart. The best thing, though, was the surrounding woods and fields that can be really fun to hike around and hang out in.