St. Andrew's-Sewanee School - Review #4

SAS is unique in many ways through its history, location, student body, and academic structure. The things that stand out in my mind are the diversity of the students and the closeness of the community.

I was able to take on a number of leadership positions that have been extremely beneficial to me. I made some great friends there and was exposed to things that opened my eyes more to the wider world, and SAS was very accommodating of my decision to go abroad for a semester. The senior year activities, focused on a sense of place, have also really stuck with me and influenced thoughts and decisions of where I am and where I'm going. Those activities, along with the creedal statement, helped me understand myself better and have helped me make decisions that I have been very happy with.

I wish I had been more confident and open minded. There were lots of opportunities that I didn't take advantage of because I didn't know much about them or had no experience, but that was really a great place to try new things because there was generally a lot of support.

I liked the people and the community. I had great relationships with teachers and advisors and appreciated being in a place that was different from traditional schools.

I would advise doing a lot. Piney Point is a great hiking destination, and nearby Fiery Gizzard is one of the best trails ever. Take ceramics.

SAS has a lot of really great teachers that were very available, so there was a lot of personal attention. There were a lot of hands-on projects and connections to things outside the classroom, from making sparklers in chemistry class to working on a documentary of the Highlander Folk School for a civil rights elective. I felt challenged and engaged most of the time. Classes are on a block schedule, so most meet for an hour and a half at a time which allows for much more flexibility of activities.

I loved that it was so open and everyone was encouraged to be involved. I don't think I would have been seriously involved in athletics at a bigger or more competitive school, but I was able to not only participate but actually become captain of the volleyball team which I really enjoyed. There is a lot of support for all of the sports teams from the whole community, and though the school is small some teams are really successful, which is exciting for everyone.

I was only involved in visual arts which was one of the best parts of SAS. The art program is really amazing. I was consistently impressed with the quality of work that students produced. The teachers are phenomenal, they are engaged and very enthusiastic. A few of the teachers there were artists that did professional work, which I thought was really cool, and there was so much personal attention and assistance. The facilities were also really top notch, especially the ceramics studio. I didn't participate in music or theatre really, but was always really impressed by what the other students were doing. I actually think that in all aspects of the artistic program SAS surpasses my college.

There were a lot of great student organizations on campus that were open to everyone and that I enjoyed. The location of the school also offers incredible opportunities for outdoor recreation of all types that I wish I had taken more advantage of. The school is small enough that if there is interest for an activity it's not hard to find a faculty member to sponsor or support you.

There was great dorm camaraderie most semesters.

I don't remember the food being anything special, but there were always options. The people who worked in the cafeteria were great and were connected to the students. Meals were always really fun, a good social break in the day. There was no assigned seating and I liked the freedom and openness of the meal set up.

There's not much of it, but Sewanee is open and walkable, which is nice, and there are some fun places to hang out. There is really great hiking all around, and the school has access to a reservoir with a dock which was really sweet, and every weekend there were opportunities to go to larger cities to see a movie or have dinner.

I liked the diversity of students and kind of being forced to interact with everyone around you. It was great to become friends with people from very different backgrounds and life situations, and the school and boarding population especially is small enough that there is some social cohesion throughout the community.