Middlesex School - Review #27

Besides having the prettiest campus and the most qualified faculty in the country, Middlesex is an idyllic place that has become a second home to all of its students. There is never a dry eye at graduation. Middlesex, sometimes called the "bubble", allows students to mold into their young adulthood independently without the influence of the outside world. I have found that when I return home, I have a much easier time communicating with adults, dealing with stress, and managing my time, than many of my other friends. Middlesex has well prepared me for the world outside the bubble.

Crew. I started as a freshman on seventh boat and was able to move up the program the next year and jump to first. A very time consuming sport, crew has taught me to manage my academics and time. My sophomore year, crew gave me the opportunity to go to Nationals and place 5th, and in junior year, take the trip of a lifetime to England to row in the Henley Regatta. Crew has humbled me by testing my physical and mental strength.I am forever grateful to my school, the sport, and my coach Darby for the opportunity they have given me. This year, I was recruited to row at Duke University.

I would not have changed anything. From my mistakes I have learned and become a better person (and you can bet that I will not make the same mistake twice). I have never suffered an ounce of homesickness or missed my parents (although I love them very much). My advice for kids going away to school is live it up. This is a time when you are protected by the bubble and feel fortunate that the only thing that consumes your thoughts are due dates, tests, friends,sports. Boarding School allows you to gain independence, yet still be protected from the harsh realities of the real world. Once done with your four years in high school, you will be prepared for anything!

Everything. My parents would always ask when they called from home, "So how is the Middlesex Experience going?". This is a surreal and enlightening experience to say the least. They were not kidding when they said that these are the days of our lives--glory days. :)

Do everything you can:tryout for the play or a varsity sport, participate in a club. Do pond jumps in the spring all the time when you can, and hang out on the circle all the time. For Girls: live in Peabody at least once...it is the best and most magical dorm on campus. Enjoy the teachers and become friends with them.

Academics are demanding and rigorous, however, not impossible with the faculty here. All teachers are willing to spend hours of extra help with any student at any time, as long as students are willing to ask. The teachers are the foundation of Middlesex. They are passionate, humorous, spirited, and truly love what they do. My personal favorite department is the English Department. This department consists of the brightest and best teachers in in the country. They are willing to jump up on tables and recite Othello, read and set the highest expectation on essays, and lead intense discussion attempting to reach higher up the ladder of abstraction. As a sophomore, along with a regular English course, students are required to take and pass out of a Writing Workshop Course, in which the student will come out having mastered grammar and the artful requirements of an essay. Also it is the only department that requires all Juniors to take the English Literature AP Exam. I have completely evolved into a more mature and sophisticated writer because of these teachers.

All students are required to participate in athletics in some way. I find this a very unique requirement that urges students to try new things, whether it be starting on a varsity team, playing on thirds, or becoming a team manager. For me, it introduced me to Crew and allowed me to enjoy myself and the sport of soccer on a thirds team.

Along with athletics, Middlesex urges its students to participate in the Arts and Music Program. Freshman and Sophomore year, students are required to take a semester of Art History, Drawing, Music, and Drama. This requirement allows students to try things and develop new interests. Also for those interested in pursuing the Arts more specifically, Middlesex has the AP Art Studio Course, which ends with Art Shows for the student body; the Fall and Winter Plays and Spring Musical; Small Chorus, which creates a new CD with a collection of songs sung throughout the year that is sold to the whole school; and AP Art History, which enjoys monthly visits to the MFA and Malcom Russell's intense library of art images from throughout the world.

There is not enough time. With all the academic and athletic requirements, students still manage to head and participate in hundreds of clubs ranging from Common Sense, the Environmental Group, to the Cheese Club, to Senate, all the way to Tea Club.

Dorms are not segregated by class, but instead highly integrated, creating bonds between and within all grades. As the year progresses, students become very close with both dorm heads and fellow dormmates. Although most freshmen choose to have singles, I requested a double and ended up becoming best friends with my room mate and living with her for two more years. My sophomore year I lived in a quad, and my junior year I lived in a triple. Dorm heads are wonderful and become your away from home parents(except sometimes nicer), making you late night treats once in a while.

There is no assigned seating; however, different classes have migrated and claimed different parts of the dining hall as their own. There are so many option for food. We even have Showtime Cooking (food cooked right in front of us), a constant flow of ice cream, and a cappuccino maker. The most common meal on campus is Chicken and Rice for some reason. This is the best dining hall food you are going to find! The staff is wonderful, always open to new ideas and will give you treats if your nice!

Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks are less then 10 minutes away. As a coffee drinker, this is vital. The bus goes into town ever half hour 6 days a week and then either into the Boston or Burlington mall on Sunday.

With this busy schedule, you would think that there is no time for fun and games. Wrong. Middlesex students are notorious for spring grilling, pond jumps, crazy themed dances. Students tend to create their own fun when nothing is planned. For example, a senior boy organized and invited all seniors to come out and play a game of flag football. A notorious group of Clay boys filmed a highly entertaining and comical short movie on life in the dorm without internet for a few weeks. Our student activities committee has organized an all school game of "Gotcha"(essentially an all school water-gun war..sort of). Even if there is not something planned, student can create their own entertainment.