Middlesex School - Review #19

Middlesex'ssmall student body helps it foster a strong sense of community while still offering an impressive breadth and depth in its academics. It also makes it possible for students to get to know one another and the faculty in a much closer way than would be possible at a larger school. While the days are always full and for most there is not a lot of free time to be had, the range of possibilities at Middlesex in the academics, arts, and athletics give each day a good dose of fun and satisfaction.

Getting into Cornell was an enormous achievement for me as I had tried to stretch myself academically and take challenging courses. Getting into great colleges showed that my hard work had paid off.

Throughout my whole time at Middlesex I would have liked to get to know students outside my close group of friends better. As a senior I finally started to branch out more, and I would advise anyone in a small school like Middlesex to expand as much as they can socially and extracurricularly to keep from feeling too claustrophobic.

The beautiful campus coupled with the opportunities and growth provided by the faculty.

Go to breakfast. It's by far the best meal and it's never crowded. Also, enjoy the trails in Estabrook woods.

Middesex's biggest strength is definitely its teachers. From pushing you in small classes to promote the most productive discussions to meeting students at basically any time of day for extra help, every teacher is there to get the most out of every student. The faculty excels in finding a balance between being supportive and challenging students. While the workload is intense and challenging, it is also possible to vary the academic vigor by choosing regular, honors, or AP classes, especially in Junior and Senior year. While the intimate environment at Middlesex fosters excessive competition between students at times, it also allows for helpful resources like tutors, teachers, or even a friend down the hall that are extremely accessible.

While Middlesex's Varsity programs are impressive and competitiveness, for me it was the athletic department's flexibility that was most important to me. I came to Middlesex as a serious horseback rider, and even as a new sophomore I was allowed to be exempt from a season or required sports so as to continue to ride my horse at school. While it took initiative on my part, I had a supportive adviser and other faculty members who helped make my own independent project happen. While some students who are less inclined towards athletics in general found the mandatory participation cumbersome, I found that between managing positions and JV and thirds teams, there is some way to make athletics fun at Middlesex.

Middlesex's emphasis on the arts definitely grew during my time there and continues to do so, which is always good to see in any high school. I spent a lot of time in the shop doing technical theater, and learned so much about a subject that I never knew I was interested in before coming to Middlesex. The theater department's resources are great and constantly improving. Also, while the music department felt confined when I arrived at Middlesex, it is expanding with the addition of a new girls' A Capella group. My participation in chapel chorus provided a low-commitment and fun way to continuing my own love of singing.

There is a long list of clubs and volunteer opportunities at Middlesex, and if you can't find what you're looking for, it's easy to form your own club. From political groups to clubs that like to eat to groups making progressive change on campus the extracurriculars are easy to join and well-funded at Middlesex. Some friends and I started a club that focused on feminist issues in our Junior year. We quickly received funding and in two years already had a significant presence on campus. While each club has a faculty adviser, it was impressive to see how seamlessly they ran and how productive they were due to student leadership.

Dorms at Middlesex are a way to form extremely close friendships and the faculty and proctors do a great job making dorm life fun and providing relief from the stress that can be prevalent at Middlesex. While check-in and study hours rules can seem strict and cumbersome sometimes, they tend to foster good study and living habits. Rooming assignments tend to make everyone happy and fulfill their requests, but students also have the ability to work with the school to work out a better living arrangement if the current one is not working.

Middlesex does not have any required formal or "sit-down" dinners which makes dining more flexible and casual. While the salad bar, pasta, and sandwiches are reliable, the hot meal tends to be a toss up. Sometimes it is delicious and sometimes it should be avoided; however the school is still working towards satisfying everyone with its meal choices. Recently the growing student body has made the dining hall more crowded, and more students have turned to alternative options such as ordering food from off campus, cooking in dorm kitchens, or going off campus for meals with a day student.

Concord is a great little town with everything a boarding school student could need: pizza, ice cream, chinese, dunks, starbucks, cvs, a grocery store, and more. The school provides a bus that shuttles back and forth to town every day in the afternoon which makes going into Concord easy and convenient. Middlesex is also twenty minutes from Boston and provides transportation there on some weekends which is a great way to get off campus from time to time.

Social life at Middlesex is great because everyone knows everyone else. Living in a close environment makes it easy to get to know new people as long as one puts in the effort.