Northfield Mount Hermon - Review #1

NMH had two separate campuses that had been a boys school and a girls school, respectively, and merged in the 70s. Because of this, students often rode the free bus system back and forth once or twice daily. While this created some campus-rivalry, it gave us the opportunity to have a broader spectrum of friends and resources.NMH was also founded with a mandatory work program. Instead of having only financial aid students do work-study jobs to fund their scholarships, all students were required to do 4-6 hours of work in the dining halls, offices, or even the farm. This was wonderful in creating equity between scholarship and non scholarship students and also supported our work ethic.

I went abroad to Argentina for a trimester and it completely changed my life. NMH is so unique in that it has the abroad program. I studied for two months in another country, with a family, in another language. That experience has made me so much more equipped for being an international citizen.

I would have changed very little. Except, I would have applied to fewer schools.

The diversity of the student body, the Work Program, the two campuses and the Arts.

The Student Life Curriculum program is widely hated by the student body and doesn't seem to improve anything. So I would say it would behoove NMH to cut back on the amount of required meetings. It would give more time for students to do homework.

I recommend Northfield as a campus, it seems to have a more intimate house community. I also recommend the Creamie downtown. I worked there for three years!

The class size and commitment of the teachers made my academic experience wonderful. I found that I became friends with my teachers and have kept in touch with them the last three years. The discussion format of most classes was suited exactly to my needs and I feel I got a superior education.

The PE requirement. And now they require everyone to participate in a team sport as a freshman. I don't think that is very considerate of every student.

The camaraderie of the teams.

NMH tended to push sports on its students and certain students are not necessarily athletically inclined. But it was a very supportive environment.

It is fought for by a team of highly commited teachers who keep it alive and vibrant, especially the music department. It has a quality that is unparalleled among high schools.

It was fabulous!

The variety. Also, every student was involved in SOMETHING. There were very few students not involved and they seemed to have a rather boring time.

Because of the range and scope of extracurriculars, most students find themselves over commited on a more collegiate level, which was stressful, but a good learning experience.

I was a day student. I was always jealous of boarding life, but boarding students always wanted to come to my house for real food. You seem a little alienated from the closeness of friendships, but not excluded. All day students are assigned to a dorm and have one or two shared rooms in it in case their activities cause them to have to stay overnight.

The rules were very stringent and geared toward the lowest common denominator. So highly motivated students who could manage their time, but were too busy during the day, were often hindered in completing their homework by the lights out time.

The Mount Hermon campus had one large dining hall while the Northfield campus had several smaller ones. While the smaller ones created more house community, the larger one allowed more socializing. But the food was rather good all around. Especially in the smaller dining halls, you really get to know the kitchen staff and they become your friends as well.

Not being able to eat in someone else's house.

Incredibly welcome. The student body was diverse enough to allow every student a niche. It may take certain students longer to find, but it exists. It's very nurturing.

I think NMH was one of the most diverse boarding school environments around. I got to know so many students from other countries; I now have connections all over the world.

I went to movies, I did homework, I walked to town and bought ice cream with my friends, I played frisbee, I went to dances, I had friends over for dinner and movie parties, etc.

The town is tiny but the campus life is so vibrant it didn't particularly matter. There is a general store, a bakery and an ice cream store which served to entertain us sufficiently. There were also many beautiful natural surroundings to explore.