The Madeira School - Review #2

Of course, the two most obvious aspects of Madeira that set the school apart are the single-sex education, and the co-curriculum program. Learning with a group of all girls takes the competitiveness out of education, and people could focus on learning, and not what the guy next to you was doing. The co-curriculum program requires all students to engage in a sort of prolonged internship, including time on Capitol Hill. It's an invaluable experience you won't easily get elsewhere.

I was involved in just about every play or musical put on while I was there. I also was involved in just about every singing group I could join. I took all APs my senior year as well. As a result, I got accepted to Harvard and took advanced standing, meaning I could graduate in three years instead of four.

It's a great school. Great friends will be had. And more friends will join sophomore year, so be ready to welcome them when it's their turn to be new.

I liked the people; how small it was; and how friendly and close the whole experience was. Would definitely do it again.

Try to stay in the dorms on the Oval at least once, because those are the oldest ones.

I liked that the school offered lots of electives, even though the school itself has a pretty small student body. I learned programming, acting, and art history all as electives. The abundance of AP classes also helped me get accepted to and take advanced standing in college.

I'm not particularly athletic, but because the school was small, I was still able to join the field hockey team, where I played for a couple semesters. I also took fencing, which was pretty unique, and enjoyed my swimming classes as well -- though walking around campus in the cold with my hair wet was probably not a good idea. The school is well-known for its equestrian program, but I didn't do much with that.

There were lots of singing groups to join, which I enjoyed. I also liked the variety of theatre options -- musicals, serious plays, etc. -- that took place throughout the year. Because of the size of the school, there really was opportunity for everyone.

Freshman year, we had lots of outdoor adventure programs on campus, which was pretty fun and a good break from school. The co-curriculum program is the most outstanding part of the extracurriculars. I interned at an elementary school, on Capitol Hill, and my senior year and a video production company because I wanted to work in entertainment. Lots of opportunities that would have been hard to take advantage of elsewhere.

I liked to have my friends around all the time. I didn't have to plan ahead to have fun, it just happened. It was easy to just pop into a friend's room and talk whenever you liked.

I liked that food was prepared for you and you didn't have to think about it. It was also interesting learning what other people would eat when they didn't like what was serving that day.

The immediate area has rolling green hills, and is quite lovely. I liked to go for a walk every day for that reason. Washington, DC., our nation's capital, of course had a lot going on in terms of culture, both international and local. We would go into town to intern, to see the museums, to go have a coffee, or see a play.

I liked how easy it was to make and stay friends. As a boarding student, your friends are around you 24/7. It was easy to pop over and have a chat. At the same time, it was nice to be friends with day students, because then you could go out on the weekends and have fun.