Stevenson School - Review #3

Stevenson is a stunning atmosphere both beauty and quality of life. The school is situated in Pebble Beach, on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula. However, the scenery is not the most beautiful part about Stevenson. The most beautiful part is the remarkable group of students that attend. The students come from a diverse background, but live together in near harmony. I made some of the best friends in my life today, and I was easily able to develop a large support team.

The best thing that happened to me at boarding school was the opportunity to live with friends. This allowed me to improve my social life, and make lasting connections. I gained a lot of confidence from coming to Stevenson and meeting so many supportive people.

I would have started off less shy. I came to campus with little confidence. Although that changed very quickly, I believe I could have achieved much more during my academic career at Stevenson.

Overall, the student body was and still is my favorite part of the Stevenson School.

I spent most of my free time enjoying the incredible off campus food options in Pebble Beach, Carmel, and Monterey. My favorite breakfast is at the Gallery Cafe in Pebble Beach. My favorite lunch is either at the California Market in Carmel Highlands or Carmel Belle in Carmel-by-the-Sea. My favorite dinner is at The Bench in the Lodge at Pebble Beach. I regret not really ever exploring Pacific Grove.

The academics can range from fairly easy, to quite difficult at Stevenson depending on the classes you take. The honors and AP classes can be quite difficult, but the regular courses are typically easy. One of the first things I noticed upon beginning my career at Stevenson was that the homework is meant to prepare you, not define you. This means they do no give you a lot of busywork, but instead a smaller portion of difficult work that will force you to really think and analyze the problems. At Stevenson, they focus on allowing the student to live a joyful life while still pursuing education.

Although it is not true across the board, most of the athletics at Stevenson are not super competitive.

The arts are huge at Stevenson. It is a requirement to graduate that a Stevenson student takes at least one arts course, so there is about a 100% arts participation rate for students during their 4 years. The faculty of the arts is both accommodating, supportive, and great at what they do. I took classes in ceramics and photography, and went to watched a majority art exhibitions and shows.

The extracurricular activities at Stevenson are as time consuming and fulfilling as you make them with the exception of leadership positions at school. The leadership positions have a minimum requirement of meetings and obligations. Everything else is up to you. Stevenson is usually willing to help and sometimes even fund extracurricular activities including community service and expeditions.

The dorms are fairly luxurious, nicer than many college dorms. I only had a roommate for 1 of my 3 years at Stevenson. No matter where you live, you will be surrounded by great people and fairly supportive faculty.

The food at Stevenson is diverse, and can be pretty good. The best part is that there are always a plethora of options available. There is always a salad bar, cereal bar, bread bar, pasta or burrito bar, and a line for hot meals with both a regular and vegetarian option. They also have a bowl of fruit that is available all day.

The school is surrounded by a myriad of golf courses, and a beautiful coastline. There are tons of restaurants, but not a lot of night life. My favorite part was the restaurants and the views that they provided.

Some students feel a barrier between the boarding students and day students. This barrier is imagined, and can be as easily broken as it can be forgotten. Each and every student at Stevenson has a good heart if you actually spend time getting to know them.