Westtown School - Review #13

The boarding community was very unique. The dorm parents were great! The hall felt like one big family. Unlike most boarding schools, upperclassmen live right above the classrooms. Each grade was in one place, for the most part. Being with 60 other people on one hall was very unique. Everyone kept their door open, because there was so much trust. The senior projects are also very unique to Westtown. I went to Israel and the West Bank with about 20 other students. Other school trips were to Peru, Ghana, and Europe. The chance to travel abroad for 2 weeks with teachers and classmates is still one of my fondest memories.

The best thing that I have taken away from school is the friendships I made there. There are still people I talk to every week, even though it has been a few years since I have seen them. I became more independent at Westtown and was very used to living with other people. I am forever grateful that I was able to go to Westtown.

I would have reached out to more people. I was shy, and looking back, that is my main regret. I am very social now, but back then it was hard for me to enter in 10th grade when a lot of the students had been there for a while. The grade was small, but I kept to my friend group of about 10 people. I wish I have made friends with more people.

I liked that there were students from all over the U.S. and all over the world. It was great to make friends with people from other places than the Philadelphia area. I am also happy that university work has been manageable because I was so well academically prepared.

Take time to explore the campus. Walk around with your friends. Go to Pete's produce. Take long walks. Going on walks with friends around the campus was was of my favorite things to do because we had really good conversations. Oh and definitely walk around the lake!

I got a really good foundation on how to research and write papers at Westtown School. The course work was pretty heavy, but I learned a lot. This fully prepared me for the amount of work that I had to put into university work. I liked how the teachers really cared. They fully read multiple drafts of your essays and helped you in any way they could, even outside of the classroom.

Everyone had to do some sort of sport activity after school. I chose tennis, which was my favorite sport. The 16 courts at the school are beautiful. Sports was where most people met their friends and where you could meet students in other grades. All of the facilities are top notch.

I didn't participate in a lot of the art program. I took darkroom photography, which I really liked. While I didn't play any instruments, there were a number of concerts put on throughout the year, which I was always blown away by. Students who have a passion for art have ample opportunities and support to do so at Westtown.

Sports were everyday after school, so that was my main extra-curricular. However, on days when classes ended early, there was time to meet with clubs. There were a ton of clubs that you could belong to. In addition, everyone has to complete 60 hours of volunteer work and write an essay about it. This was hard on top of school, but it was a humbling experiance.

Dorm life was my favorite part. I loved how open and friendly the hall was. There were always people in the hall who you could hang out with. Some of the rooms were small, but the cool thing was that the beds are loft style.

The school goes to a lot of effort to provide healthy local food. Because the school has their own mini farm, we were able to eat some of what was actually grown at the school. Most meals were served family style. Students have different jobs such as serve, clear, and wash. Some nights the meals were buffet. Every Tuesday night there was community dinner, and always followed by a performance by a student.

There wasn't too much to do around the school. On the weekends there were trips to King of Prussia mall and other local shopping places. There was usually a big trip on the weekend and a movie trip. Trips were mostly student suggestions.

A lot of my friends were international students. This was a great aspect of going to a boarding school. I made life long friends. I got the chance to travel to other countries to visit my friends at their own homes. Everyone was pretty friendly.