Pomfret School - Review #2

The sense of community is something that is discussed a lot at Pomfret, but for a good reason. I toured a multitude of schools across both Canada and the United States and nothing compared to Pomfret. With incredibly small class sizes and the majority of teachers living on campus, you have a very unique opportunity to create a bond with an absolutely fantastic faculty. Another very unique thing about Pomfret is it's once a year annual initiative called Project Pomfret. Project Pomfret is a two week period before winter break where students are sorted into "Projects" that they choose related to subjects you wouldn't normally have time to learn about in a traditional curriculum. For example, my junior year I did an intensive two week wood shop course that taught me how to go from tree to finished furniture. It was incredibly eye-opening experience and taught us a lot about sustainability. Lastly, the campus is incredibly unique. With over 500 acres of beautiful Connecticut country side, beautifully maintained historic buildings, hundreds of acres of perfectly cut athletic fields, Pomfret is one of a kind.

Pomfret was a fantastic opportunity for me to grow into an independent person away from home, but also with the safety net of the structure of prep school. I became my own person, stopped relying on my parents to do things for me, and really was a lot better prepared for the real world than I was before I got there. I feel as if I hadn't had my Pomfret experience, being thrown into university would be like learning to swim in the deep end. I learned a lot about myself, about the world, and about other people, and for that I'll always be grateful

I don't regret anything, but if I had a do-over I'd try connecting with a lot more people early on. I made a lot of great friends in the last few months of my senior year that I wish I had spent more time with beforehand. Realize that everyone there is equally intimidated at first, but you'll all grow into being comfortable together. I never felt homesick at Pomfret, but I think too many people don't let go of home fast enough. Trust me, Pomfret becomes a home to you, just accept vulnerability and dive head first into every opportunity. It's what you make of it.

The People. Without the teachers, administration, and students I went to school with I would be a very different person. I learned so much at Pomfret that I never would have learned had I not been challenged by so many amazing individuals. I wish I had spent 4 years there.

Pomfret Sunsets are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. If you're on campus visiting sit on top of the hill overlooking the athletic fields and you'll instantly know you need to be there. It's the most stunning campus I've seen. If you're looking for a quieter Dorm look to live in the Arcades, if you're looking for more of a college style house dorm ask about Pyne or the Villa. Honestly anywhere you live you'll find people who you connect with, but your tour guides are always current students or alum and they'll be honest with you.

Something about Pomfret academically that changed my life was the fact my teachers never accepted mediocracy. Before Pomfret I was an average student, I cruised through classes with average grades and flew under the radar most of the time. With the small classes at Pomfret and truly unbelievably committed teachers, I had no where to hide. This was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I learned my true potential and saw my GPA rise astronomically. Pomfret is also a great school academically because of the wide range of options available. If you're looking for a challenging schedule, you will find it. If you're looking for an easier schedule, you can find it. Every student's academic journey is tailor fit to them and I absolutely loved that system.

Pomfret plays against some of the top Prep programs in the country. Numerous D1 athletes in every sport come out of Pomfret every year due to it's above average athletic programs across the board. It's the kind of school that doesn't have one specialty sport, but instead a huge variety of varsity and JV sports to choose from. Most students are 3 sport athletes and this really inspires a lot of people to leave their comfort zones.

The art program is lead by a fantastic teacher who I had the privilege to learn a lot from. You can go into an art class with absolutely no prior experience and leave with some fantastic work. Nobody is cast aside, and everybody has potential. While the teachers are great and the program has facilities, the student body generally leans towards athletics rather than the arts. Although there are arts offerings every season in place of sports.

There's something for everyone. The multitude of clubs, opportunities, trips, activities was huge. If you're the type of person that likes to be busy all the time, you'll love it. If you're the type of person that doesn't want to be involved in student organizations that's also okay, nothing is mandatory in this sense.

The Dorms are on the older side, but still well maintained. I lived in the same room two years in a row I like the hall so much. I lived in a Single room which was nice, meaning I didn't have a roommate. We had a fantastic "Dorm parent", basically a teacher who lived with us on the hall who took fantastic care of us. He's for sure a friend for life. The dorms are a lot of fun, but there's a hall for every kind of personality. There are quieter halls, louder house dorms, dorms made up mostly of athletes, dorms made up of arts students. It would honestly be hard not to find a room you liked.

The dining hall was renovated my senior year and they really stepped up their game. With a new Pizza Oven with a different selection of pizza and calzones every day, a beautiful salad bar, and a sandwich station that was open all day, you won't go hungry. Sometimes some of the meals were a little questionable, but what else do you expect when they're serving over 400 people 3 meals per day? The food was always good quality and I never got sick because of anything I ate, I just didn't always like the hot meal option as I'm sort of a picky eater. If you weren't into the meal, there was always other options available.

Pomfret itself is a tiny town with basically nothing in it, but neighbouring Dayville an Putnam were always fun. With a Target about 10 minutes away, weekly bus trips for supplies were a constant. Every Friday there's a bus into Putnam as well where there are about a dozen really cool local restaurants with great food, if you're into Asian food definitely hit up 85 Main.

I loved my social life at Pomfret. Pomfret doesn't really feel like a traditional high school because of how small it is, and the sheer number of students who live on campus compared to those who live at home. Everyone knows everybody and at the least acknowledge one another. I never had any negative experiences socially, and have a fantastic group of friends I know I'll have for life.