Loomis Chaffee - Review #11

Loomis has a beautiful campus situated on “the island,” a 1-mile loop that sits above the yearly flood. The teachers use the Harkness method and classes are all discussion-based.

The best thing that happened to me were my athletic experiences. I got to play a lot of sports and through them I learned discipline, leadership, and courage. I made a lot of friends, learned life lessons, and became a better person both physically and mentally. I learned how to take criticism, and how to life myself and my teammates up. My coaches cared about my teammates and I, not just on the field or in the rink, but as people. Playing sports at Loomis truly made me a stronger, more resilient person.

If I could do it over, I would have put less pressure on myself. It can be easy to get carried away by the rigorous nature of the academics. I expected perfection from myself and was hard on myself for mistakes and failures. To new boarding school students, accept that failure will happen. The point is to grow from it. Try not to compare yourself to your classmates- each one of you is the best of the best, and nobody is inferior or doesn’t belong.

The people at Loomis were great. Caring faculty and staff make a huge difference. I made some great friends as well. And, the Pelican mascot is pretty great.

Make sure you say please and thank you to the support staff, and knowing the housekeepers’ names goes a long way. Be positive, be ready to grow, and enjoy the time you have on the Island. Check out Bart’s with your friends and explore all of your interests.

I liked the availability of classes for all ability levels. I enrolled in many AP classes but was able to explore different disciplines while I was a student. The teachers at Loomis are highly demanding because they expect a lot from you. You will be challenged intellectually, and learn valuable critical thinking skills. The writing and foreign language programs are excellent and comprehensive. By graduation, you will be a well-rounded student and have an idea of what discipline you will pursue in college.While the breadth and scope of coursework is impressive, I think Loomis puts unnecessary pressure on students. There are a few teachers and advisers who believe a student is a slacker or “does not belong” if they are not in advanced classes. Students should expect to do 6+ hours of homework every night, more if they are in APs.

The Loomis Athletics program was excellent under former AD Bob Howe. Sports participation was mandatory but some students avoided it by acting, dancing, or doing community service. However, the variety of team offerings at all levels was impressive and made for a really fun, competitive experience. The coaches genuinely care about the students. We won very frequently, in every sport, and most teams I was on were New England (or at least Founders League) champions. The facilities are state-of-the-art, with a dozen or so beautiful fields, two turfs, an on-campus hockey rink, a cross country course, a track, squash and tennis courts, a dance studio, and two weight rooms.

I had minimal participation in the Arts at Loomis. I took a ceramics class for my art credit. The art facility is advanced, with many studios, ceramics wheels, a computer lab, and darkroom. From what I saw, the teachers are all very nice and foster creativity. The student productions are excellent and appear professional.

There are dozens of student-run clubs and activities to choose from. There are foreign language clubs, debate teams, intramural sports, gaming groups, service organizations, etc. Each club has a faculty adviser.

I was a day student and do not know much about dorm life.

The cafeteria hours mostly accommodated student schedules and served plenty of options for all dietary needs. The food was usually good and represented many cultural and ethnic fares. The kitchen staff was incredibly kind and knew all of the students by name. I believe they have switched food providers since I graduated, so I do not know the current quality.

Windsor CT is a relatively small suburb outside of Hartford. It has some restaurants (including the popular Bart’s) and a CVS within walking distance of campus and the school often brings students to the mall and movies in a nearby town. Students over the age of 17 are allowed to Uber off campus at select times.As a runner, I liked that there were running trails and safe neighborhoods nearby that I could jog in. The town is pretty quiet and the school is tucked away on the outskirts.

The social life at Loomis is found at mealtimes and during after-school activities. The students are very serious about academics and do not have a lot of time to hang out, but meal times and afternoon activities are very high in energy. Most students at Loomis are friendly and kind to one another, and everyone is pretty driven and focused. A lot of students make study groups. Boarding students have more social opportunities than the day students because they have a central location. The dorms are hubs of activity and the boarding students become very close-knit.