Lawrenceville School review by Princeton University student.
I had a wonderful experience at Lawrenceville. It was not without any difficulty but it was still amazing. Overall, the school's strength is the harkness learning, which is used in almost all classroom settings. They recently began implementing Harkness more than they used to in math classes which I thought was a huge success. As a humanities student, I thought the English department was the best department on campus. Spanish was a close second. My STEM friends felt like the science department was strong, especially with programs like Hutchins Scholars. However, the school did lack a computer science program. After I left, the administration moved to fill that void but the program is still being built. In general, I think that the competitive/ collegial atmosphere was definitely based on who you surrounded yourself with. Personally, I felt like it was competitive, especially when it came to extracurricular activities. There were a limited number of leadership positions with established clubs that people felt anything, and it tended to be the same group of thirty- forty kids who fought for those positions while others made up clubs at the last minute to have leadership on their college applications. Overall, I think Lawrenceville prepared me well for college- both academically and emotionally. At Princeton, I think a lot of people feel lost because they've never really had failure before but Lawrenceville gave me a healthy dose of it. I was fortunate to have a number of leadership positions, but I know I applied for more. In total, I had four presidencies/ positions on editorial boards and I applied (and was rejected from) Student Council, the prefect program and the Hutchins Scholars Program. The faculty made sure that, even though I wanted to, I didn't overextend myself. My relationships with my teachers was the best part of my high school experience, and I still email and visit them often.
The best advice I can give to someone about the college process at Lawrenceville is.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Lawrenceville School as experienced by former pupil and Princeton University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on college counseling
They have contacts at most of the major universities and feel perfectly comfortable picking up the phone and advocating for a student to get accepted somewhere they feel is a good fit for that student. However, these counselors are certainly not magic bullets. They cannot guarantee that a student will get into an Ivy League university...
For those wishing to move on to Oxford or Cambridge, the provision is second-to-none. In the months running up to application and interview, every subject faculty offers classes (often run by former Oxbridge tutors) exploring further areas of their subject as well as offering advice on personal statements, interview technique and more...
Both my test grades and my middle school transcript were good- I scored in the.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Lawrenceville School by former pupil and Princeton University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on admissions
For the interview, dress conservatively. Try to be very clean and put together. Also, I was a tour guide for two years and at the end of every tour, we were asked to evaluate the candidate so if you think the tour is not apart of the process, you are very wrong. Ask questions and be interested. Also, tip for the parents: the kids speak on the tour. Do not ask their questions for them...
Most younger siblings have an easy time in the admissions process. I can only think of one case of a younger sibling not being admitted. About half of the students who entered with me had come from public schools. The remainder came from private K-6 schools, or had transferred from other New York private schools The Elizabeth Morrow School and St. Bernard were two of the larger feeder schools...
I loved Lawrenceville, particularly dorm life. To this day, I'm still close with my housemasters and I know that if I ever need anything, they are just a phone call/ email away. No matter the problem, I know that my housemasters/ former teachers will always be there. Years later, I still visit and keep in touch. I think that the faculty definitely lean liberal but there are some who are conservative. My grade had more liberals than conservatives... to a certain degree, I think that it is hard to be conservative at Lawrenceville but there is definitely a niche for.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Lawrenceville School as experienced by former pupil and Princeton University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review