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Choate Rosemary Hall

Student rating 4.4/5 by Amherst College student
333 Christian Street Wallingford CT 06492 United States

Academic

Choate Rosemary Hall review by Amherst College student. After attending what I believed was a top private school in my hometown, I did not think that there could be such a dramatic improvement over my previous school. My Choate experience really opened my eyes. Truly every aspect of the classroom life seemed to increase my learning experience. The wide range of classes was the first allowed me to explore what seemed like a college education while I was still in high school. At my previous high school my transcript appeared quite normal: Calculus, English, History, etc. However at Choate it turned into: US in Vietnam, Linear Algebra, Economics, Architecture, Short Story Writing, etc. These new subjects made it much easier to become interested in the material. However, it was not only the material the made an impression on me, it was the environment. The size of my classes ranged from six to twelve students, which allowed for intimate interaction among all members of the class. And as much as it may seem like a mere luxury, holding classes around a large wooden table is a huge improvement from the generic rows of desks you've had since kindergarten. And finally, as best as I will try to do so, explaining the impact of the Choate faculty is next to impossible. It's not only their Ivy league degrees, their field experience, or years of classroom experience it's there dedication to what seems like every student in the room. Almost the entire faculty holds either outside study sessions, individual reviews, or desert at their house. At Choate the faculty seems to be around and contributing at all times.

College Counseling

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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…"

Admissions - Getting Accepted

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Sample insights on admissions
  • "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 transfered from other New York private schools The Elizabeth Morrow School and St. Bernard's were two of the larger feeder schools…"
  • "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. Don't ask their questions for them because their evaluation will be affected by the fact that the guides didn't hear a thing from the kid…"

School Life

Student life is obviously quite different from anything I had ever experienced. The dining hall, not "cafeteria" as your will quickly learn, is flat out gorgeous. While it does get old and its not home-cooking, my college's food makes me miss the food at Choate. The dorms were adequate, although I have seen the new dorms and they look incredible. The X, as they call the Athletic Facility, is awesome. The weight room literally made me want to go work out. Social events were OK. The weekly dances held in the Student Center were hit or miss. But some of the events were a ton of fun. The Deerfield Game pep rally is always a good time. While I don't even particularly like hockey, going to prep school hockey games is an awesome experience.

At Choate I was involved in the Football and Lacrosse teams as well as the Young Republicans, and African Drumming Group. While it is also strongly encouraged by the school, I would also like to personally encourage any Choate student to be a part of a team. The teams a Choate were very different from previous experiences. For instance, since an away game often means traveling outside of Connecticut, the travel time with your teammates is a unique opportunity. Along with the travel you also have many other unique experiences at Choate, including pre-game dinners at the Coach's house, and Spring Break pre-season trips to Florida. These opportunities, along with the great competition in the Founder's League, were and are an amazing opportunity.