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Deerfield Academy

School rating 4 / 5 by

7 Boyden Lane Deerfield MA 01342 United States
Boarding
9th to PG
Day
9th to PG
Gender
Coed

Academic

Deerfield Academy review by .

At the conclusion of their education at Deerfield, most students are equipped with excellent discussion and writing skills. As with any school, there are hits and misses with teachers. But overall, it was an invaluable experience. Deerfield's defining feature is that it encourages well-roundedness and interests in a variety of fields, both academic and extracurricular. It was inspiring to see my peers seamlessly play multiple roles in the community: athletes, artists, students, community servants, outdoorsmen, mentors, and friends. I never felt threatened by my peers and found that there was support, not competition, among peers. The average class at Deerfield consists of 12 students sitting around a table with their teacher. Students receive about an hour of homework from each subject and carry a load of 5 classes minimum. Upperclassmen history classes usually read around 80 pages per week. Deerfield's teachers are on duty at least once a week in the dorms and set aside this time to offer extra help to students. If further help is needed, Deerfield will help students coordinate with academic tutors and a study-skills advisor. More advanced students can petition to pursue a personal research topic in place of a co-curricular activity after school.

College Counseling

I first met with my Deerfield college advisor in March of my junior year. ....

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

Deerfield places less emphasis on a particular score range. I grew close to the....

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...

School Life

Deerfield is in a quiet historical colonial village in the countryside. It's an extremely safe place where students can wander about at night without fear. Deerfield is surrounded by natural beauty, which students can discover through running, hiking, canoeing, and biking. Deerfield is somewhat secluded, the local town is about a 10 minute drive. However, faculty and students often arrange trips to the Amherst and Northampton, two small liberal arts college towns. Somewhat music groups perform at Northampton maybe twice a month. Housing at Deerfield ranges from 50 to 5 years old. The older ones....

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