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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 .

The school's academic program definitely excels in math and science, with loads of AP and research opportunities and a gorgeous building with very modern lab equipment. Humanities is also a strong point, which a large variety of history and English classes. History class options range from ancient civilizations, to the middle ages in Europe, to Modern Europe, American, from a civil justice standpoint, African and Latin American history, etc. English classes include 50s literature, nature writing, biographical writing, and other creative writings along with the traditional analytical essays. Perhaps the best classes in the school are their interdisciplinary courses, such as American Studies - a junior year class integrating English and History into an unforgettable telling of American history. The language program is also reasonably good, including offerings of Arabic and Mandarin and study abroad options all over the world. Thanks to Deerfield, I travelled to Peru, Uruguay, Botswana, and Spain. I definitely feel prepared for university. Deerfield tries to use discussion-based teaching in all its classes; I never felt uncomfortable asking a question or sharing an opinion. The largest class I had at Deerfield was 18 students, and the smallest had 5. Class sizes are small and effective. The faculty are mostly accessible, with hours on duty at the dorms and offices you are usually free to visit. My math teacher set up extra-help sessions every night one year. The average work load depends on the classes you decide to take - at the very least, it is manageable, and at the most, it is nearly impossible. However, the work was always challenging and useful (not busywork).

College Counseling

I spent my senior year abroad in Spain, and my college counselor at Deerfield was....

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

I came to Deerfield from public school, and both my parents had gone to public....

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

The quality of life at Deerfield was good, although a bit isolated. All students are guaranteed singles (although over-enrollment in the 09-10 year compromised this). The dorms are heated and room size is comfortable. The dining hall is relatively delicious for an institution of its size and includes vegetarian and vegan options (I was vegan for a year and the dining hall was incredibly accomodating). 7 meals per week are "sit-down", 9 students with one faculty member per table. These can be annoying, but enable students to meet other students and faculty they might not otherwise get to know. Deerfield has....

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