Miss Porter's School review by Cornell University student.
Miss Porter's offers a rigorous academic curriculum, emphasizing humanities and the arts (with the exception of music). Strengths are in history, languages, English and math. The science instructors were good - some were excellent, others average - and while the school offers many AP science courses, the science program was not of the rigor to prepare one for sciences at Cornell or a similarly ranked University. Computer science was minimal and poor when I attended, and was a side program to the Math department. Arts were over-emphasized, in my opinion. While I enjoyed the art program, the same amount of space and emphasis was given to science as to art, which is odd. Music is a weak spot, as noted in other reviews. There was one music director, no formal music program, no formal choirs, glee clubs, orchestras, string groups, or bands. We had an informal "drop in" orchestra and chorus that I participated in. There is a senior a capella group that is self-managed. The instruction is workshop-oriented. Class sizes are very small, with 6-14 students per class. Teachers are readily accessible throughout the day, and are well-versed in their field. The work load was heavy. In terms of writing, reading comprehension, and problem solving, I was ahead of many of my peers at Cornell. I had a small disadvantage in that MPS's English program emphasized secondary writers and texts (particularly women authors) and so I had not read many of the "greats" like "Of Mice and Men," "To Kill a Mockingbird," etc. (although I had read much more Shakespeare and other British Lit authors than many of my peers). I was a gifted & talented student before I came to Porter's, and Porter's enabled me to craft my own curriculum so that I felt challenged at most every level. I also took advantage of the ease of doing independent studies with faculty to further my knowledge in number theory, among other things.
The College Counseling office was outstanding in my regard. They helped me identify my.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Miss Porter's School as experienced by former pupil and Cornell 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...
I don't recall much about the admissions process, except that it was not difficult. .... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Miss Porter's School by former pupil and Cornell 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...
Dorms are in houses which are lovely and comfortable. I was a day student, although I was assigned to a dorm each year for social activities. At times, the day students shared a room which helped to integrate us a little bit more so we had a place to study between classes and to leave our things during the day. Library was very comfortable and accessible and I studied there often. There was also a faculty lounge that was open to students and I often met with faculty there for meetings and extra help. There.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Miss Porter's School as experienced by former pupil and Cornell University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review