Pomfret School - Review #5

The sense of community is unique to Pomfret, although I hear many other prep school kids talking about it, I think Pomfret has a unique sense of what it means to attend the school. I was deciding between Pomfret, Middlesex, and Westminster, visited all of them, and found Pomfret to have "it."

Great school, couldn't imagine going anywhere else, Helped me get into my dream college.

Something I may have done differently is take more advantage of Pomfret's great language program. I tested out as a freshman I had taken to French 3 in middle school. By senior year I knew many students who had become fluent and some who had even studied abroad during the summer, which Pomfret sponsored.

The people, Pomfret has an uncanny ability to choose like-minded students who don't settle. They are constantly looking for more, and the teachers are of the same quality.

Definitely visit Pomfret. On paper, the school may seem too small, or too far from NYC, or any other reason, but once you spend a day there, you may find it's perfect, I did.

The academics are as strong as you want them to be. Pomfret has some of the most AP courses offered at any prep school, your schedule is coordinated directly with your academic advisor and is fitted to your strengths. For a smaller school, Pomfret offers a lot of great high-level classes and interesting electives for 5th and 6th formers. Challenging, but not impossible, teachers live in your dorms and coach your sports, makes it easy to get extra help.

Strong athletic program, friends that have gone on to play div 1 and div 3 sports (Lacrosse at UMass, Hobart, Cornell, Skidmore, Getysburg; Football at Colby, Middlebury, St. Lawrence; Squash at Hobart, Cornell, Haverford) Sport is required for each season, practice everyday, games on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Only drawback is Pomfret is not apart of one of the big prep leagues (Founder's or ISL) still competes with the big schools, though

Took studio art all four years, unbelievable teacher, very cool professional artist who worked with bands such as Phish in the 1990s. I currently know some artists that have gone on to sell their work(francescajoypb). Pomfret also has a very strong digital arts program, one of the best programs in prep schools, intro to advanced class, great Mac computer lab with about 40 computers and access to lots of great software and cameras, constantly being updated.

Lots of clubs, and opportunities to start pretty much any club imaginable. Clubs are run by upper form students and a teacher advisor. A lot of volunteering at Pomfret, some is required and done with your form, but many students go beyond, mostly volunteering around the community of Pomfret and Putnam

Dorms are new and updated, after your first year you can live with whomever you please, based on a lottery system. All freshman are put together in house dorms across the road. Make for a very fun time, and a good time to get to know your new form. Dorm parents have bar-b-Q's and other fun activities, but it is mostly based on hanging in or outside the dorm. Wireless internet(whole campus), flat screen TVs, and basic furniture fill the common rooms. "The Bricks" is a long dorm that creates one whole side of the quad. One side is girls, the other is boys. most upper-formers live here, but there are also assorted house dorms on campus.

One central dining hall is located at the end of campus. Food is good, varied and pretty casual. There are sit-down lunches on some days during the week and occasional sit-down dinners, which the whole school attends. There is also the tuck shop, located in the gorgeous student center which has diner/snack food. Great burgers, breakfast sandwiches, fries, chips, sodas, and also healthy options like great salads and fruit smoothies. One pays for all of this on their "Pomfret card" which acts as a credit card on campus, also works at the school store for school supplies and Pomfret sweatshirts and tshirts.

Pomfret is small and quaint. Classic New England town. Jim Calhoun(UConn basketball coach) actually lives just off of campus but many of the homes are modest. Pomfret's campus is flanked by woods in the back(XC running trails, a ropes course, and a bio research area) Rt 44 in the front, rolling farm hills on the left, and an 18-hole public golf course(Used by the golf team) to the right. If this setting sounds idyllic, it truly is. Not much happening off campus in terms of stores. There is a cafe with GREAT food a 5 minutes walk from campus with outdoor seating. Many students walk there on weekends for their great breakfasts or salads and burgers at night. There is also a basic convenience store a little further down the road. 3 miles from the school is the town of Putnam, which has all the essentials including Stop & Shop, Walmart, assorted chain restaurants and other basic stores. There are a few good restaurants, and a Winery for when parents and alums come to visit.

Social life mostly surrounds the tuck shop and quad area when there aren't sports. When there is a sports game, many of the students, if they are not playing their own, will go to the fields, squash courts, or walk down to the hockey rink for a game against rivals. When all the sports are over there are dances, concerts, comedians and other activities the school puts on. Although some students just hang out in the Tuck Shop, and grab a burger and hang out. Some fun activities I remember include: Playoff hockey game against Westminster, sushi rolling with professional sushi chefs in the dining hall, concert on the quad (Zox), faculty Vs. student softball tourney, and Bar-B-Q's in the spring.