Choate Rosemary Hall - Review #1

I enjoyed the fact that Choate was a more liberal school. It allowed you to really figure out who you were without the social pressures of being a perfect, preppy kid. The general atmosphere of growing up without the pressures of parents encouraged everyone to reach out to the Choate community and find someone to click with. I found people who I've remained friends with and who are still possibly my closest friends of all.

I figured out who I really was without the pressures of parents or a horrible social group.

Not much. I might have gone to more classes and possibly worked harder, but I got so much out of my experience while there, I don't think I would change a thing.

The liberal atmosphere.

Nothing really.

Talk to your professors, advisers, or coaches. You never know when you will need a shoulder to lean on, and they really care about you.

The ability to take a variety of classes at any level. The teachers were really helpful in and out of class. Always available.

Very rigorous. There was a lot expected of us at a very young age.

Athletes held a different social position than the rest of the school. We could get away with a lot. Since all the schools in our league were scattered around New England, the long hours spent on a bus or in a van promoted team unity and encouraged strong friendships.

Some of the coaches were not adequately qualified for their positions.

The guy's a capela group.

The separation between the artsy people and the rest of the school.

A huge variety. There was something for everyone.

It required a huge time commitment at any level. Very hard to "just be involved" without spending hours a week.

Living with students of your age range without adult supervision. That helped me to become responsible for myself and grow up.

The fact that very few houses had students from various classes in them. Either all freshman or all seniors, and a few with juniors and seniors.

Everyone ate together and at the same time. The dining hall was one of the best social atmospheres at Choate.

The food wasn't very good.

I had a great time. Everyone was really accepting of the new kids, and I was 1,000 miles away from my parents and 14. What isn't there to love?

Huge. Kids from 49 states, almost forty countris, almost 20 languages spoken. The school's population consisted of almost 30% foreign kids. It was a level of diversity I miss and have never come close to again.

Sports games and matches, then just sort of hung out, relaxed, and slept in. It was nice just to have some time off. Senior year we took the train into NYC a lot since several kids had houses there, or went to day students' houses for some time away.

We venuted into town when we could. The town itself wasn't that spectacular but there was a coffee shop, a few restaurants, and places to hang out. Mostly, kids took cabs to the movies or the local mall to get away.