Westtown School - Review #1

Read more details about Westtown School on their 2024 profile page.
Westtown School
5

About the Author:

Years Attended Boarding School:
1998-2002
Sports and Activities:
Varisty Cross country team for 4 years(Captain 11th and 12th) Varsity basketball for 4 years Varsity Track and Field for 4 years(Captain 11th and 12th) School Newspaper for 3 years(editor in 12th) Dormitory Prefect (Senior year) Athletic Life Committee (Sophomore year) Admissions Tour Guide for 4 years Admissions Q&A Panelist Senior Year
College Enrolled:
Haverford College
Home Town, State:
Glen Mills, PA

Reflections and Advice:

1.) What do you think makes your school unique relative to other boarding schools?
I could cite Westtown being Quaker as its claim to being unique. There are other Quaker boarding schools. I can't put my finger on what made Westtown so special and memorable for me. I spent 12 years there from 1st grade through graduation. Westtown will provide an academic education just as well as any other school on this website. However, Westtown also sets out to make its students good people. Many schools claim to make good citizens who contribute to society. While a wonderful claim, Westtown goes a little farther. I left Westtown and so did many of my friends with an ability to step back and see the greater picture. I had the ability to see things critically. The ability to think critically about the outside world was (and still is) a valuable skill I learned at Westtown. But, even more important is the ability to look critically within. I'm sure a lot this came from the Quakerism, and the idea of looking within yourself as well as others for good. This ability to find good in all others is a bright spot in what can be a dark and cynical world.
2.) What was the best thing that happened to you in boarding school?
I made friends for life. I will not ever forget that. The boarding experience was amazing, and I wouldn't change anything about it.
3.) What might you have done differently during your boarding school experience?
Nothing. I arrived in 1st grade and I am so thankful for every minute I spent at Westtown.
4.) What would you never want to change about your school?
The campus. Westtown has done an amazing job of growing while keeping the beauty of the 600 acres complete and unscathed.
5.) What things could be improved about your school?
Don't always ask the same students for advice or you'll get the answer you're obviously looking for. Ask the students who seem upset with the school or don't always sign up for committees. They're the ones who often feel something's wrong and they have great ideas how to address them.
6.) Do you have any final words of wisdom for visiting or incoming students to your school?
Realize there's more to boarding school than getting into a good school and studying. Soak it all. Get to know someone you normally wouldn't get to know. Talk to the faculty and learn from them outside the classroom. Embrace how unique Westtown is, don't be nervous about it. Be open to new things and Westtown will do the rest. Good luck.

Academics:

1.) What did you like best about your school’s academics?
The teachers. They were interesting, they really did love what they were teaching but the great thing is the interaction with them outside of class. In the dorm or just in the hall or at dinner, hanging out with the faculty and learning from them outside the classroom was awesome.
2.) What did you like least about the academics in your school?
Unmotivated students bothered me. Some didn't realize how lucky they were to be at Westtown.

Athletics:

1.) What did you like best about your school’s athletics?
The fan support. Over 150 students got on a bus and rode about 50 minutes to come watch us play in the playoffs. They made an away gym feel like home.The friends I made on my teams. My friends from the teams I played on will always be remembered by me. Winning and sometimes more so, losing, brings a group closer than any other situation.
2.) What did you like least about the athletics in your school?
I felt like people we're not proactive about improving the quality of the athletics. If they assumed the team would be bad then they didn't really care about getting better, or if they did, they did little to change it.

Art, Music, and Theatre:

1.) What did you like best about your school’s art program?
Wasn't really involved myself. However, I still remember how much I enjoyed some of the shows I saw performed. I felt lucky to attend the 1st HS to perform the Laramie Project, and watching it was very powerful.
2.) What did you like least about your school’s art program?
I didn't participate much.

Extracurricular Opportunities:

1.) What did you like most about the extracurricular activities offered at your school?
I really enjoyed the student leadership. Students really decided what went on and how the club would be run. It was nice to be a part of that.
2.) What did you like least about the extracurricular activities offered at your school?
On the same note, some clubs lacked the proper guidance or they were merely started so that students wouldn't have to attend study halls.

Dorm Life:

1.) What was the best thing about dorm life in your school?
Living on a hall with 60 guys is something I'll never forget. It was like we were all brothers up there and I made friends I'll never lose.
2.) What did you like least about dorm life?
Being accounted for meant a lot of rules about where to be and when. A little more freedom would've been nice.

Dining:

1.) What was the best thing about your dining arrangements?
Family style meals. Having 8 people sit around a table and pass the food around rather than each person with their own tray, coming and going like a cafeteria. I remember how special Thanksgiving would be when each table would get their own turkey to be carved and we would sit, with candlelight. It was the 2nd best thing to home and allowed us to all have a nice dinner together.
2.) What did you like least about your dining arrangements?
There was a lot of vegan and vegetarian options that weren't very good. I have no problem with them being available, but the amount compared to the number of students in the school who didn't eat meat was a little off.

Social and Town Life:

1.) How welcome did you feel by the other students when you first arrived at the school
I arrived as the only new student in 1st grade. I immediately began making friends there that I've kept ever since.
2.) Describe the level of diversity and integration of students in your school:
Amazing. Even at a college that claims to be very diverse, it doesn't come close to Westtown. I felt like the integration and diversity really enhanced my education there.
3.) Describe typical fun activities you did on a weekend:
basketball games, sledding, watching movies, goofing off in the halls. Once a friend and I borrowed the ride-on toys from the day-care and rode them down this grassy hill behind the Meeting House. Simple but memorable fun.
4.) What was the town like?
Pretty isolated. We would walk to rent movies or get pizza. On the weekends vans went to the malls or the movies.

Daily Schedule:

Weekday
6:30 AM
Wake-up. Shower
7:00 AM
Breakfast
8:15 AM
Collection
8:30 AM
Senior English
9:30 AM
Spanish 5 (AP)
10:15 AM
Break
10:30 AM
Biology 2 (AP)
11:30 AM
Lunch
12:30 AM
Free period
1:15 PM
Math Seminar (AP-BC)
2:30 PM
School Newspaper meeting
3:15 PM
Practice
6:00 PM
Dinner
7:30 PM
Study Hall for 2 hrs
11:00 PM
Bed
Weekend
10:30 AM
Meeting for Worship
11:30 AM
Brunch
12:00 AM
Hangout for the day. Chill with friends.
6:00 PM
Dinner. Maybe order delivery? Hunan Chinese food? yum...
7:00 PM
Duty meeting (prefects and dorm parents)
7:30 PM
Study Hall
10:30 PM
On Dorm
10:45 PM
Prefect meeting with Dorm head and prefects
1:00 AM
Bed
Read more details about Westtown School on their 2024 profile page.

Alumni Reviews Review School

Review
Description
Westtown School Alumni #1
Class of 2018
5.00 8/7/2019
Villanova University
Westtown has a beautiful campus. It was beautiful and especially safe to walk around any time of day. Also the style of teaching is very hands on and has small classes, usually with. . .
Westtown School Alumni #2
Class of 2018
5.00 5/2/2019
UVA
Small Quaker school, tight group, not so much focused on strong academics as much as creating good individuals in society.. . .
Westtown School Alumni #3
Class of 2007
5.00 4/10/2018
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Extremely beautiful campus. It is a Quaker boarding school with wonderful teachers. They require a senior project where students can travel the world. Also encourages volunteer work and has a campus farm. . .
Show more reviews (41 reviews)

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Quick Stats (2024)

  • Enrollment: 366 students
  • Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students): $70,250
  • Yearly Tuition (Day Students): $43,250
  • Acceptance rate: 53%
  • Average class size: 15 students
  • Application Deadline: Jan. 15 / rolling
  • Source: Verified school update