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Alumni
Review #1, Class of 2004 |
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| College
Enrolled |
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(still attending Walnut Hill) |
| Home
Town, State (Country) |
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North Brookfield,MA |
| Years
Attended Boarding School |
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1 |
| Activities
During Boarding School |
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Gay Straight Alliance
AIDS Action Comittee
Student Ambassadors
Students Politically Aware
SADD- (Co-President)
Bandoleros- (Director)
Mixed Nuts (Co-Director)
ARTS in the Community Outreach Program
Volunteering at Performance Benefits
Church Volunteer
CCD Teacher
Hospital Volunteer
Numerous Theater, Music Productions |
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| 1.) What do you think makes your school unique relative
to other boarding schools?
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| The Walnut Hill School, is a school for the arts, located in Natick, MA. There are only two other schools of it's kind in the nation that provide intense training in the arts, with a college prep academic schedule as well. The school is divided into five majors: ballet, theater, music, visual art, and creative writing. As part of the admission process to the school a student must be reviewed via portfolio, or audition, in the major to which they wish to apply. Once admitted to the school, you'll be assigned an adviser to whom is usually a teacher in your major, while a lot of the time you get academic teachers as advisers, the adviser meets with you weekly to discuss your academic and arts requirements, as well as just to check up on you personally to make sure you're not having a nervous breakdown! You have a rigourous schedule of academics and arts... its all explained below... Don't be discouraged by the cost of Walnut Hill... Walnut Hill happens to be one of the top boarding schools in awarding financial aid, and if you're very talented and WHS wants you, then they'll do anything to help you get here... so go for it! |
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| 2.) What was the best thing that happened to you in boarding school? |
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| Boarding School has certainly changed my as a person... I really do think it will be remembered as the best years of my life, because you become so close to the people who you live with and go to school with... your teachers, administrators, dorm parents, dorm mates, fellow students in your major, it's just so unique, something I don't believe you can compare to college, even though I havn't gotten there yet! At Walnut Hill, you'll get a head start to your career, and that will put you ahead of those that you're up against in college... you grow as an artist in so many ways, and you grow as a person, in ten times more ways. It's a great experience! |
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| 3.) What would you have done differently during your boarding school experience? |
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| When you get to Walnut Hill, take everything seriously... don't slack off in either your academics or arts... you have to balance both, and if you can't then you're not going to make it there... Keep focused, don't slack off, practice A LOT! Practice truly does make perfect... so take it all seriously... that's something I slacked off on this year, but I will deff do much better on this year. |
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| 4.) What would you never want to change about your school? |
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| I think Walnut Hill is a great school, and the fact that its so unique makes it an awesome place to be. What I would never want to change is the kind of school it is, as long as it remains to sustain it's excellence in the arts, then it will remain as unique as it is now. |
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| 5.) What things could be improved about your school? |
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| Some rules could be looked over, some change in the way the schedules work (which is being done for next year...) basically though, I really like the way the school functions. |
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| 6.) Do you have any final words of wisdom for visiting or incoming students
to your school? |
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| If you're a guy, pray you get Clark, you'll love it (unless you love to quiet, then don't pray for it)... For those that plan to apply and audition, I know that you must feel extremely nervous about going before a school for admission, but let me tell you that the auditions at Walnut Hill are comfortable, and fun! Don't be scared, go in and have fun, and enjoy your visit @ Walnut Hill... You won't regret it! |
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| 1.)
What did you like best about your school’s academics? |
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| Well, when it comes to being compared to other boarding school's academics, Walnut Hill really doesn't compare to the big names like Exeter, and Andover, and Deerfield... but, Walnut Hill's academics are unique as well as challenging. What makes WHS so unique is the way a daily schedule runs. A student will usually begin their day around eight o'clock in the morning, going from academic class to class till around two o'clock, then arts courses begin, with classes until 6pm, and then time for dinner, and then from 7-10pm students have rehearsals and studios, then check in with your dorms, and then off to study, and sleep! You have several "free" periods during a day, which are used to study, practice (which @ Walnut Hill, you do A LOT of) and meet with teachers/advisers... as well as individual tutors and music lessons... If you're planning on attending Walnut Hill, don't plan on having much of a life outside of school... but it's all good! Though the AP courses offered are very few, they are courses that many students take... the student body is very small, so our class sizes are also small, and that allows for more one on one teaching, which is great. The school just implemented a new academic system for the 2003-2004 school year called "Nexus". It's a block scheduling system that will allow students to have more free time... not really sure as to how it works just yet, but it sounds like it'll make our lives a bit more easier! Arts courses are by far the hardest and most stressful! Each day, you have intensive study in your major, with some of the top instructors in the country... it's crazy! Such a great opportunity though, and if you're accepted to Walnut Hill, you have some good things going for you. |
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| 2.)
What did you like least about the academics in your school? |
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| Academics compared to most "prep" schools in New England, are very "easy" as seen in the eyes of students from such schools as Andover, Deerfield, Middlesex, and Milton... but for me, I came from a school where I really never had to try to hard to be an over achiever, and here I really have a tough time with a lot of academic related things... so in my oppinion it's challenging, but most Walnuts do well, and remember what we're all there for, and also there are a lot of people at Walnut Hill who wouldn't even consider the school if it didn't have good academics, so I would say Walnut Hill's reputation when it comes to academics is sometimes overlooked... It's really the artistic talent that shines here though... |
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What did you like best about your school’s athletics? |
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| Walnut Hill doesn't have any athletics, the school does have tennis courts, as well as a soccer fild, a swimming pool, and a basketball court, but students are way too busy to take advantage of them, plus student interest in sports is very low, considering what we are all there for! |
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| 2.)
What did you like least about the athletics in your school? |
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| I don't like how we don't have a gym. |
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What did you like best about your school’s art program? |
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| Welcome to Walnut Hill School for the Arts... Yes we are an arts school which means if you're not any kind of an artist, then you shouldn't even look into this school. It's a specialty school, which trains some of the most talented young people for entrance into such colleges and conservatories as: Juilliard, Curtis Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, The Boston Conservatory, Johns Hopkins University, Vassar, Smith, Carnegie Mellon University, New York University, Bard, Yale... the list goes on of student matriculations. Walnut Hill this year again held the highest amount of students accepted to the Juilliard School, one of the most prestigious performing arts schools in the country. Our ballet majors are often accepted right out of high school to perform with companies such as: American Ballet Theater, Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Royal Ballet... Several ARTS Recognition winners, as well as Presidential Scholarships in the Arts... Walnut Hill IS the place for you if you can't see yourself doing anything else with your life besides your art... have the talent, have the dedication, have the self-discipline and drive, and you will make it here. Go for it! |
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| 2.)
What did you like least about your school’s art program? |
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| Just be ready for stress-o-rama! But its good, its good! Prepares you for the real world, and believe me its tough... they tell us all about it! (and there are a lot of students who have done a lot of professional things sometime in their life, so they can tell you also!) |
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| 1.)
What did you like most about the extracurricular activities offered
at your school? |
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| Something I should warn you about, if your looking for the ultimate boarding school experience that maybe you saw in such movies as "A Seperate Peace" or "School Ties" or "O" or even "Dead Poets Society"... well you're really not gonna find that here. Yes the school is very close knit, and we all follow century old school traditions, that still follow their original formats... but when it comes to things like organizations and volunteering... well you really don't have much time. Clubs and organizations DO exsist, and they are something many of us take part in, it is very hard to schedule meetings, and to lead activities because extra time for students at Walnut Hill, is EXTREMELY rare! But, still they're are clubs on campus such as the GSA, AIDS Action, Amnesty International, and EMERGE that actually have been very successful in the past years, and this year I'll actually be heading a few clubs, and I have some plans for them! |
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| 2.)
What did you like least about the extracurricular activities offered
at your school? |
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| Well, basically its just the lack of time to hold meetings and to schedule activities... but don't worry, colleges know the kind of life a Walnut lives, so don't think your college decissions will be affected! |
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What was the best thing about dorm life in your school? |
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| Wow! Dorm life... well there are three male dorms, and four girl dorms... for men theres: Clark, New Cottage, and North House... Girls dorms: Westerly, Stowe, Eliot, and Highland. Each dorm is unique, and there is deffinately an ranking system on which dorms are the best. When it comes to male living, well Clark is deffinately the dorm to live in if you're looking for a "fast paced" environment... the dorm parents in this dorm are AWESOME!... then there is New Cottage, which is a smaller dorm, a lot quieter... North House, is cool, but it seems to be the music major's dorm... anyway, girls dorm... Stowe is the elite dorm, awesome place... Eliot is also very cool, very fast paced... Westerly is very large, and has several floors of girls! Highland is the quiet dorm, it's kind of in its own little world, but its still cool, plus if you're a musician you don't have to go far to practice in the practice rooms! But dorm life, is great. When you get the student handbook and you read the dorm policies, don't fret, though it seems like your life is gonna be so complicated with all the rules, and curfews and parietals and stuff, it really won't be, and you'll be used to it very quickly. Words of advice though: keep your room clean, don't break the rules about use of fire in the dorms, Walnut Hill has a zero tolerance policy, and its automatic expulsion if you're caught with any sort of fire within a building. Its one of the schools biggest problems when it comes to withdrawing students, you don't want to be caught, believe me, it puts the school into a very somber mood! |
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| 2.)
What did you like least about dorm life? |
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| Just be kind to your roomate, don't get on his/her bad side, cause if you do, your dorm experience isn't going to be as fun as it should be! Get to know your roomate, even if they're completely opposite you, try to talk about their families, their lives... Walnuts tend to be very interesting people... |
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What was the best thing about your dining arrangements? |
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| Dining at Walnut Hill is very laid back... food served cafeteria style, breakfast/lunch/dinner... the foods good, I mean not amazing, but you know, its a boarding school! Anyway, you'll come to know some Walnut Hill Favorites like the infamous Cheese Bagel, or the Chicken Picata, every week there is a pasta night, and a pizza night. The pizza is really good too, I think its actually better than most pizza places! Once in a while you'll get ice cream too, and thats always good. During the winter they tend to serve us better meals to make up for the sucky weather. Walking to class in 3 feet of snow is not fun! |
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| 2.)
What did you like least about your dining arrangements? |
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| Well, I mean I know at other boarding schools they have the whole family served type style, I really am jealous of that because ours is more along the lines of a cafeteria, and although it really is a good thing sometimes, I do wish we had that special way of being "Served"... the foods not amazing either, so don't expect something like filet mignon... oh but when the trustees or the boards come to the school, or parents events... well they tend to make the food a lot more fancier... value those days. Also, getting food is only possible during certain hours, so don't think you can just walk in and get food, although you can get fruit and something to drink most of the time. |
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| 1.) How welcome did you feel by the other students when you first
arrived at the school? |
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| Walnut Hill is a place full of artists, and we all know we are all there for a reason. This understanding helps us to know that we all have "great expectations" of ourselves, and because of that competition is a big thing. Socially though, you'll know everyones name by the middle of the year, and you would have hopefully talked to everyone at least once or twice... Making friends isn't very hard, and you often become closest to your dorm mates... Dorms are very tight knit. |
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| 2.)
Describe the level of diversity and integration of students in your
school: |
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| Very diverse, I believe we're the top boarding school with the highest international population. Many, I mean many students are from Asia. You'll find yourself learning Korean just from listening to students talk around you. Almost every state is represented, as well as many countries including: Guatamala, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, France, Germany, India, Canada, and Russia... Its so awesome to be surrounded by so much diversity... |
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| 3.)
Describe typical fun activities you did on a weekend: |
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| Well when you're not rehearsing or performing... going to see shows,concerts in Boston or around the area. Going into Boston to shop in the Prudential Center, or to walk Newburry Street, is a favorite. Walnuts can often be found everywhere in Boston... Music majors spend most of their Saturdays at the New England Conservatory of Music, and other students take the time to take dance classes at Boston Ballet, or to do community service. Theres lots to do in Natick also, and the Students Activity Office organizes a lot of events on campus every weekend! |
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| 4.)
What was the town like? |
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| Natick town... Good old Natick... Walnut Hill has a weird reputation in Natick, you'll come to call the people of Natick "townies"... It's a sweet town, that has a cute little downtown area, with some little shops, banks, and some nice restaurants. Also the ever popular "T" the train station, to which you take a 20 minute train ride for around $3.50 to Boston. Most Walnuts spend their time in Boston. Also, Natick has a great mall, and a great movie theater, as well as some good shopping places and restaurants... so it's a great place to do stuff in. |
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| 7:30 AM | Wakeup! Breakfast in Dining Hall | | 8:00 AM | Chemistry! | | 9:00 AM | More Chemistry (Double Period, for Lab) | | 10:30 AM | Assembly (In Keiter) | | 11:00 AM | The Memoir (English Class) | | 12:00 AM | Lunch! | | 1:00 PM | U.S. History | | 1:30 AM | Algebra II | | 2:00 PM | Dramatic Literature | | 3:00 PM | Design and Production | | 4:30 PM | Musical Theater II | | 6:00 PM | Dinner! | | 7:00 PM | Rehearsal till 10 pm! | | 10:00 PM | Check-in... | | 11:00 PM | Usually done studying by now, and ready to go to sleep! | |
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| 9:30 AM | Wakeup... | | 10:00 AM | Brunch | | 10:45 AM | Take Van to Boston | | 11:30 AM | Youth Chorale @ NEC | | 1:00 PM | Lunch | | 2:00 PM | Free time... | | 4:00 PM | Head back to WHS | | 6:00 PM | Dinner... | | 6:30 PM | Call for Actors... | | 8:00 PM | SHOWTIME | |
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