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| College
Enrolled |
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Carnegie Mellon University |
| Home
Town, State (Country) |
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MA |
| Years
Attended Boarding School |
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2 |
| Activities
During Boarding School |
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At the time I attended CA, approximately half of the students lived on campus and half commuted from local area towns. I lived on campus and served as a Head of House - basically the College equivalent of an RA (Resident Advisor). My Activities included: Editor of a school paper, President of International Club, Volleyball, Baseball, Photography and a pickup game of squash or two while pouring over my studies.
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| 1.) What do you think makes your school unique relative
to other boarding schools?
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| The dedication shown by the teachers was extraordinary (and I experienced this across all disciplines). It didn't matter if we were studying French, Twain-Elliot-Faulkner, Computer Science, Photography or even US History. The zeal and genuine love for the subject matter, which was shared by just about every professor, made learning at Concord quite different and extremely motivating to a young high school student. |
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| 2.) What was the best thing that happened to you in boarding school? |
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| I came out of my shell at CA. I explored many new academic areas, which I otherwise would never have given a chance to. I loved my US History course and had excellent English teachers, who opened the doors to great literature to me. I learned that I hate chemistry, even though it took me until completing AP Chem to realize this. (hehe) I gained a real love and appreciation for the French language through 3-5 person tight knit conversational classes, reviewing current events (reading and watching the news in french) and reading classic works by Jean Paul Sartre and Camue. For the first time ever I gave volleyball a chance - and now, almost 10 yeas later I'm still playing once or twice a week. I must admit, I'm still pretty average but I love to play and really learned the game while on a team at CA. |
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| 3.) What might you have done differently during your boarding school experience? |
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| Hmm... I would have spent more time moving between dorms on the social side and even acting in a play which is something I didn't get into really until college. On an entirely different note, I would have liked to have joined CA as a freshman rather than as a Junior. With such a small, tight knit community it is much easier to build long lasting friendships with students in this particular environment if you are able to get in at the beginning with everyone else. |
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| 4.) What did you like most about your school? |
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| CA is a very welcoming, home like place with exceptional teachers and a good deal of freedom for students to explore and sink their teeth into whatever academic subjects, creative arts, sports and clubs they wish to experience in a safe and creative environment. |
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| 5.) Do you have any final words of wisdom for visiting or incoming students to your school? |
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| Take it all in and don't be afraid to try something new, share your work with others and get a taste of those subject areas you think you might like so that you don't waste too much time and energy in the wrong classes in college. :-) |
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| 1.)
Describe the academics at your school - what did you like most about it? |
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| In retrospect, having completed my undergraduate degree and a Masters from a top University and now having continued my education into the workplace, I realize that it was my CA teachers who truly inspired me to achieve. Classes are taught at a rigorous pace and yet students have time to seek out those subject areas which they wish to deeply immerse themselves and explore. |
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Describe the athletics at your school - what did you like most about it? |
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| Athletics facilities at CA have changed substantially since I attended - with the building of a new center (which I have toured). At the same time however, I am certain things have also remained the same. Girls field hockey and soccer are always strong, mens basketball and wrestling have had some great wins over the years. Education and learning come first at CA, though it is evident that the school fosters a balance between physical and mental discipline for keeping young minds fresh and creative. |
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| 1.)
Describe the arts program at your school - what did you like most about it? |
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| I never really participated in these programs at CA, it just wasn't my thing - however I fully understand that the professors, facilities and creative opportunities for ballet/dance, playing classical instruments, and theater are some of the best in region. I am an avid amateur photographer however and I can attest that the facilities are top notch and are always open to students for late night projects. |
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Describe the extracurriculars offered at your school - what did you like most about it? |
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| Like any high school you get out of student organizations what you put in to them. Having a smaller student body enables 3-4 friends with a bit of motivation to create a new club quite easily. I participated in the International Club and an underground school newspaper dubbed a "conservative rag" by our citics... with some friends in my dorm. I do recall the Model UN being a great time although I didn't directly participate. |
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| 1.)
Describe the dorm life in your school - what did you like most about it? |
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| Dorm life was awesome. When else would a 14-16 year old have a chance to life with 15 other people, swap CD's play games on weekend, have water fights & capture the flag games between dorms or just veg out with a friends and not have to drive all the way to their house to do it.
The dorms themselves have a lot of character, as they consist of old white wooden residences from the 18th & 19th century with black shutters - very New England. Men and Women are separated into different dorms, 2+ faculty members serve as Dorm Parents and live in the same building as the students - although they reside in separate apartments. Each dorm has 1-2 Heads of House which help assign chores, keep life in order and generally are responsible for common areas (TV rooms, phones etc).
Dorm life was fun because CA understands allowing students to be relatively free as long as they are responsible and adhere to lights out in the evenings. This was a prefect segue way into greater responsibility and freedom in college. |
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Describe the dining arrangements at your school. |
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| Absolutely nothing special - I only say this because I love to cook myself. Meals were average. Every once is a while the kitchen would put on a great meal that everyone loved. The best & worst part was that every student has required to do kitchen duty once or twice a year. I'll never forget laughing when a someone who has never lifted a finger in the kitchen to cook or clean at home was given a kitchen duty. It was always such a humbling experience and in the end of the day, actually a great way to make a good friend. |
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| 1.) Describe the school's town and surrounding area. |
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| Concord posh suburb of Boston - easily a 45-60 minute drive to the city. The town is lush and green with the infamous Walden Pond just around the corner. There are two main areas, uptown and downtown. Uptown has a great bakery, the cheese shop (very European and swanky), while downtown has a pizza/sub parlor with great cheese steaks and actually a commuter rail train for getting into the city on weekends. (another 1+hour ride). Overall, you've got just about everything you need nearby, and you're secluded from the world during the week when you need to get your work done and sleep for those sporting competitions. On weekends if you have a friend with a car you can drive to city or suck it up and take the train. |
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| 2.)
Describe the social life at your school - what did you like most about it? |
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| Social life in the dorms was awesome - we happened to have a number of new Juniors in my year and many of us became good friends. I'm a pretty easy going person and so I made acquaintances but my real friends all happened to be the folks that I lived with. |
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