The Masters School - Review #4

The Masters School's teaching technique uses Harkness tables in the classroom to promote classroom discussions which teaches the students not only listen to others opinions but also create coherent and concise ways to express their thoughts.

I think Masters opened up my mind to different points of view. I was in Catholic school for nine years before Masters, so getting to Masters with many different religious views was eye opening. Being open to listen to others opinions has been a lesson that has proved to be useful past high school.

I might have taken more of the arts elective classes since Masters was known for its arts programs. I stuck with what I know, but I think stepping outside my boundaries could have proved beneficial in the long run and maybe given me even more opportunities. My advice is to go for whatever it is you want to try.

I loved the sense of community. Everyone knew everyone and was willing to get involved. This sense of community is something that is rare once you leave boarding school.

I enjoyed making visits to Ms. Crane's office and hanging out in the SAC playing ping pong.

I liked that Masters pushes you to your limits. The faculty will gladly meet with you as needed to ensure that you are doing the best you can academically. Once you complete an assignment, the learning is not over. My English teachers had us do group reviews and many drafts of every paper this way we could continuously learn from our mistakes and correct them in the future.

By participating in three varsity sports, I fulfilled my gym requirement which allowed me to have more free time to focus on my studies during the day since I had practice or games every afternoon. Masters is pretty competitive within the FAA league is a variety of sports.

Although I was not very interesting in the Visual Arts, music, or theatre program, my friends were. Some of my friends were members of the Dance Company, which two big performances per year, the Glee Club, which sang at all school events, and Dobbs 16, a competitive A Capella singing group that was in a national competition and has traveled to China.

There are many opportunities to do community service at Masters. We have a program called MISH, Masters Interested In Sharing and Helping. MISH has two large projects for each grade that is required. My favorite project was when we went in to NYC to feed and clothe the homeless at night through Midnight Run.

Although I was a day student at Masters, I stayed in the dorms occasionally with friends. Each dorm has its own kitchen and common room where everyone would hang out to watch tv or movies. There are quiet hours every school night when students do their homework without distractions.

Honestly, I miss the food at Masters. My favorite day was chicken patty and baked ziti. The caf was open for all three meals and is included in tuition. There was a little diversity in the variety of food, but it was known when I was there that pizza was every Tuesday and cookies are the most sought after snack.

Dobbs Ferry is a small town only twenty minutes away from NYC. It has pizzerias, sushi bars, nail salons, a Stop & Shop, a diner, just to name a few places to go. I liked that everything is within walking distance from the campus.

Everyone at Masters got along. It really was a sense of community. It was very different from the typically high school experience with few cliques. If some of my friends were in class and I had a free period there was always someone to hang out with.