Blair Academy - Review #6

Blair isn't unique among boarding schools, and anyone who went to a mainstream boarding school who tries to tell you that theirs is different is full of it. What's unique about their school is that it's a boarding school and it's a privilege to study and live amongst your peers and teachers on beautiful campuses. The same is true for Blair and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have studied at such a beautiful school, to have competed with such great athletes, and to have learned from such wonderful teachers.

Everything. Boarding school was such a privilege and a wonderful experience that I'll always be grateful for. I met lifelong friends and learned lifelong lessons and got into a college with peers who were far beyond my intellectual level.

Drink it in.

That it was not affected. It was every person's boarding school. You didn't have to look any one way to fit in there.

West hall, all the way.

I learned. I learned how to learn and I learned how to live. I found out that I was really smart but I had to be pushed, and I was pushed. I got feedback, early and often and the message was received - I was smart but lazy and I needed to work hard to be successful. No message has ever had a more life changing impact.

I was an athlete. 3 seasons. I had some coaches who were life changing and some who just coached games. Sports were a big part of my high school experience and I'm not sure what it would have been like if I hadn't been involved, although I know other people were more involved in things like the arts and theater. I loved being an athlete. There was never a question about it.

I really came into my own with visual arts my senior year. There were lots of opportunities to explore the arts, you just had to choose them. At Blair, I took theater, I played around in the ceramics studio, and I really embraced drawing.

I totally dropped the ball here. I over committed to sports and didn't spend much time volunteering.

My dorm rooms were consistently awesome. Always on the guided tours for prospective students. As far as dorms go, Blair nails it.

The food was great. My college has consistently been voted number 1 in the country for food and I still thought it paled in comparison to Blair. Formal dinners were not my favorite but in retrospect I understand why they were important.

There's not much opportunity to take advantage of town, at least there wasn't in my experience. But it is a cute town and if you have the opportunity to get off campus, blairs town is beautiful and the Delaware water gap is gorgeous.

Again, it's all about maximizing your opportunities. With all of the time that is scheduled for classes, sports, formal dinners and study halls, you have to make the most of your free time.