Westminster School - Review #2

Read more details about Westminster School on their 2024-25 profile page.
Westminster School
5

About the Author:

Years Attended Boarding School:
2016-2019
Sports and Activities:
Basketball Football Lacrosse (team captain) Soccer Manager John Hay Society (Chapel) Senior Prefect Weightlifting Club
College Enrolled:
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Home Town, State:
Harlem, New York, NY

Reflections and Advice:

1.) What do you think makes your school unique relative to other boarding schools?
You mostly have all of your classes besides arts and theatres in one building. The Armour Academic Center is a four-floor building that will host most if not all of your classes. It's home to the library, lecture hall and school store.
2.) What was the best thing that happened to you in boarding school?
The best thing at Westy for me was the friends that I made. It taught me patience, inclusion and how to interact with people from all over the world.
3.) What might you have done differently during your boarding school experience?
I would have branched out my first year and my best advice is to buy in, be yourself and the rest will take care of itself.
4.) What did you like most about your school?
I like the family-like atmosphere the most. As I said before the school is pretty small so you get to know everyone to some extent.
5.) Do you have any final words of wisdom for visiting or incoming students to your school?
Be Yourself, buy-in and most importantly try new things.

Academics:

1.) Describe the academics at your school - what did you like most about it?
Academics at Westy are great. You pretty much get all the subjects you need and all offered at different levels. There are a ton of AP/ Advanced classes in most subjects, so students can challenge themselves. Teachers are always an email/ phone number away so you can always get extra help. When you first arrive, you are assigned an advisor, so you have a faculty member that can help and guide you through your academics. You can also change your advisor to a faculty member you like so you're not stuck with a teacher you don't like. You're required minimum to take five classes but can take more if you want. Overall, the academics are great and have a variety.

Athletics:

1.) Describe the athletics at your school - what did you like most about it?
You are only required to paly two sports. You can manage or take an exemption for our third sport, so you're not forced to play three sports. They recently cut football and added water polo, which I was not a big fan of, but it fit our school more, as we have a pretty nice pool and were small. There are different levels for all different sports, so no one feels left out and overall sports are pretty competitive. We are in the founders league so we play bigger schools, which makes it ultra-competitive. Overall, sports are fun and competitive

Art, Music, and Theatre:

1.) Describe the arts program at your school - what did you like most about it?
I was not really involved in the arts at Westy, but from watching the plays and performances, they are really fun and well put productions. Students put a lot of pride and hard work in their craft, and I enjoyed watching the plays, musicals, and music performances.

Extracurricular Opportunities:

1.) Describe the extracurriculars offered at your school - what did you like most about it?
There are a ton of extracurricular activities. In the first month of school, we have a club fair where students can sign up for different clubs. So everyone has the same time to sign up and everyone has the chance to learn about different clubs. I liked the uniqueness of some clubs. For example, I was in the grilling and chilling club where we would just cook burgers and chill.

Dorm Life:

1.) Describe the dorm life in your school - what did you like most about it?
The dorms are pretty solid. Some dorms are new and others are older, so it depends on where you live. Overall, they are pretty space no matter where you live and you can choose where you live and your roommate after your freshmen year. I liked the setups and the different varieties you can choose from.

Dining:

1.) Describe the dining arrangements at your school.
The dining hall was built in 2018, so it's pretty new. The food is pretty solid, as it could be better, but there are a ton of options. There is a salad bar, ice cream station, panini bar, and P&B station. We only have one sit down meal a day which is lunch and they rotate every week.

Social and Town Life:

1.) Describe the school's town and surrounding area.
The town of Simsbury is only about a 5-7 minute walk from campus. You can get a haircut, grab some food, or just hang out. You just need to get permission from your form dean and sign your name out.
2.) Describe the social life at your school - what did you like most about it?
The social life is a family like. By the spring term, you recognize names and faces because you've seen people all over. With only about four hundred kids, you get to know names pretty quickly and everyone is pretty nice. Overall, social life is pretty easy, as you will fit right in.
Read more details about Westminster School on their 2024-25 profile page.

Alumni Reviews Review School

Review
Description
Westminster School Alumni #1
Class of 2018
5.00 10/22/2020
Boston College
While Westminster is in the Founder's League, its overall size hovers closely to 400, making it a tightly-knit community where a student at the very least knows everyone's face on campus. The newly built. . .
Westminster School Alumni #2
Class of 2019
5.00 6/1/2020
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
You mostly have all of your classes besides arts and theatres in one building. The Armour Academic Center is a four-floor building that will host most if not all of your classes. It's home to. . .
Westminster School Alumni #3
Class of 2018
5.00 2/27/2019
University of Colorado, Boulder
Family-style dinners bring the community together and are unique to Westminster - twice a week when I was a student - now they do it during lunch.The senior lawn ceremony was special - at. . .
Show more reviews (7 reviews)

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Quick Stats (2024-25)

  • Enrollment: 425 students
  • Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students): $73,370
  • Yearly Tuition (Day Students): $53,095
  • Acceptance rate: 33%
  • Average class size: 12 students
  • Application Deadline: Jan. 15
  • Source: Verified school update