Canterbury School review by Williams College student.
Canterbury has your general academic requirements (English, Math, Science, Language, Social Science...), because it's a Roman Catholic school there is a religion requirement. Students must take a religion class one semester for every year they attend. Underclassmen are required to take a general theology course, but upperclassmen have an array of interesting courses to take. From up close Bible courses like "New Testament" to Jewish or Muslim studies. My favorite course was "Justice, Peace, and Service", it was a class that required a portion of volunteer service while discussing how we (as a society or religious group) can alleviate things like poverty. The teacher was great! Students have block scheduling with a number of free periods mixed into their day along with class time. This is much more like a college schedule. (students will have more classes in a day than college kids, but they'll also learn how to use free time during their free periods) I definitely learned how to budget my time and get some work done during the day as well as during study hall (between 7:30-9:30 at night in the dorms). The best part of the Canterbury academic experience had to be the availability of the teachers. Because most teachers live on campus, along with getting to know them and their families very well, students can access them virtually anytime. Students will have faculty's e-mails and phone numbers. I quite often found myself in a teachers house at 9pm getting an extra study session before the big test. The teachers are quick to answer any questions and are definitely there for the students first.
College counseling will start in student's junior year. They'll be required to attend a "college.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Canterbury School as experienced by former pupil and Williams College student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on college counseling
They have contacts at most of the major universities and feel perfectly comfortable picking up the phone and advocating for a student to get accepted somewhere they feel is a good fit for that student. However, these counselors are certainly not magic bullets. They cannot guarantee that a student will get into an Ivy League university...
For those wishing to move on to Oxford or Cambridge, the provision is second-to-none. In the months running up to application and interview, every subject faculty offers classes (often run by former Oxbridge tutors) exploring further areas of their subject as well as offering advice on personal statements, interview technique and more...
Because I entered Canterbury in my junior year, the admissions process was slightly different for.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Canterbury School by former pupil and Williams College student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on admissions
For the interview, dress conservatively. Try to be very clean and put together. Also, I was a tour guide for two years and at the end of every tour, we were asked to evaluate the candidate so if you think the tour is not apart of the process, you are very wrong. Ask questions and be interested. Also, tip for the parents: the kids speak on the tour. Do not ask their questions for them...
Most younger siblings have an easy time in the admissions process. I can only think of one case of a younger sibling not being admitted. About half of the students who entered with me had come from public schools. The remainder came from private K-6 schools, or had transferred from other New York private schools The Elizabeth Morrow School and St. Bernard were two of the larger feeder schools...
Canterbury's in the middle of making some big improvements on campus. They just built a new girls upperclassmen dorm which is AMAZING. They're also building new athletic facilities and improving the campus overall. It's in the cute town of New Milford, CT. Students can travel down the hill to enjoy movies and small shops. It's not in the middle of nowhere, but it's not a big town. Canterbury's administration tries their best to provide entertainment on the weekends, but student social life was probably the worst part about Canterbury. They're unusually strict about letting student's leave campus (freshman can only leave.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Canterbury School as experienced by former pupil and Williams College student — Login or Sign Up to access full review