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Cranbrook Schools

School rating 4 / 5 by

39221 Woodward Avenue Bloomfield Hills MI 48303 United States
Boarding
9th to 12th
Day
PK to 12th
Gender
Coed

Academic

Cranbrook Schools review by .

The teachers are very passionate. The classes are small and most are more discussion based excluding most science and math classes. English and History are always set up so students are in a circle, and it promotes an environment of discussion. This is essential for college. Many students find it hard to speak up in class or formulate their opinions. However, these classes prepare you for it. For the first few years, English is separated by gender to promote students sharing their ideas. The middle schools are separated, so it is a transition phase. Cranbrook is known for their art program and have an art museum on campus. Students are required to take a number of art classes. There are many electives that are tailored to a student’s interest. There is a lot of responsibility instilled on the students such as free hours to do homework along with no bells. The campus is also very large and buses are needed to get from one set of buildings to the other. The work load is very tough, but it prepares the student very well for college workload. It is more competitive than other schools, and there are not many group projects. One will find, like all schools, some people will be willing to study together, however, doing homework together is heavily discouraged by the school. Class size is usually around 14

College Counseling

The college counseling office was lacking, but one is able to do research on colleges....

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...

Admissions - Getting Accepted

There is a test for those entering the high school from an outside school. For....

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...

School Life

The area is very safe, and the campus is extremely historical. It is very large and filled with gardens. There is always a new place to discover inside or outside. The cafeteria food is extremely good compared to other schools and the staff are extremely friendly. The girls and boys dorms are on separate campuses, but easy to get to. There is also a science and art museum on campus, which is free to students. There were many study areas, but the libraries were not always open, however there were always places to study. It is truly a very diverse....

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