Cranbrook Schools review by Washington University in St. Louis student.
The school has a strong academic program in virtually any subject, although we do not do as well as our rival Detroit Country Day in academic competitions. The theater program is exceptional, as well as arts (we have a graduate school for arts in our campus right next to the boys' dorms). The students are very competitive in honors and AP classes, but most are friendly enough to share their knowledge with others when studying for a test. Workload for a college-bound student is very heavy, we usually work until 1am every day. But there are less demanding classes as well. Everyone has to study hard because it can be difficult to keep a certain GPA to remain in the school. The classroom environment is great for the most part, many teachers allow great amount of freedom of discussion, and there is no tension between students and teachers. The teachers can be seen throughout the day if they live in the dorms and are responsive to emails. I do not know what's available for students with academic difficulties, but I believe there are tutoring services. International students get help with English through a class. I think that the school has prepared me academically for college by simulating the college class environment. Many classes are discussion-based and students are encouraged to challenge the teachers. However I do find that many restrictions (One can only take 3 AP classes a year) not helpful for many smart people.
I began meeting with my college counselor at the end of 06-07 academic year. .... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Cranbrook Schools as experienced by former pupil and Washington University in St. Louis 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...
I do not know much about this subject because I was an international student applying.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Cranbrook Schools by former pupil and Washington University in St. Louis 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...
CK is divided into 2 campuses. It used to be that there were 2 schools here, one for boys and one for girls. We have classes on both campuses and there is bus service for transport between campuses. All boys live in Cranbrook and all girls live in Kingswood, as the two campuses are called. It can be hard to interact with girls if you live on campus given this impediment. Boys live in a 80-year-old building that doesn't have coolers for summer. Rooms are pretty big even compared to college singles. Study hall.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Cranbrook Schools as experienced by former pupil and Washington University in St. Louis student — Login or Sign Up to access full review