Horace Mann School review by University of Pennsylvania student.
In terms of academics, it is no surprise that Horace Mann truly does not have any weaknesses. There are always more than a few truly gifted professors in each department. Every teacher is dedicated to making sure that each student gets a proper introduction to their field before heading off to college. The History and English Departments do a particularly good job in preparing students to be some of the best writers regardless of the university that they choose to attend. Horace Mann is on par with any high school in the county, and possibly the world, in terms of high school education. Horace Mann is extremely competitive; however, in my opinion this is actually beneficial to the students. Everyone strives to do their absolute best because they know that their peers are doing the same. Such a competitive environment may not be suitable for everyone, but personally I found it to be exhilarating. The average weekly workload is quite simply equal to that of a college student. The beauty of this is that it may seem overwhelming at times, but once you head off to college the workload is manageable and you automatically feel academically comfortable at your university. Teachers are always eager to meet with students and all it takes is an email or a minute after class to set up a meeting with them. They are there to both help students who are struggling and work with students who are actually advanced and would like additional material. Class sizes are fairly small. Most classes have less than 15 students. Horace Mann does not push students to specialize into a science or humanities track. The school makes sure that students are able to experiment with a variety of different courses and choose any career path they want.
The College Counseling Office at Horace Mann is one of the best parts about being.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Horace Mann School as experienced by former pupil and University of Pennsylvania 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...
Naturally being accepted to Horace Mann is no small task and there is nothing anyone.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Horace Mann School by former pupil and University of Pennsylvania 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...
The campus of Horace Mann is the best of any day school in NYC. It will take your breathe away. The cafeteria is very big and well lit. The food is normally very good and if not students can buy food from down the hill such as pizza, burritos, dunkin donuts, subways, and much more. The library has two floors and is very big. There is always room for students to work. Classrooms are appealing to the eye and science labs are well kept. There are two gyms and an Olympic size pool. The school's approach to discipline is very fair..... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Horace Mann School as experienced by former pupil and University of Pennsylvania student — Login or Sign Up to access full review