Lawrenceville School review by Columbia University student.
Academics are outstanding. The quality of teachers easily rivals that of top universities. In particular, nearly every History and English teacher is phenomenal, though standouts exist in all departments and outright "bad" teachers are very rare. The math and science departments do, however, seem to have some noticeably weaker staff at the lower level courses. Teaching positions are very sought after, so those ultimately chosen for the job do tend to be incredibly qualified and enthusiastic about teaching. The Harkness Table system really encourages participation and creates a very distinct and lasting educational experience. It allows much closer connections Other aspects of the school: Little research opportunities (but this is improving recently, especially in chemistry), many famous visiting lecturers, very small class sizes (nearly all
The school's placement is excellent. Very small student: counselor ratios (... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Lawrenceville School as experienced by former pupil and Columbia University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
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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 is fairly straightforward. Short answer questions, middle/high school transcript, SSAT scores, recommendation and.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Lawrenceville School by former pupil and Columbia University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
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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...
Housing is generally quite good, though some students (particularly freshmen and sophomore) will get shafted with the smallest rooms on campus. Lawrenceville uses a very well developed housing system where freshmen and seniors live in their own houses and juniors and sophomores are divided into 6 "circle" (boys) or 4(soon to be 5) "crescent" houses for girls. Rooms are in great condition and improve in size with seniority. Dining is good - much better in retrospect after having been through college dining halls. Sometimes eating at the halls will be tedious, but the food is never inedible. .... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Lawrenceville School as experienced by former pupil and Columbia University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review