Lawrenceville School review by Yale University student.
All classes at Lawrenceville, with the exception of most science and math classes, are taught around Harkness round-tables with the capacity to hold at most fifteen students and a teacher. So class sizes at Lawrenceville are small, and courses are discussion-based. Math and science classes, though they rely more heavily on lectures, are nonetheless very interactive and demand student participation. "Consultation" periods are scheduled twice in every day for those students desiring extra help. Teachers are enthusiastic to teach and enthusiastic to help. A few distinguishing academic programs at Lawrenceville are its humanities program, where freshmen stay with the same history and English teachers all year, studying historical periods that contextualize their literature readings, and its Capstone lecture series for seniors, which combines a weekly lecture by an expert on that year's theme and a weekly discussion section that addresses the lecture. Lawrenceville also offers a wide range of APs, all of which are well taught. I am an English major at Yale but scored fives on APs ranging from BC Calculus to Chemistry to European History. Lawrenceville teachers can be counted on to provide the best preparation for these tests.
My family and I really had no resources on the college admission process until I.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Lawrenceville School as experienced by former pupil and Yale University 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...
1. Take the SSAT and expect to score in the 90%+ percentile if you are.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Lawrenceville School by former pupil and Yale 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...
Most freshmen at Lawrenceville get singles, so that they can adjust more comfortably to life away from home (as opposed to trying to move away AND learn to live with someone they had never met before). The dorms at Lawrenceville have all been recently renovated and tend toward the beautiful. The boys' Circle houses (sophomore/junior dorms) are especially gorgeous. Classroom buildings are equipped with ethernet access (probably wireless since I left!) and great Harkness tables. Science labs are fully stocked. Each department has its own building, and so the campus really feels like a small college. Since I've come to.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Lawrenceville School as experienced by former pupil and Yale University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review