Miss Porter's School review by Bowdoin College student.
Miss Porter's School was very strong in the humanities while I attended. The English, history, and language teachers were all very enthusiastic and encouraged their students to pursue interest in their disciplines. The sciences were not as strong, but the courses prepared me well enough for standardized testings. They, however, did not prepare me well enough for the academic rigors of the sciences at Bowdoin college. I feel they did not apply the materials well or challenged the students enough. Science material was simply taught and memorized on the most part. Math classes, on the other hand, were challenging. The school even offered multiple variable calculus, a course not many high schools offer for students who passed BC calculus junior year. Finally, visual art classes were above and beyond. Teachers were amazingly talented and the courses offered were incredibly interesting. Science and math classes were mostly lecture-based. Humanities classes were more discussion. However, I felt all classes had the appropriate amount of discussion and lecture. The biggest class I was in was no more than 15 people and most of the teachers were very accessible. The average work load wasn't very heavy compared to an average college work load. We were very scheduled, but the work was always doable within a 2 hour study hall. Support is provided for everyone. There are peer tutors and hired tutors. Teachers hold extra office hours and review sessions. For advanced students, I was offered extra office hours to learn and be more challenged in my math class. Whatever you needed, the teachers were able to provide, for the most part.
I didn't use my college counselor as much as I could have. Some who used.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Miss Porter's School as experienced by former pupil and Bowdoin College 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...
A typical application was used with interview and essays. The school isn't very selective, but.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Miss Porter's School by former pupil and Bowdoin College 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...
We were very spoiled with the dormitories the school provided. The rooms are large and we lived in large mansions, pretty much. The dorm parents were always there for us when we needed. The school cafeteria/dinning had decent food - wasn't horrible, and the other facilities were top-notch. There was a large diversity of students and diversity was emphasized in leadership, etc. MPS is known for its traditions and close community. Everyone was welcoming to everyone, despite being a school full of teenage girls. ... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Miss Porter's School as experienced by former pupil and Bowdoin College student — Login or Sign Up to access full review