Robert Louis Stevenson School review by Amherst College student.
I was assigned an academic advisor upon arriving at Robert Louis Stevenson School, "Stevenson" freshman year- he was helpful, involved and became a very close confidante of mine. Freshman are also placed in a freshman 'forum' class, led once a week by two or three senior students, which helps them adjust to the social and academic pressures of high school. My average class size was probably 12-15, the smallest being a class of eight and the largest a class of about 22. I found that the class load varied greatly class to class- with AP and honors classes, I'd have at least an hour of work per class per night, with regular classes it was usually about 30 minutes of written homework. I'd say that the academics emphasized written skills and open ended exams more so than 'scan-tron' type tests, and teachers were always looking for new and fun ways to help you absorb the material. While math and science classes were obviously data-based, they weren't without fun and interesting assignments.
College talk started sometime during my sophomore year, and the intense college hunt began with.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Robert Louis Stevenson School as experienced by former pupil and Amherst 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...
When I applied to Robert Louis Stevenson School, I took the SSAT, and scored in.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Robert Louis Stevenson School by former pupil and Amherst 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...
Food- Mediocre, all you can eat dining hall. Good desserts, hit and miss entrees, great daily soups and supplies to make sandwiches, Mexican, salads, cereal, froyo, etc. Facilities- Beautiful new campus center with radio booth (Stevenson has its own station) photography lab, art gallery, computer center, college counseling center, classrooms, mail room, game room, etc. Classroom facilities are all good, most dorms are very nice (save for Casco and the boy's equivalent, freshman dorms which may have been renovated by now). Athletic facilities are beautiful, in need of Olympic sized pool and maybe one more field (woman's lacrosse plays down.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Robert Louis Stevenson School as experienced by former pupil and Amherst College student — Login or Sign Up to access full review