A view of academic buildings from dormitory row

The hardest thing about the applications was that it made me have to figure out who I was and if I would be a good fit.

Milton Academy looks for two things in a student applicant. First, explains Paul Rebuck, Milton Academy Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, we ask if the student is capable of being successful at Milton? In other words, will they be able to handle the pace and rigor of the course work? Also, will the student react well to the interactive, student driven, discussion-based style of classes? A successful Milton student has to be engaged in learning and a positive contributor to the learning community.

Second, will the student fit well into the social aspect of Milton? A student who would be a good fit is one who would take advantage of the opportunities Milton has to offer and bring something positive into the Milton community, he says.

Rebuck says the applications that impress him the most are the ones where the student has really taken the time to do some self analysis and make sure the application is representative of who they really are. Some students fall into the trap of trying to tell the admission officers what they think they will want to hear, rather than using the opportunity to share with the admissions office their opinions, perspectives, and unique takes on things, he says.

Rebuck says that applicants must work up to their potential so that what the schools see is really your best effort. “The worst situation you can put yourself in as an applicant is to say that your record to date is not representative of your potential, but when you come here, all of a sudden, your potential will pop out.”

That something special
I visited Phillips Exeter Academy, Phillips Andover Academy and Milton Academy in three days during winter storms in January. On the second day, I still hadn’t made up my mind which school I liked best. I kept in mind the different kinds of schools, the size, the diversity and the location of the school. All of these things could make a big impact on my happiness at that school.

I visited Milton Academy on the third day. The weather was the worst of the trip. It was freezing cold. As I trekked through the campus on the slick ice-covered paths, looking up at the classic red brick buildings, sleet poured down on my head.

A tour guide led my group through the academic buildings with names like Warren and Wigglesworth. She pointed out the impressive three-story Cox Library, the science building that was being built and the large new sports center where I imagined myself training for the upcoming tennis season. I could also imagine myself sitting right next to the other kids on the big green grass lawn in the middle of campus doing homework and playing Frisbee in the nice weather.

I compared the three schools. I thought I would get an extraordinary education at any of them and become confident, responsible and mature. But out of the three schools, even with wet snow that had seeped through my shoes on the coldest of days, I got a sense of warmth and security from Milton. By the end of the day, I knew that I belonged at Milton.

Two months later, I got a letter in a huge orange envelope. It turned out that the school agreed with what I thought.  Milton Academy was the school for me!

Allegra Cullen is co-editor-in-chief of Millennial Youth. Previously, she was a youth reporter for the Times Union newspaper in Albany, NY. She is a sophomore boarding student at Milton Academy in Milton, MA. She lives in upstate New York.

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