|  | | Click on the questions below to view the answers to frequently asked admissions questions. |
| Q. | How much time should I plan for my tour and interview? | | A. | A visit to campus is generally 1-1/2 to 2 hours in length, including separate student-led tours for the candidate and his/her family, a candidate interview and parent interview. If the academic schedule allows, the candidate can meet with coaches or program directors. |
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| Q. | How should I dress for the school visit?
| | A. | Visiting families should dress comfortably and be prepared to walk outdoors around an extensive campus. Westminster has a dress code, so you will meet students and faculty wearing coats and ties (boys) and skirts or pants with blazers (girls). Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. |
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| Q. | How diverse is the Westminster community?
| | A. | Westminster students comprise a diverse community from all over the country and the world. You don’t go to school just with kids from your own neighborhood. The community represents approximately 28 states and 20 different countries, embracing a diversity of social, economic, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Students of color represent 16% of the student body. Global and multicultural awareness and interaction are a daily part of one’s Westminster education.
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| Q. | What dynamics are involved in a school community that is 2/3 boarding and 1/3 day students?
| | A. | Day students are fully integrated members of this diverse community, doing everything the boarders do, except put their head on the pillow in a dorm at night. The community is alive on the weekend, with activities that include boarding and day students. Many of our day families invite students to their homes for team meals, events, etc. Many a close and enriching friendship consists of a day student and a boarding student. |
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| Q. | What is Westminster looking for in an applicant?
| | A. | Westminster seeks a diverse community of students who demonstrate intellectual curiosity, achievement, character and leadership. We look for strong students who are additionally accomplished athletes, leaders, musicians, actors, artists or writers. We seek students who are hardworking, fun-loving performers who share our core values: community, character, balance and involvement. Westminster seeks students who bring Grit & Grace to everything they do. |
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| Q. | What sets Westminster apart from other similar schools?
| | A. | Westminster is one of the top small boarding schools in the country. Ideally sized, Westminster offers a rigorous curriculum with 22 Advanced Placement courses, yet it has all the advantages of a smaller school: class size designed for participation, quality one-on-one time with an outstanding faculty, and full use of exceptional athletic facilities. Westminster, one of the smallest schools in the New England A class, competes athletically in the Founders League. |
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| Q. | What is the average class size?
| | A. | The average class is twelve students, most often in a dynamic conference table/seminar format. |
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| Q. | Are there opportunities for study abroad?
| | A. | Students from Westminster participate in programs that take them for a summer, a few weeks or year abroad. In the recent past, students have attended Student Year Abroad programs in France, England, China and Italy and the English Speaking Union program in Great Britain. Recent spring break trips, led by faculty, include Paris, the Loire Valley, Aix-en-Provence, Ecuador and Peru. |
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| Q. | How much homework is there each night?
| | A. | The academics at Westminster are challenging and demanding. Westminster students have high expectations for college and commit to approximately 3 hours of homework at night. Homework demands also vary whether one is taking honors or AP classes. Managing one’s time is crucial –using free blocks during the day and learning to become increasingly efficient are skills that students master. |
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| Q. | Are faculty members accessible to students?
| | A. | Faculty members are teachers, coaches, program directors, activity leaders, advisors, mentors, corridor supervisors, meal partners, and friends. There are many opportunities to interact with Westminster’s accomplished and caring faculty. Whether you are the top student in the class and want to continue a debate, or whether you need extra help for a concept that you did not completely understand, faculty are available for extra one-on-one time. Over 80% of our faculty live on campus. The new Armour Academic Center presents ample daily opportunities for contact and accessibility. |
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| Q. | How many AP classes can I take?
| | A. | Westminster students prepare in different subject areas for 23 Advanced Placement examinations. AP classes are offered in English, history, mathematics, economics, computer science, modern languages, classics, music and art. Students and their advisors determine the class selection. Westminster students seek academic challenge and advisors encourage and support challenging academic programs. Last year approximately 160 students sat for 350 AP exams. |
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| Q. | What languages are offered? Can I take two languages?
| | A. | Westminster offers French, Spanish, Latin, and, beginning in the fall of 2008, Chinese. Yes! One can take two languages. Just as with taking two math or science courses, the courses must fit the student’s academic schedule and the student must be able successfully to manage the work. |
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| Q. | What activities are there on weekends?
| | A. | A student-run weekend activities committee is responsible for planning each weekend’s events. Activities include dances (with student or professional DJs), movies (on and off campus), bands (student and professional), activities with other schools, trips to Hartford, Boston or New York or Loon Mountain (faculty chaperoned), vans to malls, movies and foodstops, community service, hiking, biking, canoeing and skating… just to name a few! Westminster students lead busy lives, and the weekends can also consist of relaxing with friends and enjoying good weather on the quad. |
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| Q. | Can I walk to town from Westminster? What does Simsbury offer?
| | A. | Simsbury is a vibrant rural/suburban town of approximately 23,000 people. The center of town is just down the hill, within easy walking distance of the Westminster campus. There are fine restaurants, pizza places, a variety of lunch stops, coffee houses, grocery stores and pharmacies. Please check our online Visitors' Center for further information about Simsbury. |
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| Q. | Are there opportunities for community service?
| | A. | Westminster does not require community service, yet the majority of Westminster students choose on their own to be involved in myriad service activities. One can do community service on a daily basis (with an afternoon program), once a month (on weekends), once a year (hosting the MS Walk), or in multiple combinations of club activity (Serving Our Neighbors(SON), John Hay Society (Chapel), or ad hoc fundraising or service groups. Chapel donations are often dedicated to service organizations. |
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| Q. | Will I have a faculty advisor?
| | A. | Yes, all new students are assigned a faculty advisor to be the liaison among the school, the student and the parents. Returning students may opt to change advisors on a yearly basis. Some students keep an advisor all four years; some change every year. |
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| Q. | What comprises Westminster’s afternoon program?
| | A. | All students participate in a full afternoon program – fall, winter and spring. Afternoon programs consist of athletics, acting, technical theater, dance, community service (for veteran students). See other areas of the Web site for more information about the individual programs. The afternoon program is a key part of Westminster’s commitment to community, character, balance and involvement. |
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| Q. | Describe dorm life.
| | A. | Westminster has three boys’ dorms and three girls’ dorms. Faculty corridor masters live at the end of each hall, on each floor of the dorms, supervising approximate 12-14 students. Most dorms have four faculty families. The Sixth Form (seniors) display their commitment to community by serving as leaders on the hall, splitting up to provide guidance and friendship to younger students, living on corridors with them and helping the faculty corridor supervisor.
Each dorm houses a variety of forms and, as a result, there is a lot of mingling of different forms, but all Third Formers live together. Roommates are assigned the first year, but students may choose roommates in subsequent years. All dorms have at least one common room with comfortable furniture, and students are frequently invited into faculty homes for "feeds"(impromptu gatherings involving food) or informal social time.
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| Q. | With whom does Westminster compete in athletics?
| | A. | Westminster is a member of the prestigious and highly competitive Founders League, competing in Division 1 against such schools as Avon Old Farms, Choate-Rosemary Hall, Hotchkiss, Kent, Kingswood-Oxford, Loomis Chaffee, Miss Porter’s, Taft, and Trinity-Pawling. Football competes in the Colonial Football League.
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| Q. | Is Westminster, a smaller school, competitive against the large schools?
| | A. | While the smallest school to compete primarily in the Founders League, Westminster prides itself each year on its highly competitive teams in such a strong league. Over the past 12 years, Westminster teams have won Founders League titles in softball, girls' hockey, girls' lacrosse, boys' lacrosse, and golf. |
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