Past Parents Talk About How GFA Prepared Their Sons and Daughters for College
"GFA instilled leadership skills, confidence, caring for the community, work ethic and writing skills in our daughter. More specifically, Mr. Burns and Ms. Schwartz helped develop her writing and thinking skills to a college level. She has been selected for several leadership roles in her current job at Price, Waterhouse, Coopers."
"Mr. Burns, Mr. Morrison, Ms. Schwartz and Mr. Lippman were instrumental in allowing our son to reach his potential. There are not enough words to thank them for believing in him and mentoring him throughout high school, and then being there to see the pride on his face as he graduated with honors in June 2008. He developed study, reading and writing skills that could not have happened in any other environment. He is excelling at George Washington University."
"My daughter was at GFA from kindergarten. She made so many great friends, participated in the GFA theatre, and loved the close relationships with her teachers. When she has to write papers for college she always says it is because of GFA that she learned to write so well."
"GFA is particularly devoted to the highest quality education for all of their students giving them tools to become self reliant, discerning, and self confident people. Learning to study effectively, prepare, and having the aptitude to write effectively were all skills that our son took with him from GFA. The small classes and encouragement by teachers to articulate his thoughts groomed him for the college classroom. I must say that his greatest strength cultivated at GFA was writing. This is probably the most critical aspect of his education--a tool that will go well beyond his academic achievements into his future career."
"Our son found that he was very well prepared for his classes at Princeton. While the amount of reading was daunting at first, the solid skills he built at GFA, particularly in writing and reasoning and math and scientific inquiry, meant that he felt prepared for the challenges of college courses. In fact, in speaking with him about his molecular biology course this spring he admitted that the first three weeks were largely review, as he had covered the material in his AP Biology course at GFA."
"GFA provides a remarkably compelling educational environment - with a combination of academic rigor and caring, individual attention. A school is only as strong as its faculty, and the GFA teachers are outstanding!"
"We were impressed with the college counseling experience, which was relatively painless as parents. With the strong support and involvement of the college counseling office, we were able to be very 'hands off,' secure in knowing that our son was receiving great advice and support from his college counselor."
"Beyond the typical ways a good independent school prepares a student for success in college -- instilling knowledge, academic rigor, leadership opportunities, organizational skills, individual attention through small class size -- Greens Farms Academy taught our child many lifelong lessons. Among them, keeping an open mind, encouraging critical assessment of information and data, the importance of serving the community, and valuing differences when forming friendships. These are offerings not reflected in most curriculum guides, yet they are the very lessons that have helped our child find success during the first year of college. Thank you, GFA."
"Our 'adopted daughter' received an amazing level of advocacy at GFA during her two years there. We were blown away at how supportive and accommodating the school was for her special circumstances and intense performance schedule, especially when she had eight auditions for conservatory in the spring, with a scholarship competition and Hartford Symphony soloist engagement added in at the last minute. And she was still able to graduate with honors. There were days I didn’t think any of us would survive the experience, but thanks to the College Guidance Office and all her teachers, somehow it all got accomplished."
"We have been blessed to be a part of the GFA family for 21 consecutive years. The children have received a solid educational foundation that has enabled them to compete at the highest levels of academic achievement. Our four graduates have received 27 acceptance letters from top universities. The biggest challenge we had was deciding which colleges to choose. Each one of our children who has graduated from GFA, has gone on to an Ivy league college: Yale, (1994); Cornell, (2001); Princeton, (2008); and Cornell, (2009). Two of our children have earned graduate degrees from MIT and Cal Arts. They can attest to the fact that GFA prepared them well. The GFA experience was not just limited to academics but also aided in developing their confidence and their social skills. Our thanks to GFA for a wonderful experience of a lifetime."