Campus Life
Choate has a variety of residences to choose from, from large, dynamic dormitories to small, eclectic houses. Each of the residential houses has one or more faculty members and their families living with and serving as advisers to the students. The house adviser, the adult to whom a student returns home at the end of the day, plays the roles of parent, nurse, confidant, and cheerleader. Most dormitories also have prefects: sixth form students who are selected to live with the younger students to act as counselors, advisers, and role models.
Faculty members may teach in an academic department, coach an athletic team, and supervise a club, but they know that the residential houses are the settings where some of the most important education takes place. After they graduate, many of our students report that what they miss most are the close relationships with faculty members that they enjoyed while here.
Says Amy Salot, Director of Residential Life, "Residential faculty at are truly special people. These vibrant and talented individuals do not approach dorm life as merely a job; rather, they know how important their role is in the everyday life of a young person at Choate. They are committed—in unique and individual ways—to ensuring that the students in their care feel valued, safe, and a part of something greater than themselves. These dynamic men and women are dedicated to being an important part of the positive growth of a boarding student, and they are what makes our school such a wonderful place for a young person to live."
About 25 percent of Choate students live at home and commute to campus. Day students are active in all school clubs, organizations, activities, and teams.
Day students have been presidents of their classes; have won Choate’s highest honor, the School Seal Prize; have had starring roles in the spring musical; and have returned to join the faculty. They spend a night in a dorm room during Orientation, so they can experience, if only briefly, the school life of a boarder.
How much of each school day is spent on campus is an individual decision. Some day students are practically boarders, going home only to sleep. Others choose to study at home or to spend free afternoons with their families.