FRONT COVER
Her potential is undeniable.
Let’s Get Personal No one knows your daughter better than you do. You know the enormity of her potential, particularly at this time in her life. At Emma, we seek to bring out what is exceptional in each of our girls. As you explore Emma, three things will stand out about us:
INSIDE FRONT COVER
Distinctive Worldview We want our girls to understand the issues and realities people face in every corner of the world so they can be leaders in the solutions. Authentic Culture We foster the differences between our girls—those things about your daughter that help her stand out from the crowd. This creates a community of encouragement and kindness that is open to new ideas and perspectives. Deeply Personalized Each girl ticks in completely different ways. Through our educational programming, we seek to bring out the individual passions and strengths of each girl.
A collage created by the girls of Emma’s fair trade club.
All Girls
We believe there is incredible power in being a girl and we want your daughter to leave Emma in a position of true power. The all-girls’ environment at Emma allows our girls to be completely themselves. Without the distraction and competition boys create in a coeducational setting, our girls grow more comfortable in their own skin at this critical time of self-discovery. The confidence the all-girls’ experience instills in them will power them through their lifetime. Our alumnae have become senators, military officers, and Academy Award winners. And the benefits are also academic. Graduates of all-girls’ schools like Emma take their experience and run with it. Studies show graduates of all-girls’ schools study harder, get higher SAT scores, and rate themselves higher on self-confidence, writing skills, and public speaking ability than girls from coeducational settings.
Personalized Learning
Many of our girls come to Emma knowing they want something different. In fact, that is what we hear most often when we meet new families. Perhaps your daughter needs more of an academic challenge or maybe she hasn’t found a program that truly “gets” her and her unique strengths. At Emma, the faculty will uncover and develop your daughter’s personal passions. We see this as an important pathway to a college match, but also a journey toward a more fulfilling life. One way we help girls find their passions is through our individualized study program called Practicum. Whether she is interested in tango or American Sign Language, we will work with her to learn it through Practicum. Previous Practicums have included interning at the New York State Senate, helping with curation at a history museum, and studying journalism at a local newspaper.
A Class for All Passions
With over 140 courses—including Advanced Placement in all disciplines—if she wants to learn it, Emma can make it happen. From engineering and neuroscience to film or ballet, Emma has a diversity of course offerings rivaling schools twice our size. And for us, it isn’t the class title, but the learning experience that matters most. Our music teachers don’t just teach Puccini, they also head to the Metropolitan Opera. Our science teachers do not simply teach cellular mitosis, they set up internships at local university labs. Time and again, our faculty take teaching well outside the classroom to create learning that sticks.
She is herself. She is her best self.
A Community of Support
The adult community at Emma is at an advantage. We focus only on the needs and desires of girls. Because of this, our whole community is trained and ready to handle the unique social, emotional, and even health considerations of teenage girls. We take this responsibility very seriously, putting in place a team for each girl that is there for her throughout her journey:
Advisors
Every Emma Girl has a member of the adult community who serves as her advisor. Advisors are the first person to whom you or your daughter can turn when you have a question. Advisors each have eight or fewer girls assigned to them, allowing for plenty of time for lunches or conversations with you or your daughter.
Resident Faculty
Our resident faculty live in our dormitories with our boarding students, closely overseeing your daughter’s physical and emotional well-being, planning community-building activities, giving travel and other permissions, and being there for her to check in with through the day and before bed. At a time when you are away from your daughter, they are there to support both of you all the way. And unlike at other schools, this is the focus of their work. They are not taxed with teaching or coaching responsibilities on top of this huge role in your daughter’s life, and are ready to tune in when she needs them.
College Counseling
By choosing to attend Emma, your daughter has signaled she is ready to find a college that suits her passions. In her junior year, she will be assigned a college counselor. Together, they will work to find a perfect match, and her counselor will walk with you and your daughter through the entire application and decision process—SATs to essays.
Peer Educators and Proctors
These student leaders are trained by our school counselor to be a mainstay of support for our younger or new students. They provide the girl-to-girl enouragement at the heart of the Emma experience.
Freshman and Sophomore Programs
Emma has programming specifically designed for our youngest students to help them adjust to a new living and learning environment and to develop the connections with each other that will last well past graduation. Our freshman and sophomore programs help with the transition to Emma, keep grades strong, and work to identify and quickly get to the heart of any struggles that arise.
“We have been so impressed by everything about this place. Our contact with the advisor has been exceptional. She gets our daughter.”
She is maturing in a community of exceptional people.
She is at home. Loved. Supported.
Boarding Girl Life
For many of our boarding girls, coming to Emma is the first time she will live away from home. We work to make sure that you are as comfortable as possible while she lives here at Emma. Troy and the surrounding Capital Region can be exceptionally fun to explore. You decide what your daughter will be allowed to do while at Emma and our faculty hold the girls to those family permissions. Weekends at Emma are devoted to relaxation and fun. Being close to an urban center, our girls have many safe, cosmopolitan options to pick from. She can browse the boutiques or sip a latte while working on homework in a coffee shop in downtown Troy, spend an afternoon in the Waterfront Farmers’ Market, take a salsa lesson on campus, or enjoy the many other activities planned each weekend.
Day Girl Life
During and after our school day, it is nearly impossible to pick out who is a boarding student and who is a day student. Day students can often be found in the evening on campus, enjoying dinner with friends, at club meetings, or playing on a team. Day students sometimes even sleep over with their boarding friends on weekends. Transportation to Emma is provided by many school districts. Carpooling is also often a great option for our day families.
Learning From Experiencing
Emma Girls come from 30 countries and across the United States. Diversity is not just an admissions goal for us. We value diversity in every form here and understand how eye-opening a global and diverse community can be for our girls. This distinctive worldview, helps your daughter be at home no matter where her life might take her after Emma.
“I could never have imagined what this place would do for my daughter. I could not be happier because she could not be happier.”
She has the ability to change the world.
Serving and Shaping Her World
A common thread at Emma is the desire to help others. Our faculty teaches it, our girls do it, and our alumnae live it. The concept of using your particular passions and strengths in the service of others is strong at Emma. This desire to serve others sets us apart from many of our peer schools, breaking the classic stereotypes associated with elite private schools.
Fair Trade
Emma is the first Fair Trade High School in the nation. Our girls led an effort to make sure many of the products and goods used here at Emma from coffee to chocolate are made ethically. The fair trade standards Emma now adheres to ensure the people in the communities where the items are produced receive fair compensation for their goods.
Serving Our Community
We believe service to our world is among the best possible lessons we can teach your daughter. And so, all of our girls roll up their sleeves to help others. Among many different things, our girls have enjoyed working with the elderly, building homes with Habitat for Humanity, and volunteering at animal shelters. To go even further, Emma dedicates one day each year completely to service! On that day, the entire school spreads throughout the community to do good works. Girls make meals at soup kitchens, clean up area parks, tutor area elementary students, and much more, together.
Growing a Distinctive Worldview
Our distinctive view of service also extends across the globe. Emma has many opportunities for our girls to take their learning abroad, but we go well beyond the traditional trips to London and Paris. Emma girls travel to places like Mongolia, rural India, and Ethiopia to open their minds to the world. On these trips the girls are immersed in totally new cultures and perform meaningful acts of service. Girls have assisted at orphanages in Africa, given rural Chinese students English lessons, and helped build a new school in India.
“For the first time in her academic life, my daughter is challenged and she is loving it.�
Living at Emma
For your daughter, to live in our community means simply to be herself. There is a kindness at Emma that is unique in today’s world.
Join the Club
Nearly all our girls participate in multiple activities that range from Slavery No More and the student newspaper, The Clock, to Science Olympiad or one of our a cappella singing groups. And, because of the supportive environment found here, girls who come to Emma feel safe trying out something completely new, sometimes each semester.
Scrumptious Selections
Our chefs create meals with girls and their unique preferences in mind. This includes yummy options for girls who have food allergies or enjoy a vegetarian diet. And at Emma, we look not just at the final product, but also how it is grown and produced. That is why we often choose organic, local, seasonal, and fair trade items for our meals.
Mind, Body, Spirit
Support. Sisters. Inspiration. Determination. Joy. Spirit. Strength. Trust. These are the words our girls use to describe the Emma athletic experience. Here, physical education, dance, and teams are part of a larger vision of wellness, where teamwork builds not just strength of body, but also deep friendships and self-confidence. Emma offers a range of opportunities for your daughter from classes in yoga and ballet to a place on one of our 16 athletic teams. Girls come to Emma to try new skills or to truly excel at a sport they have been training in for years. This means we have everything from first-time players to state and national champions among our girls, learning and expanding their skills together.
“I have never seen my daughter this happy. She loves her friends, she loves her classes, she loves this place. In fact, she told me I should call less.”
She is in a place where girls rule— at everything.
She is making a decision for her future.
A Big Decision
We know how much information is being thrown at you and your daughter as you decide on the best fit for her education. Our admissions team is here to help every member of your family through this process. Emma is the perfect fit for some girls, but not all. The best way to find a match is to visit a school. Here are some of our best tips to prepare your daughter for any upcoming school visits: • Chemistry often comes from unexpected places. Encourage your daughter to research and visit a variety of different schools: big, small, coeducational, single-sex.
• The gender of the students at a school is one component of the overall experience. Ask your daughter to consider a variety of characteristics, not just whether it is single-sex or coed. Our “Best Fit” Guide can help with this. It can be printed at www.emmawillard.org/admissions. • It is tempting to narrow your search to schools near home. Defining your list too narrowly may cause you to miss a special place. • Before a visit, have your daughter prepare a list of her five most burning questions specific to the school you are visiting. • Consider the values your family holds dear. Look to see those values reflected in your daughter’s high school. • No question is silly or too nitpicky. Ask the tour guides! At a great school, a tour guide can be honest while still taking pride in her experience and her school. • Save enough time after the visit to check out the surrounding area. Ask the admissions staff for their recommendations for a snack before the ride home. • Use the ride home to reflect on the visit, and jot down impressions and important details you learned. This list will be important later in the process. • Your voice is important in this process, too. Do not be afraid to start a conversation with your daughter about her thoughts. We are certain she is ready for a serious discourse about her educational future!
Total enrollment 332 199 Boarding 133 Day
Student/Faculty Ratio 6:1 Class of 2013
Average SAT Math 649 Average SAT Critical Reading 646 Average SAT Writing 663 Average SAT Score 1957
Tuition 2013-2014 Boarding Students Tuition, room, and board $51,410 Day Students Tuition including meals $31,170
How to Apply
Applying to a new school can be overwhelming. The admissions team at Emma is here to help make the application process as easy as possible. The Emma application process includes the following: Application This can be completed online at www.emmawillard.org/admissions. The application includes: Application Form Essay Parent Statement Application Fee Transcripts Should be completed by a school official and contain a minimum of two years of credits as well as the first semester or trimester of the current academic year. Recommendations English Teacher Math Teacher Teacher of Choice
Testing While we look at much more than test scores when selecting our future Emma Girls, standardized tests help us learn more about each girl’s academic back- ground. More information on the tests we use in our admissions process can be found at www.emmawillard.org/admissions. Interview Please contact the admissions office at 518.833.1320 or admissions@emmawillard.org to schedule your interview.
Financial Aid
We are committed to making Emma Willard School affordable and maintaining socioeconomic diversity on our campus. Last year, we awarded over four million dollars in grants. For more information go to www.emmawillard.org/admissions/financial-aid.
Important dates
Application deadline: February 1 Financial aid application deadline: February 1 Admissions decision: March 10 Enrollment contract and deposit due: April 10
Open Houses October 4 November 8
285 Pawling Avenue Troy • NY 12180 www.emmawillard.org
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