Oldfields School

Single gender education for girls provides a foundation for future success and confidence. In a single gender environment, opportunities for leadership roles, athletic excellence, and academic accomplishments are everyday occurrences. Girls fulfill every role on campus and are able to extend themselves to their full potential. To learn more about the value and impact of single gender education for girls, please visit the National Coalition of Girls Schools website at www.ncgs.org.

While Oldfields is a small community, we are a global community. Our students represent varied interests and talents ranging from dog sledding to sailing in the America's Cup. Commitment to intellectual and moral development results in each student reaching her full potential academically, physically, and emotionally. Through positive motivation, girls at Oldfields learn how to grow in character, confidence, and knowledge, all the while respecting each other in a community that lives by its motto: Courage, Humility, and Largeness of Heart.

Oldfields is an all girls' college-preparatory boarding school for grades eight through post-graduate year. Of the 165 girls enrolled each year, the majority are boarding students. Although representation varies from year to year, students come from as many as 24 states and 8 countries. Students of color comprise approximately 22% of the population.

In order to fulfill our mission of commitment to the intellectual, ethical, and social development of each individual student, Oldfields seeks to attract a balanced student body, paying close attention to the intellectual, artistic, and personal strengths of our candidates. We seek girls who will contribute to our learning community not only through intellectual curiosity and work ethic, but also through generosity of spirit, kindness, and compassion. In keeping with the mission of the School, the Admission Office is committed to working closely with each individual applicant and her family to determine whether or not the applicant will be well served by our program.

Oldfields School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School.

Oldfields awards over $1 million in financial aid each year. Admission decisions are need-blind and applying for financial aid does not jeopardize a student�s application for admission. All financial aid awards are need-based. Oldfields does offer merit scholarships. Contact the Admission Office for more information on the criteria and application process for the merit scholarships.

Yes. Oldfields offers the Centers of Excellence Awards, the Anna Austen McCulloch Award, and the Oldfields School Legacy Award. To apply for any of the merit scholarships, all candidates must complete the application for admission process and complete an additional essay.

Applications are due February 1. Oldfields may continue to accept applications for grades during the spring and into the summer if there is space available. The best way to find out whether we are still processing applications is to call the Admission Office directly, 410.472.4800.

By any standard, Oldfields is one of the strongest girls� schools in the country. However, we do not directly compare ourselves with other schools because we feel that the most important task for each family is to find the school that best matches its needs. What is an ideal school for one student may not serve another one very well. We suggest you visit Oldfields and other schools so that you can judge for yourself on how well Oldfields fits you.

During your visit, you will have a chance to tour the school with one of our student guides, meet students and faculty, and meet with a member of the Admission Office. Following the applicant�s interview, the admission officer will meet separately with the parent or guardian to answer any questions he/she has about Oldfields School. A visit lasts approximately 2-3 hours. If time permits and scheduled in advance, the applicant may have the chance to visit a class. The Admission Office is open for appointments Monday through Friday 8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For admission testing, Oldfields asks that the applicant take either the SSAT or ISEE before the February 1 application deadline. An applicant and her family may opt to have an educational evaluation such as the WISC IV and Woodcock Johnson. All testing must have been taken within the past two years in order to fulfill this requirement and complete your file. Applicants for whom English is not their first language should plan on taking both the TOEFL and SSAT. Oldfields does not administer the ISEE or SSAT on our campus. To obtain a listing of test sites, please call the Admission Office at 1.410.472.4800.

Yes, we are currently in the process of testing out new dress guidelines. During the academic class day, the students are encouraged to present a positive image and following the following dress guidelines:

No clothing that explicitly or implicitly promotes or suggests sex, drugs, alcohol, or profanity.
No clothing with advertising labels or other high schools� names.
No sweatpants, yoga pants, pajamas, slippers, or visible undergarments. Velour pants are allowed.
No pants with writing on the back side.
No ripped clothes (especially jeans and sweatshirts).
Skin should be covered in a way that it respects your body (cleavage, midriff, and backs should be covered) and your image does not don't draw attention to body parts.

In summation, clothes should be neat, clean, in good taste and repair, and fitting appropriately.

Although Oldfields is not religiously affiliated, many different religions and belief systems are supported through outside services, meetings, and groups on campus. Transportation may be provided on Sunday mornings to the following places of worship: St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Central Presbyterian, Grace Fellowship, Immanuel Episcopal, and Empowerment Temple. Some mornings, a group of students gather to lead each other in a morning prayer. At a student's request, Oldfields can assist her in finding local families with whom she can celebrate religious holidays while school is in session.

Since most of our students are boarding, the majority are on campus most weekends. There are many events planned by the Office of Student Life each weekend. Students can attend baseball games, dances, concerts, museums, community service projects, ski and rafting trips, as well as trips to the mall and to the movies. To see a complete list of activities, please click here. While we like to encourage our students to stay on campus, students may go home on certain weekends. Five day boarding students depart for home Friday after their last commitment and return to campus Sunday evening by 7:30 pm.

Over the Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks, students must make arrangements either to go home or stay off-campus with family or friends, as the campus closes for these time periods. However, during a fall, mid-winter, or spring weekend, students may choose to stay on-campus. Activities are provided to entertain those who do not leave during the long weekends.

We require all students to participate in sports or an alternative activity after school. Two of the three seasons, students must play a sport. Students may opt for the thrid season to participate in an alternative activity offerred such as community service, arts, or theatre. Visit the Athletics section of our website under the Campus Community tab to see the offerings.

Yes, we have tryouts to play on the Varsity or Junior Varsity level.

The fine arts curriculum is comprised of visual and performing arts. By offering courses in the various disciplines, Oldfields supports the idea that each student is naturally creative. Students have the opportunity to explore their interests in theater, dance, music, sculpture, ceramics, and other various art mediums. All students are required to take one year of a fine art.

The primary level of support is the girl's own teachers who provide additional help beyond class. All Oldfields faculty are trained and are active participants in the Schools Attuned� program of the All Kinds of Minds Institute. Each faculty member is equipped to work with each girl's learning strengths and weaknesses. Extra help sessions are offered each Tuesday through Friday 10:05-11:05 am. In addition, Oldfields has a learning specialist who provides guidance and support to each girl who may need additional help and to her teachers. There are also tutors on staff for support in specific areas.

Student clubs and organizations are an important part of Oldfields. Every girl is encouraged to participate in those activities, which are of interest to her, as long as they do not interfere with her academic performance.

Visit the Student Life section of our website under the Campus Community tab.

There are several people within the community to help you feel better: advisors, dorm parents, other on-campus faculty members, the school counselor, and even your peer resident assistants, who have been through training. You will find the first month to be the hardest, but by keeping yourself busy and involved in the community, you will quickly make new friends and feel right at home.

Oldfields School will issue an I-20 form (technically called a 'Certificate of Eligibility for Non-Immigrant (F-1) Student Status�) if you hold a valid, foreign passport. Oldfields issues I-20 forms only to admitted students who have returned the enrollment contract and deposit and submitted a bank statement verifying funds for tuition.

Oldfields' version of an Open House is called Picture Yourself at Oldfields School (PYAOS) days. To allow you and your daughter a chance to picture yourselves here, we want to personalize your visit. We request that you RSVP to one of our PYAOS days. The 2008-2009 PYAOS days are October 13, November 4, January 19, and April 24.

We host various camps during the summer months. During the the summer of 2008, U.K. Elite Soccer and Trilogy Lacrosse will be on campus for their second year. Pa Kua, a specialty martial arts camp, has been with us for over fifteen years and joined us again. Stay tuned to see who will be with us for the summer of 2009!