Padua Academy

I graduated from Padua a few years ago and I miss it. I was coming to Padua from a large public middle school, so I didn't know what to expect, but I found that my classmates were much nicer than I had expected. I had an idea in my head of what private school girls looked like (rich, white, mean) and while some of that was true I did enjoy the atmosphere of the school much more than my middle school. My class grew closer together over the years and I found that I was able to sit and talk with people who I wouldn't have considered my friends and could get along well with the other students I interacted with. There were some cliquey attitudes from time to time but nothing worse than any other school I've been to. I think that the attitude around sisterhood at Padua does end up coming down to who your classmates are though, as some underclassman classes when I left did not seem to get on nearly as well. Lots of clubs are available across different interests and there are quite a few sports teams, so plenty for everyone to do. The academics were great, and the teachers are invested in your success and will work with you individually to help you succeed. The workload can be heavy at times but manageable with a few hours of work a night. The administration and teachers do their best to work with accommodations as needed, whether it be for long or short-term illness, academic struggles, mental health issues, or learning differences, they always did their best to support students.

I graduated from Padua 3 years ago, and I must admit that I do miss it. I found it fairly difficult when I transferred into Padua my Junior year, mainly because the girls have already formed their friend groups and had already spent 2 years together. I transferred from an all girls' school to Padua so I found it interesting to compare the 2. It was ironic how Padua emphasized " sisterhood" much more than my previous school yet most of the girls did not show it. They were very, very cliquy and unless you were part of a girls' little group they would not associate with you is that really what sisterhood is? At my old school it was not unheard of to sit with or talk to girls who were not in your " group " I also felt judged rather than welcomed when I was considered the " new girl " Aside from the poor way that the girls there show sisterhood, I must say that the academics are top notch and the teachers are always there to help you when you are having trouble in school or even if you are having a bad day.