The Right Fit

August 2, 2025

Maree’s Blog

Entry #1

“Hey There.”

To get the pleasantries out of the way, my name is Maree and I’m a 15 year old boarding student at Cate School. I’m starting this blog to express my ideas and give a unique view of my experiences. This first entry is a story about rejection and how it led me to find the perfect fit.

Not long ago, I went to Xavier College Prep in Phoenix, Arizona. Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice school, but not at all what I had envisioned for myself. As an aspiring politician, I wanted a high school with good culture, lasting connections, and preferably a debate or Model UN team. Xavier advertised all of this, but it just wasn’t true. By the end of my first month there, I knew I needed a change. Not long after my second semester ended, I finished my applications to 12 boarding schools and 2 day schools in the Bay Area. I was accepted to 4 schools: The College Preparatory School, Deerfield Academy, Cate School, and Saint Andrew’s School, where Dead Poets Society was famously filmed. I was waitlisted at Thacher, Groton, Choate, and Concord. 

Seeing all the rejections (6) was devastating. I was rejected from every one of my top 3 schools. It later dawned on me that it wasn’t completely in my control. The acceptance rate for transfer students was <0.8%. A number this low made me realize how many different factors were at play. I had to focus on the opportunities I did have and commit to finding the right fit for me. Ultimately, it came down to Deerfield – a school in rural Massachusetts – or Cate – my dad’s alma mater in Southern California.

March 28th was revisit day at Cate. My dad and I embarked on the 5-hour drive together. Although, I was asleep and don’t remember most of it. Leading up to “The Mesa” (the Cate campus’ alias), there were beautiful beaches and mountains all around. All the campus staff knew my dad and were authentically endearing towards me. It felt like a sort of home, and I can certainly attribute that to the staff who told me stories about my dad when he was in high school. To me, campus size was a monumental factor in choosing a school. This is one of the reasons I was initially partial to Deerfield. I have to admit that I underestimated Cate’s campus. As I toured the school, I realized the pictures did not do it justice. Although it was smaller than Deerfield, it had a special feel to it. The openness of the campus felt inviting, warm even. I knew this was a place I could call home, at least for 3 years.

Between the time of my acceptance and my actual enrollment, Cate’s Dean of Admissions, Kyle Mason, was consistently reaching out and showing me all sides of Cate – the good and the bad. On the other hand, Deerfield was more focused on proclaiming the prestige of their school. The way I saw it, Cate was a smaller school where I could have more support and a more well-rounded experience with so many resources at my disposal. Whereas Deerfield saw me as another student for them to teach, shape, and then drop off at a college. Practically, there is nothing wrong with this approach, but I knew what I needed – a family.

In 21 days, I will be a boarding student at Cate. My room will be decorated with fun pictures, packed with all my clothes, and my walls will be filled with plenty of posters. I hope Cate will be all that I think she is, but in all honesty, I am very scared. This fear is more nervous than painful. I have a feeling it will go away as soon as I step on the campus again. The next three years may be full of unknowns, but one thing is certain: through it all, I’ll be a Ram.