Royal St. George's College ADMISSIONS

I think you get a certain feeling when you visit the campus, whether it's at an open house or the interview. And, personally, the feeling I get when I'm on campus is one that I love. And if people have that same feeling, then they shouldn't necessarily be distracted by things that other schools might have squash words or bigger fields or whatever.

From the moment I saw, during our tour of the school, how happy my son was responding to the energy on campus, I thought, 'We're going to give it a shot.' We were shown around by a young Georgian. He was candid, funny, and really open. We met a few teachers. We wandered around the campus. My son, who was in Grade 5 at the time, turned to me, as we were leaving, and said, 'Mom, I really want to go to this school.' I thought, 'Okay, that's it. We're looking into the application process.'

For prospective students, I'd recommend just going to the school, just walking the grounds on a normal day, because for me that really made a big difference, just seeing the atmosphere when I went on my visit. It felt like a homey place. And talk to some students, they'll be for sure happy to talk to you.

Our starting point was really the legacy of my brother who went to RSGC, starting in Grade 9, my husband who started in Grade 4, his brother, their cousin. They're all pretty different characters but they all had amazing experiences at the school and have felt very loyal to it. So it’s really a good thing all three of my sons got in, because we didn't really consider looking anywhere else.

We’ve got really three entry points for admission into the school. We admit students in Grade 3, which is an odd time to start, but it dates back to a time when a number of the major girls’ schools all took boys up until Grade 3. It’s also related to our space restrictions. That Grade 3 class will remain a class of 12-15 kids right through to Grade 6. Our next entry point, into middle school, is Grade 7. At that point they kids are exposed to a wider variety of subject-specific teachers, as opposed to a homeroom model. And the third and final entry point is Grade 9, to start high school.

RSGC, because it is so well-rounded, accepting, and nurturing, it's hard to find a kid that wouldn't do well in the school. I tend to recommend the school to a whole range of families. There is a certain culture, and type of child that wants to focus on building character, that I think belongs here. You really have to do the research and be thoughtful about who your kid is and what they need.