By Deyi Meng ’26
Being a day student at Choate Rosemary Hall, a predominantly boarding institution, is a truly unique experience. Before coming here, I had only ever attended day schools. Like all of my peers, I came to school in the morning, went to classes, and returned home at around 3 p.m.. Classes were relaxed, and the community was tight-knit. Accustomed to this cycle, I came to Choate thinking my new lifestyle would resemble my usual groove. Little did I know, I was terribly wrong.
Plunged into the unknown, I saw no familiar faces, classes were longer and more challenging, and the school day stretched from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.. I was burned out, anxious, and I felt oddly alone.
I often feel disconnected from the broader school community, with limited opportunities for bonding experiences inside the dorm or after-hours. The fear of missing out, or FOMO, is real. Knowing I will never be able to take part in mug nights or spontaneous study sessions in the common room makes me feel like an outsider.
Additionally, day students face timing issues attending school events and activities, such as late-night dances like the Holiday Ball (Hol Ball). Some of my day student friends were unable to go to Hol Ball this year due to the late starting time, and I was only able to stay for 30 minutes.
Choate already does a superb job of supporting its day student population by providing us with prefects of our own and a designated area in the Student Activites Center (SAC), but I believe that further measures could be implemented to boost inclusion. All-school events should be held at more suitable hours, and more joint activities should be organized between day students and boarders.
That being said, I am happy to be a day student. I can still return home every day, smell the familiar scents of my house, savor my mother’s cooking, and sleep in the comfort of my own bed. Seeing my family daily offers a sense of support and stability that is essential during the tumultuous years of high school.
I also enjoy having a distinct separation between school life and personal life. As much as I love Choate, everyone needs a break from time to time. Returning home allows me to recharge myself for another day of school and foster a healthy and well-rounded lifestyle.
There are pros and cons that come with being a day student at Choate. Having a sense of stability by being able to return home every day is nice, but it’s easy to feel isolated when you miss so much. Though the day and boarding student experiences are inevitably different, Choate could invite day students to dorm-related events and host late-night activities at earlier hours to improve the day student experience.
