Second semester began with the arrival of new faces in the MacDuffie community. According to Director of Recruitment and Enrollment Management Jeffrey Pilgrim, we have three seventh graders, three eighth graders, a ninth grader, two tenth graders, and three eleventh graders admitted for the beginning of the second semester. Of these, he says, there are three from Vietnam, three from China, two from the U.S., and one from Turkey.

The ratio of boarding to day students making up MacDuffie’s population influences the acceptance process for second semester. According to Pilgrim, the admissions department does not want the student population to consist of more day than boarding students. Additionally, certain restrictions of acceptance exist within specific countries. Preferably, twenty five percent of the population will consist of Chinese students; as of now, Pilgrim says we have “twenty-five percent on the nose.”

Another factor for consideration is the amount of beds left in dorm rooms at the school. Currently, the girls beds are completely filled, leaving no more space for female applicants. Three beds for male boarders are left. However, admissions are only considered at the beginning of each semester. The second semester has begun, so new applications for MacDuffie can not be accepted until the fall semester of the 2017-2018 school year.  

The hardest part for new mid-year students is their responsibility to catch up in their classes. Many new students face the commitment of catching up with a semester’s worth of material after missing the first half of the year. Despite this, many mid-year students are familiarized with material we have not yet learned. Pilgrim says that “they’re ahead of you in some areas and behind you in other areas, because schools in other countries are vastly different systems than what we’re used to here.”