On life at a small school…
The people are kind and accepting.
I love the one on one teaching experience and having a close relationships with my classmates.
I felt like I had a real impact. This built my confidence.
You get to know everyone really well, so you become really good friends.
The teachers are able to listen to individual students.
The immediately accepting, tightly bound community helps you ease the transition in and it extends community past your tenure at the school, giving you a “second family.
You know everybody, making it less of a solely academic environment and more of a family, a community.
I felt that everyone in my class was my close, personal friend.
The one-on-one experience with the teachers is invaluable because the teachers are actually able to figure out what you’re struggling with and how to fix it.
You have easy access to your teachers, the curriculum can be streamlined to your needs.
On the expeditions...
The school does a brilliant job of easing you into them, and I think you’ll find that, after the first one, you may realize that you enjoyed it a lot more than you thought you would.
I understand if you’re nervous. You’ll soon realize that there’s nothing to worry about. Everyone’s there to help and whether you like it or not you’re going to have a good time…or you’re all going to bond over the fact that you’re staying at 6,000 ft, it’s freezing cold, and you can’t feel your feet.
There are very few middle schoolers that can say they went off to go climb a mountain AND explored the Channel Islands in the same school year, as part of the school curriculum!
On the challenging academics…
No matter how hard the work gets, the teachers will always make time to help you.
Everyone is there to help, especially the teachers. Any hole that you dig yourself into, whether it be that you’re late on a ton of assignments or you don’t have a clue on a test coming up, the teachers are always glad to help.
If you are intimidated by the academics, you should know that the teachers love to talk to students whenever they can. Because of this its super easy to set up a meeting time, or just walk in their office, to discuss classroom material.
What alumni say about how Odyssey prepared them for high school and life...
The academic rigor definitely set me ahead early in high school, as academically the transition was very easy.
Being taught how to learn was a very important thing that can help all your life since you should always be learning.
Odyssey taught me how to be a better person both inside and outside the classroom. Because of that I was able to adapt my work ethic and time management to the demands of high school which has helped me succeed.
Odyssey has helped me become more organized, independent, and have better critical thinking skills.
I feel like I have an easier time forming deep, lasting friendships than other people seem to. I am also much kinder and more polite to other people than I was before eighth grade.
Odyssey prepares you well by extracting you from your comfort zone and teaching you to enjoy your time outside of it.
What alumni miss most...
I miss how much the teachers respect their students and how much attention they devoted to them.
I can’t spoil the initiation rites for you, but Odyssey prioritizes the community immensely, and it is very comforting going forward. You never really lose the people you meet at Odyssey.
I really miss the expeditions they were a great learning experience and made you realize that you could do a lot more than you thought you could.
I miss it all.
Why they think you should you make this your Odyssey...
If you are considering attending Odyssey, I would tell you that a child’s most important development stage is most likely in middle school. If you want to do it right, Odyssey is the place to do it because you’ll be surrounded by community that cares for you and teaches you something new at every step.
I personally think that going to Odyssey was the best decision I’ve made in my life (so far). It isn’t for everyone, but the people who attend are very well suited for the school. I can’t imagine that anyone in my class would rather have attended a different school.
I would say that attending Odyssey is the best thing that you can do for yourself because the school doesn’t just specialize in a prestigious and rigorous academic system, but a unique expeditionary curriculum that you can’t find anywhere else.
The academic challenge early on will set you ahead later on in your school career, and the opportunities for self-development presented in the expeditions will “grow you up” and help you form a stronger sense of self-understanding, as well as experience opportunities that almost no one else your age will have.
If I could go to Odyssey again, or if it had a high school, I would go in a heartbeat. The school is so much more than just a school; it’s a home.
If you are blessed with the chance to attend Odyssey, take it. It’s a wonderful thing to be a part of. The journey goes so fast. Treasure it!