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...
It’s the most fun you’ll ever have in school.
They’re a lot of fun and aren’t as challenging as they seem.
Expeditions are the most memorable experiences from Odyssey.
Expeditions allow you to be away from the classroom and your family and be with your friends 24/7.
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!
The expeditions are challenging, but they won’t be too physically challenging for any of the students. They’re also much too busy to let you think about being homesick. From what I’ve been told, the parents have a harder time than the students.
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.
Even when a certain subject at Odyssey might be particularly challenging to you, since there’s a fairly low teacher to student ratio, teachers are able to devote a lot of time to helping you overcome your challenges and making sure you learn as much as possible from your time in their class.
There isn’t all that much homework (probably less than at many schools), but you still manage to learn waaaaaay more than you would at other places, because the teachers are great and make learning a lot easier.
I never worried about my grades much when I was in Odyssey and I did well. The academics were often not the main thing you learned; the school was more concerned about teaching you how to be a good student and person than algebra and geography.
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.
Don’t worry about it at all. The teachers are great and will be there to help you every single step of the way.
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.
I use a lot of skills that Odyssey taught me – patience, organization, optimism and, I know this is cheesy but, living life to the fullest.
Odyssey prepares you well by extracting you from your comfort zone and teaching you to enjoy your time outside of it.
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.
I think I’ve learned to be better at learning, which is extremely helpful for everything.
Odyssey has helped me become more organized, independent, and have better critical thinking skills.
Odyssey has opened my eyes to how fortunate I am and because of that I’ve had a new view of who I am as a person.
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.
I took an advanced math track, and am able to continue it in high school, allowing me to later take classes that I really want to take.
I have WAY cooler stories about middle school than others, (Seriously, bragging rights about your multitude of expeditions gets you real appreciation and awe in high school. Not everyone can say they went to Japan for school!)
What alumni miss most...
I miss how much the teachers respect their students and how much attention they devoted to them.
I miss the community and often reminisce about the amazing experience the Odyssey was for me.
I miss the exciting classes, the amazing teachers and extremely comfortable environment.
The part that I miss the most is the other students, who are all pretty awesome.
I miss it all.
The aspect I miss most is having the same people in every class for years in a row; it’s a lot harder to meet and know everyone in high school.
I was never specifically an outdoorsy person, but I loved every expedition, and think they are the best part of your three year journey.
What I miss most, if I had to pick, is the people. Odyssey is such a community, and over three years you really get to know those around you.
I really miss the staff, they’re just so great.
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.
The thing I miss the most is being challenged while still having enough free time to not stress over homework all day.
I miss the exciting classes and amazing teachers, the extremely comfortable environment and the family that was formed there.
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.
Why they think you should you make this your Odyssey...
I’ve had multiple friends who’ve looked at Odyssey and then neglected it. Don’t do that! I would highly recommend applying to Odyssey for an amazing middle school experience.
The Japan trip at the end of the three year, it was a truly rewarding and life-changing experience.
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.
It’s an amazing school and definitely go there.
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.
Definitely go. It’s so much better than other schools in so many ways.
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 you decide to go to Odyssey, you’re in for a wild ride (in a good way, I promise). Every year that I spent there had something new for me. There were definitely bad parts but there were infinitely more good parts and I wouldn’t change a thing about my time at Odyssey.
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!