A Brookfield Academy Education is Like No Other

by Lauren Smyczek, Class of 2008

As a recent graduate of Brookfield Academy, I often reflect upon my time at BA. I think about the many ways in which a Brookfield Academy education is above and beyond other schools. The small class sizes and the world-class faculty are two that come quickly to mind.

With the class size limit, I received individual attention, crucial to the cultivation of my young mind. Being able to learn from the incredibly skilled and knowledgeable instructors in such a setting reinforced what I was learning all the more.

Another treasured quality of my education is BA’s devotion to the humanities—classics, languages, history, literature, philosophy, and performing arts.

Beginning in Lower School, I was exposed to the cornerstones of civilization in the studies of the ancient Greeks and Romans. I have started to realize that a true education is grounded in this study of the human condition starting with ancient history, rather than just a study of one's own era.

I am deeply grateful for my Brookfield Academy education. I sense that I will continue to reap its benefits for the rest of my life. I know it did much more than equipping me for the essays, research, and readings that university years hold. For me, Brookfield Academy was a preparation for life.

Overall, however, I am fully aware that though I can sense rather vaguely the ways that BA has prepared me, I am still far too young and inexperienced and too near it to be able to recognize fully and articulate exactly what BA has done for me. And I look forward to the explorations in the rest of my academic career, my professional career, and my relationships to continue to reveal to me the boundless value of the Brookfield Academy experience.