discover the person you want to become
marlborough school
admissions viewbook 2013 / 2014
mission statement
Marlborough School, founded in 1889, is an independent, urban day school serving a diverse group of young women. The School is committed to delivering a superior college preparatory education in an environment imbued with high ethical values. Marlborough is dedicated to the philosophy that academic excellence, leadership skills, and confidence flourish best in an environment exclusively devoted to the education of young women. The Marlborough community enables each student to develop her fullest potential so that she may become an actively engaged global citizen.
Explore the Possibilities. We look forward to sharing our School with you. Marlborough provides an intensely rewarding environment where students are encouraged to connect with the material, their teachers, and each other.
Here, girls become critical thinkers, discover
welcome and eagerly engage you with their
their potential, and gain empathy for our greater
favorite Marlborough tale. And just think,
community. Marlborough girls radiate confidence
everything about this vibrant experience focuses
and are compelled to achieve their personal best,
on growing adolescent girls into successful young
whether it is writing a sonnet, creating an app, or
women. Everything.
trying out for a new sport. We hope you will come visit us soon—in person or This is a community filled with pride and
online—and look forward to many conversations
enthusiasm. From the moment you step on
during our upcoming months together.
campus, our students embrace you with a warm
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Girls are always the focus. In this all-girl environment, the success of each student is a priority. At Marlborough, we build upon each girl’s abilities and motivate her to think in new directions. Marlborough girls bond with strong mentors and positive role models. They enjoy reduced gender stereotyping in the curriculum and classrooms, as well as abundant learning opportunities both inside and outside of their comfort zones. Students are surrounded by other smart and inspiring young women—working, goofing around, and growing with one another— without many of the pressures that concern adolescent girls elsewhere.
“While growing up, I was told that high school was the place where you would find your best friends who would be with you for the rest of your life. No one ever told me that I would find sisters who would love me unconditionally and support everything I do.” Christina Lee ’10, Haverford College ‘14
“The all-girl environment gives each student the opportunity to truly shine and be herself within a community that embraces her and accepts her for who she is, not who society thinks she should be.” Andrea Drobnick History and Social Sciences Instructor
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CORE VALUE
excellence
Marlborough School serves as a model of educational excellence and strives to inspire and support each student to achieve her “personal best.”
“Single-sex graduates exhibited higher levels of self-confidence than female students from coeducational schools. This is true for many aspects of self-confidence, including academic ability, intellectual ability, writing ability, and public speaking ability. It was especially true when it came to confidence in their mathematical and computer skills.” Linda J. Sax, Ph.D. UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies
“By subtracting boys, an all-girls’ education adds opportunities. At a girls’ school, a girl occupies every role: every part in the play, every seat on the student government, every position on every team. Not only does she have a wealth of avenues for self-exploration and development; she has a wealth of peer role models.” National Coalition of Girls’ Schools
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“It is the atmosphere, discussions, classmates, and teachers that have made Marlborough such a special and memorable place to be.” Emily Edelman ‘13, Stanford University ‘17
marlborough is a community built on long-lasting relationships. Marlborough’s 125-year history includes many traditions that have cemented lifelong friendships for generations of Violets. Annual rituals—the Honor assembly; Class Mascot, Banner, Colors, and Song presentations; Spirit Week competitions; Mother-Daughter events; Outdoor Education Trips; Pumpkin Day; the Father-Daughter Picnic—all enhance a strong community that the girls nurture and celebrate well after they graduate.
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THE STUDENT BODY ENCOMPASSES A WIDE RANGE OF BACKGROUNDS AND MYRIAD TALENTS, RESULTING IN CLASSMATES WHO ARE INQUISITIVE, MOTIVATED, GENEROUS, AND ENGAGED. Students represent 100 different zip codes and 100 different sending schools, and close to 40 percent are students of color. Along with being immersed in their educations, Marlborough girls invest in school activities ranging from Chamber Choir and the Organized Latina Exchange (OLÉ) to the Harry Potter Club and digital photography. They write for The UltraViolet (newspaper), the Sundial (yearbook), and The Edge (literary magazine). In addition to athletic contests, students compete in robotics, speech and debate, Model United Nations, and Mock Trial. And finally, they show their concern for their communities by voluntarily contributing of their time both locally and globally.
“For me, Marlborough’s Honor Principle transcends the boundaries of my high school and affects who I am in the outside world. I try to uphold my integrity, character, and virtue even outside of the School’s front gates.” Gabrielle Cornelio ’11, University of California, Berkeley ’15
“Marlborough is a remarkable place. It is a place where it is cool to be smart, cool to work hard, cool to play hard, cool to dance, cool to sing, cool to care, cool to laugh and to cry, and cool not to be cool. I’ve seen first hand the girls celebrating each others’ strengths strongly and teasing each others’ foibles gently. First and foremost Marlborough girls are quality human beings.” Martin Hopp, M.D. Parent of Stephanie ’08
“My favorite memories as a teacher at Marlborough are dressing up as ‘Peeta’ for Pumpkin Day, being in the dunk tank for an end-of-the-year party, using the Van de Graaff generator to make my students’ hair stand on end, watching the Middle School robotics team win first place at the Legoland Spring Showdown, and shadowing a student for the day.” Andrew Witman Science Instructor
CORE VALUE
honor
Marlborough School’s culture is infused with honor, trust, individual responsibility, and mutual respect. The School’s long-standing Honor Code, inspired and created by Marlborough students, serves as a daily reminder of the importance of honesty and integrity in the community.
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MARLBOROUGH TEACHERS WILL BE YOUR GREATEST FANS. The faculty at Marlborough forge genuine connections with every student, imparting passion and enthusiasm for their subjects as well as lending guidance and a sympathetic ear. In doing so, teachers create an environment that encourages each girl to test her limits without the fear of failure.
CORE VALUE
  community
Marlborough School is a diverse and inclusive community of students, families, faculty, staff, alumnae, and friends. Through experiences offered within our community, the young women at Marlborough learn to face the world with courage, compassion, flexibility, and commitment.
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“I was inspired to take academic risks. Within an environment of intellectual growth, integrity, and individuality, I always felt I had the entire School community supporting me.” Colleen Loynachan ’10, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ‘14
average number of students per class
8 :1 portion of faculty with advanced degrees
52
13 student to faculty ratio
3/4
“Marlborough faculty teach their students not simply what to think but how to think. It is from them that I also learned what it means to have a strong work ethic, to be a loyal friend, and to be a sympathetic listener as well as an advocate for one’s own beliefs.” Emily Waxman ’13, University of Pennsylvania ’17
number of honors and advanced placement classes
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Athletics Basketball Cross Country Equestrian Golf Lacrosse Soccer Softball Swimming Tennis Track and Field Volleyball Water Polo
Broaden your interests and strengthen your passions. At Marlborough, girls lead. From the Student Body President to the star in the School play, from the captain of the basketball team to the editor of the student newspaper, Marlborough girls seize every opportunity to steer a conversation or direct an activity.
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CORE VALUE
confidence
Marlborough School offers an environment in which students are encouraged to discover their potential, increase their competence, develop leadership skills, and expand their self-reliance.
“Exploring technical theatre in Marlborough’s theatre community has taught me how to solve problems, find confidence in myself, and become a leader.” IsabelLa Rosner ’13, Columbia University ’17
8 Number of advanced math/ science classes
17
Annual Performances: 3 plays, 2 dance concerts, 2 choral concerts, 1 instrumental concert
28 Number of
90 %
Athletic teams
have taken Calculus,
62 %
AP Calculus AB,
of students
of recent graduates
AP Calculus BC,
participate
Multivariable Calculus,
in sports
and/or Linear Algebra
“Marlborough students were selfconfident and comfortable with themselves in a way I was not used to seeing. They had learned to speak, as one teacher put it, ‘in a person’s voice, not a woman’s voice.’ They said what they meant, absolved of the social concerns that often made girls tone themselves down. They felt no need to defer or compromise their opinions.”
“Girls in sports are often emotionally healthy. They see their bodies as functional, not decorative. They have developed discipline in the pursuit of excellence. They have learned to win and lose, to cooperate, and to handle stress and pressure. They are in a peer group that defines itself by athletic ability rather than popularity, drug or alcohol use, wealth, or appearance.” Mary Pipher, Ph.D. Author of Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls
Karen Stabiner Author of All Girls: Single-Sex Education and Why It Matters
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Let’s get to know each other. Through Marlborough School’s admissions process, we enroll girls who are devoted to their education, their passions, their
80 - 85
15
students in 7th grade class
new students enroll in grades eight through 11
friends, and their futures. As one teacher put it… number of buses that transport students to
“A Marlborough girl believes that serious play is as important as serious work. She will devote an entire day to studying for a science test, but the next week she will stay up late one night frosting cupcakes for her friend’s birthday. She will spend one lunch period acing pop culture trivia questions with her friends, and the next day she will eat quickly, so that she can teach calculus to the classmate who missed math for a varsity away game. She writes reminders in her planner, on her arm, and occasionally on her shoe; and she can laugh at herself while she amazes everyone else.” Deborah Banner, Ph.D. English Instructor
school each day
$21,250
8 financial aid budget for
average
2013-2014
financial aid
$2.23
award for 2013-2014
MILLION
Applying to Marlborough is a dialog—we get to know you through conversations, correspondence, and recommendations from those who know you best, while you can discover our community by attending a school event, surfing our website, or asking questions of our community. Since we know costs can be a factor in your decision, Marlborough has a generous financial aid budget to help families with financial need afford our tuition and fees. Awards range from 10 to 100 percent of school expenses to ensure inclusion of all qualified students.
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Admissions Calendar 2013 August
16
Marlborough School Admissions Application available online at www.marlborough.org
September
16
Admissions Interviews begin
October
12
Admissions Open House (for applicants to grades 7-8, reservation required)
November
7-9
Fall Drama Performance (reservation required)
21
Winter Art Show Opening
22
All-School Dance Concert (reservation required)
23
Admissions Open House (for applicants to grades 7-11, reservation required)
December
13
Winter Choral Concert
14
ISEE administered at Marlborough School (reservation required)
2014 January
6
Application deadline
10
Admissions Interview scheduling deadline
11
ISEE administered at Marlborough School (reservation required)
31
Supporting Documents deadline (recommendation letters, transcripts, testing)
February
7-8
Evening of Dance (reservation required)
March
7
Decisions mailed to applicants to grades 9-11
14
Decisions mailed to applicants to grades 7-8
come visit us! marlborough.org xxv
admissions@marlborough.org (323) 964-8450
www.marlborough.org
250 South Rossmore Avenue Los Angeles, California 90004