Don't trust everything you read on Yelp. It makes sense that a student could only handle FSHA for a…read moreyear might have some lukewarm things to say about being a TOLOG. I went there for four years, after attending an overpriced non-religious private K-12 institution for 8 years.
Let me just say that FSHA is full of extremely caring administrators, staff, faculty, and students. Yeah, I had a handful of teachers that I don't think were all that great. But those are made up and more by other, stand-out educators. (Mrs. Reed and Mr. Bernstein, just to pick one department [English] are game-changers the quality of whom you will not find elsewhere).
You'd expect a cloistered, all-girls community to be catty, prissy, even unpleasant. But it was a lot of fun, and I made friends with most of the people in my class. I'm happy that I know 98% of the girls I met there. Maybe other schools have major drama, and maybe on average single-sex schools have more drama than coed schools, but FSHA is different. I had four great years there, on basis of great company alone.
So, yes, I have mentioned (1) high teaching quality, (2) the nice people that go there, but what of the opportunities it presents? Well, how about its excellent, well-funded, successful sports teams, led by fun, challenging coaches? How about its beloved performing and visual arts programs (which do need more funding) that inspire and support young artists who go on to pursue their crafts in college? What about the literary opportunities, the science and math clubs, the service groups?
That's 3. Lastly, beyond FSHA: You will learn to love the red dress uniform. You will meet great guys who go to the local boys' schools (Damien, Loyola, St. Francis, just to name a few). You will keep your friends after graduation. You will go to college.
What kind of college? Well, FSHA isn't full of freak geniuses, true. But that doesn't stop TOLOGS from going to Ivies every year. Girls who want to go to MIT can go there. Girls get excellent scholarships, if they take full advantage of the opportunities available on the Hill. And if they don't, or if they're not that academic, they still go to some pretty good schools. Check the website.
I wouldn't judge the school by its demographics. Most of the students can afford to go there full-price, yes, but a lot of them are on scholarship, so there is a good amount of diversity with regard to income. One thing is indeed homogeneous: TOLOGS are nice, and don't be so skeptical. Ask anyone who actually gave it a shot.