Not a positive application process. Be prepared to be stringed along about your childs application. The lack of communication and response to questions about your childs status is deplorable. The conditions of the dorms are unmaintained, dingy and ramshackled. After you fill out the application (excessive) you need to wait until a week before school starts to see if your child made the list, leaving parents and kids in a fog as to where they stand. How the director of Admissions hasn't been fired is beyond me. The admissions process lacks organization and is in total chaos. We were excited about introducing our child to an independent atmosphere, however after experiencing the "shadow day" and disorganized process we decided this wasn't a great fit. There are separate living facility for transgender students, which seems to be the trend on this campus. Due to lack of structure, deceiving parents by giving false hope we declined this opportunity. The tennis courts are not operable and IMSA lacks sports. Volunteer hours are excessive and your child will be be on a self-directed learning curve (minimal involvenment of teachers). The positive, they had a nice salad bar. read more

A school that takes 13 million from the state but follows no state guidelines! they fail 25% of students out if your child doesn't fit their mold. 23 year olds-going no where in life-living with your child in the dorms in charge of shaping your child in the most shapeable years of their lives. please send your happy/highly intelligent kids here, if they fall in the 25% sent back home, you get the pleasure of dealing with DEPRESSION and SUICIDE, i know a couple families who lost their child, but..the school sweeps it under a rug. very surprised there hasn't been a class action lawsuit filed. socially akward/stubborn staff only want robots here, please send your child so they can be reprogrammed, this isn't the navy seals program, these are 15-18 year old children, IMSA doesn't understand how to be a parent nor do they care about yours, they just care about their name. read more

Nobody reviewed IMSA yet? Let me remedy this immediately. I loved my three years here. For prospective students out there, IMSA can be quite an adjustment. I remember being so homesick the first couple of weeks that I almost went back to my home school. BUT, if you manage to get through the homesickness, the 7:00PM check, and the nauseating cafeteria slop (ahem, I mean food), you'll actually start to enjoy this place and maybe even learn a thing or two. You'll make some of the closest friends of your life at IMSA. You have the opportunity to take classes that most other schools don't even offer. You will bond with your top-notch teachers (heck, I'm even inviting a couple to my upcoming wedding!). If you give it a fair chance, you'll grow to love this place. Unless you're really REALLY into high school football. Then you're screwed. read more

Ha. I think it's funny people review IMSA. But to be fair, I've met some of my closest friends from there, and truly appreciated my experience. While the majority of us IMSA grads are pretty geeky (admit it... how often do you see cuts for math team in other normal high school?), there is a lasting bond that happens at IMSA for all that go there... is it the tough homework? The rules of checking into our wing at 10:00 PM and being stuck in side? The inability to have a car? The terrible cafeteria food? Who knows... all I can say is, it's like being in college before college... with more rules, and a smaller, tighter knit community thanks to the way things are structured. Not sure if you want to attend? Take a tour onsite and talk to some current students... it's probably the best way to figure out if IMSA is for you.... read more

Great high school! Good to hear that is still the number one high school in the USA. Hope lots of smart kids graduate from here and become successful! :):):):):) read more

I as a parent was disappointed in the dorm conditions a move in time. I would have thought that the school would of had higher standards in the condition of the environment that the students are living in. I filled out a condition report at the time of move in as required. However, after talking to the RC, I did not get the feeling that the report will ever be read. Rooms were in need of painting, paint and drywall paper peeling from the walls. Locking mechanism on cabinets missing, even though on the list of items to bring was a lock. Corner bead exposed on outside corners of walls. Flooring in bad shape, some parents brought in rugs. In near future I will probably bring in steam cleaner. There is more and I took photos. However, two more items in the main area. The hanging and or missing cupboard doors is not a good look, and neither is the stain ceiling tile. Imsa you need to do better, then do more. read more

It's not for everyone, but IMSA was the best three years of my life at the time. I was a little homesick to begin with, but by the time first semester was over I did not want to go home over extended weekends or breaks. I would become IMSA-sick, and miss all the amazing friends I had grown close to there. It was a time where I developed as a person, became more confident in myself and my abilities, and became more independent and responsible (for what it's worth as a teenager). Pros: *GREAT academics, teachers, and unique learning style * A place to fit in if you are on the geeky side *Freedom to set your own schedule during the day (it is on a block schedule, like college) * Adjusts you emotionally/mentally for college * Neat facility/dorms/grounds, lots of places to hang out, exercise in-or outdoors study, or relax * thriving extracurriculars (at least when I was there) * Awesome dorms- only 1 roommate/room, with your own bathroom and heating/AC unit. You'll never find that in college for under $10k/semester! * Great support network- counselors, residential staff, mentoring w/ upperclassmen, friends. * Weekend day trips/evening outings available * Intersession!! * Mentorship- opportunity to conduct research at universities/hospitals/labs/other facilities in the Chicago area. Great experience, and great for building your resume. Cons: * Unless you are a truly gifted natural genius, you will have to work hard. * The arts/lit department could use some bulking up.. but it is called the MATH and SCIENCE academy after all. * 10pm check-in at the halls- this is both a pro and con. Con if you procrastinated on a project and need to stay out to work on it. But also a pro, in retrospect years later. If they had let a bunch of teenagers go without a set, early-ish bedtime, they would have run amok, never get work done, and keep dormmates awake until wee hours of the morning. That structure was good. And you can always ask for permission to stay out later, it's the RC's discretion. * People bitch about the food, but I really didn't see anything horribly wrong with it. Yes they did have some pretty funky things on occasion. But after a few years living on your own, you will appreciate 3 meals offered (included in room/board) per day. There is a good variety of healthy and not-so healthy, and some of their dishes I really liked! * Competition- with a whole school full of overachievers, this is inevitable. You will no longer feel like the smartest kid in school. You will begin to doubt yourself, and compare yourself to others. You need to come to the realization that this is high school. That B+ or A- or C+ will not matter a few years from now, it is not the end of the world if you are not the best of the best. You are at a wonderful school, trying hard, and that should be all that matters. Make the most of it. read more