<p>Am I wrong or, looking at the acceptances thread, it seems that many Exeter admits are Andover waitlisted? Could be our small sample size here on CC, or something else afoot?</p>
<p>123mama,</p>
<p>Andover encourages students to mature and become independent. But it also provides plenty of tender loving care if students need it. Every student has dorm counselors, a cluster dean, teachers, and an academic advisor. These adults work as a team. They give students the freedom to mature. But they also step in when students need help. So, no worries about that.</p>
<p>Yes, the non sibi spirit of selflessness is an integral part of student life at Andover. There is Non Sibi Day when every Andover student participates in volunteer projects. There is Work Duty where every student regularly serves the PA community. And there are about fifty community service projects, one hundred clubs, seventy sports teams, several outstanding student publications, and scores of concerts, dance recitals, art exhibitions, etc. </p>
<p>I’d encourage you to view the Andover website. Last year, I took a look at the community service projects and the clubs. I picked the ones that sounded interesting and then imagined the opportunity to participate in them. I also went online and read the Phillipian, the oldest secondary school newspaper in the country. I pictured myself participating in or attending the reported events and being a part of a community that confronts issues head on and discusses them intelligently. This worked for me. Hopefully, it will work for you. </p>
<p>Yes, the students at Andover are nice, but no one believes that PA kids have a monopoly on being nice. However, I will say that Andover does not have a cut-throat environment. Kids may compete against themselves. But, in my experience, they don’t academically compete against each other. Collaboration is encouraged and practiced. It’s the norm, not the exception. So, when Jane Fried says that Andover is a school full of nice kids, it’s not hype. It’s the truth. </p>
<p>I hope this helps. Good luck!</p>
<p>I know some schools are phasing out AP courses and calling them “honors”. Apparently, students typically do take the AP exams anyway. Do you know whether Exeter and Andover are a part of this trend?</p>
<p>I know that Exeter is part of this trend. We over higher level, advanced classes in several subjects, which go further and deeper than the AP curriculum, but if we want to, we are allowed to take the AP test after that course ends. Most 400 level courses are what would be called AP courses. </p>
<p>Something for people interested in beach cleanup social service clubs and marine biology, Exeter is closer to the beach than Andover.</p>
<p>@ blueisbest–thank you! Your answers to all of these questions are very helpful. Yes, we’ve pored over the website, but it’s never quite the same as the opportunity to ask someone who’s living it :)</p>
<p>@placido240</p>
<p>Our experience at revisit days last year was that many, many families were deciding between PAA and PEA, as were we. The schools schedule their revisit days the same week to make it easy for the involved families to see both. We were told that 60% of the admitted students are admitted to both PAA and PEA. </p>
<p>I looked at the 2012 acceptance thread you mention in your post today. Out of the 17 students accepted to PAA and/or PEA, this is the breakdown:</p>
<p>Accepted to both: 9
Accepted to E, waitlisted at A: 1
Accepted to E, denied at A: 1
Accepted to E, does not mention anything about A: 5
Accepted to A, does not mention anything about E: 1</p>
<p>It is difficult to know if the CC community reflects the actual statistics, but our revisit experiences last year at the two schools suggested that about half of families admitted to both schools choise PAA and half choose PEA. That would make for about 70% yield at both schools (close to actual). They primarily “lose” to each other, especially since both have terrific financial aid programs. </p>
<p>This shows that fit and feel are important considerations, and that both schools are phenomenal institutions in no way diminished by the presence of the other.</p>
<p>One observation: </p>
<p>Since 2009, Andover’s yield has hovered near 80%; in 2010-2011, Exeter’s yield was reportedly 63%.</p>
<p>One clarification:</p>
<p>Philips Academy is PA, not PAA.</p>
<p>Exeter’s yield for 2011 admissions was 69.7% - from the admissions office and published in the April 14 Exonian. I rounded to 70%.</p>
<p>jmilton, PAA stands for Phillips Academy, Andover. We use the three letter initialism of PEA and PAA to help aid in the distinction of these schools (They are both similar, so why not have similar initialisms?).</p>
<p>2 prepMom, </p>
<p>Any information you heard about the A/E common acceptance rate during a March Revisit Program last year could not have been based upon your 2011-2012 Exeter yield statistic. It simply would have been impossible for Exeter to compute its 2011-2012 yield in March weeks before its final matriculation deadline in April. </p>
<p>I did find an interesting May 26, 2011 article in the Phillipian. It reports that Exeter’s yield increased to 69% for the 2011-2012 academic year, a 6% increase from the 63% yield of the prior year. However, as Andover’s yield remained at 78% in 2011-2012, it was not, of course, the 70% you postulate. </p>
<p>The Phillipian article also reports that, “Eighty-three percent of prospective students who participated in the Spring Visit program will matriculate at Phillips Academy.” See [Phillips</a> Academy Matches Last Year?s Record 78% Yield Rate; ?Highest Rate Among Peer Schools this Year | The Phillipian Online](<a href=“http://phillipian.net/node/127795]Phillips”>http://phillipian.net/node/127795). </p>
<p>This 83% statistic is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, it underscores the importance of attending Revisit Days at both Andover and Exeter. Second, it suggests that the great majority of common admits to Andover and Exeter choose Andover if they attend the Andover Revisit Program. </p>
<p>azpandaman, </p>
<p>Anover’s initials are PA because its name has been Phillips Academy since it was founded in 1778. Exeter’s initials are PEA because its name has been Phillips Exeter Academy since it was established in 1781.</p>
<p>jmilton</p>
<p>I don’t want to take the thread off track, but if you read what I posted, it is not inconsistent with your facts, and both could be true. Why are you accusing me of lying ?</p>
<p>About half the families I met who were visiting both PAA and PEA in revisit chose one or the other. </p>
<p>You are referring to all the revisit families at Andover, and what we both say could be true. </p>
<p>The 60% of PEA students also admitted to PAA, with half choosing PEA, could account for the 70% yield at PEA. These do not need to be students who revisited PAA. I don’t know for sure, I am extrapolating from the two pieces of info. </p>
<p>I do not work at either institution.
Do you?</p>
<p>The PEA yield was published on April 14, which is after all the responses were received. It was not released on revisit days as you suggest.</p>
<p>Please do not accuse me of fabricating information. I am only trying to point out that families choose between the schools based on fit and feel, and that many students are admitted to both. Why is that so threatening to you ?</p>
<p>2prepmom,</p>
<p>As Andover has a 78% yield, it cannot have a 70% yield. Please don’t take offense. I wasn’t saying you were “lying.” I was just pointing out your error. IM me if you want to pursue this conversation. There’s no point in further spamming this thread.</p>
<p>Andover has a substantially higher proportion of day students, where yield is always higher. This is why the two yield figures are not comparable, and both our data may be correct. You and I will never know how many students who got into both chose which school, unless one of us works in admissions.</p>
<p>Why does yield of a common applicant pool matter to ANYONE outside of admissions?? I cannot imagine how these debated statistics would be even remotely relevant to a family that is deciding between A and E. Even if more kids pick A over E, that would only be relevant if your intent was to follow the crowd.</p>
<p>Neatoburrito, that’s why I invited 2prepMom to continue this discussion offline. Nevertheless, I do believe that the 83% statistic is revealing. This will be my final post on this thread.</p>
<p>Well, what must Deerfield’s yield be, by comparison? With an acceptance rate of 13%, less than either of PEA or PA, Deerfield’s must be in the high 80’s, one would think. If waitlist acceptance was remote at either PEA or PA, it is all but inconceivable at Deerfield – one wonder’s why they waste administrative time and brain damage just maintaining it.</p>
<p>I like to compare yield to the movie reviews on Fandango. If 83% of the critics say a movie is a Must Go, I will probably buy a ticket to it if it’s not a chick flick. But the fact that an overwhelming majority of the critics give a movie a rave review doesn’t guarantee I am going to love or even like it. </p>
<p>It’s the same way with yield. I was one of the 83% who attended the PA Revisit and ended up loving PA. But my experience doesn’t mean that you won’t be among the 17% that decide to attend another school. However, it does suggest that you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of the 83% who choose Andover because they love it. </p>
<p>Don’t get bogged down in the debate about why Andover has a higher yield than Exeter. On the one hand, Exeter folks will say that Andover has more day students than Exeter. On the other hand, Andover folks will respond that the difference in day students is statistically insubstantial. And on and on the argument will go like a dog chasing its tail.</p>
<p>Here’s the real deal. Don’t ignore the statistics. Just don’t give them too much weight either. Statistics won’t make you happy. Being in the right place will. So, don’t select Andover or Exeter based on statistics alone. Choose Andover or Exeter because it’s the right school for you to attend.</p>
<p>well said blueisbest!</p>
<p>If you attend Andover or Exeter, what is your favorite part about your school? What would you like to change?</p>
<p>When you revisited, what did you observe to help you make your decision?</p>