Accepted (and torn!) by Andover and Exeter

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hey there, I'm a current 10 grader accepted at both Andover and Exeter as a future 11th grader for the 2011/2012 school year. These were the only two schools I applied to, and I've done some pretty thorough research, however not all of it is case-specific. To my case, that is. </p>

<p>Because I'll be diving in right in the middle, is it still an option for me to consider taking courses in which I have scant experience? Such as theatre/computer sciences? It goes without saying that I plan on pursuing my current EC's/courses, but there are still others I really want to try. But is it even possible for me to catch up on two years worth of curriculum? I dont want to bog down my classmates in a discussion or anything just because I'm a newcomer. </p>

<p>Would the response to that question differ for each school? If so, why?</p>

<p>Can anyone tell me about the dorms? I already know a bit about the systems, I'd just like to hear a little bit about the quality. And what about the placement procedure?</p>

<p>Also, can anyone tell me about the internal social activity of the school? Is everyone always caught up with work, are the only breaks or large celebrations when the school allots them, or...? Compared to a typical highschool, or any other standard.</p>

2

<p>first off, congrats! i heard becoming a new upper is pretty hard (and you must be really smart, cause a third of this year’s cum laude is made up of new uppers)</p>

<p>second, say WHAT? why are you even doubting? ANDOVER!!!</p>

<p>honestly, I have friends at PEA who wish they were at andover. we’re the chiller, smarter version of exeter that has better college matriculation. yeahhhhhhhh. this is coming from an andover seniorrrr :)</p>

<p>okay so to answer your questions - 1) of course you can take compsci/theatre. new uppers barely have any requirements other than apush (unless you’ve already taken the AP), english, finishing precalc (math 360 or 380), 2 sciences (i think), and maybe an art/music requirement. i’m not sure but it’s on the site. but there’s no way you won’t be able to fit theatre/comp sci into your electives. you’ll be fine :)</p>

<p>you won’t bog down your peers haha. most boarding schools, and andover is no exception, don’t have classes by grades. instead, everyone is put in by their level, so all beginners will be in the first sequence of compsci so everyone will be new to it. and it’s a more unique elective so most ppl taking it are probably uppers/seniors. </p>

<p>i mean, i don’t know about exeter’s requirements, but i think that andover and exeter should be about the same. </p>

<p>2) umm are you a boy or girl? anyways, if you want to be close to campus - like 30 second walk to commons (dining hall, which by the way, is SO gorgeous and so much better than exeter’s two dining halls. one which doesn’t have warm food in the morning apparently lol ***?? and they took away juice cause of budget cuts - never at andover!!!) - then you wanna be in flagstaff. boys - girls - day hall/paul revere. new uppers usually get nice housing but i’m pretty sure you can request? </p>

<p>but if you want a more of a “home” feeling, like you’re getting off campus and going somewhere else after school, QUADSSSSSSS. (i live in the quads lol). even though the quads are across the street, we’re not far at all. a walk to commons is about +/- 4 minutes depending on how quickly you walk. the quality of johnson/adams is seriously awesomeee. i live in adams and it’s nicknamed “hotel adams” cause the rooms are so nice (but don’t get an elevator single, those are puny). we have a elevator for easy move-in/move-out and it’s just nice to use it when you have heavy laundry lol (but don’t abuse it! wasteful energy!). johnson has a huge flatscreen tv in the downstairs common room, is also really nice because it was renovated i think 2 years ago? adams was renovated awhile ago too.
as for boys dorms - taylor has really good bonding lol. great dorm atmosphere and has pretty nice housing too. </p>

<p>the other two clusters are PKN and abbott. lots of abbott dorms are pretty nice (closer ones that you might want - samaritan house for boys and clement for girls - but they’re a farther walk down. i mean it’s really not that bad if you get used to it - but mind you these dorms are in a house so they’re much smaller (5-8 ppl?)). PKN dorms are BIG (40+ ppl, but similar to the quads). i used to be in PKN and i loved the atmosphere - pkn is so involved as a cluster - but their housing is not as great to be honest. it’s not dismal in any way but … yeah it needs to be renovated. but if you’re a guy, i mean, FUESS has the best dorm bonding so i would put that over nice housing any day lol </p>

<p>3) it’s really fun on campus insomuchas there’s always something to do. everyone is hard working but we know when to have fun (honestly speaking, andover is a lot more “healthily” competitive than exeter.) you ARE coming in during upper year - which some may see as the toughest year (although i beg to differ because senior year is much more traumatizing for me hahaha) - it all depends on how well you adjust. but don’t be worried - there are a good size of new uppers (which will make a good support group, since new uppers tend to keep in touch with each other and become good friends - although new uppers integrate very well into the entire student body generally speaking) so you won’t be alone in this whole kind of omg i’m at andover what do i do. </p>

<p>but yeah, it’s fun. and plus, we’re not in the middle of nowhere like exeter. there are 3 large malls near us, a movie theatre, our town is ACTUALLY a town (you should come visit!), and we’re 40 minutes away from boston. our student activities board organizes so many fun things, we have great theatre productions to watch, and awesome a cappella groups. people are sooo friendly and chill. :D:D:D</p>

<p>but i will warn you that there is an andover bubble. where andover becomes your life while youre there. it’s a little hard to think about things going around outside the world (well you will know like general news and stuff obviously, but i mean like boarding school is a big thing and it fills up your mind) your grades, your friendships, your issues will seem so much bigger because you’re pretty much cut off from everyone that’s not related to andover haha. that’s why i try my best to get off campus every once in awhile to put things into perspective and not see a bad grade as the end of the world because it’s easy to get absorbed into andover life haha. (which i see as a good thing, because it means the school is both intellectually and socially engaging)</p>

<p>compared to a local high school - i mean it’s hard. andover is big but we have 300 kids as opposed to 1000. we’re mostly boarding students whereas at a local highschool lots of kids have cars and have a lot more freedom. that’s why most fun things will be on campus (but that means PRETTY much means no drinking - that kind of partying. i mean there are exceptions but unless you wanna be suspended/kicked out DDD8 hahaha (but we are a second chance school). but if you’re not looking for that kind of fun, i think you’ll be just fine. we’re not nerds who are purely engrossed in studies okay? maybe exeter over thereee, but not andover hahaha. we have dances every week (and to be honest not all of them are that good, lol, but people always go. best dances - first dance, gelb dance, last dance, and sadie hawkins/blue&silver). i’ve never been to a public high school so i don’t really know… but i guess in certain ways we COULD be more sheltered? but i mean, if you’re looking for a certain type of fun, or certain group of people to hang out with, you will find it/them. </p>

<p>sorry that i said so much! im kinda talkative lol. if you have any more questions feel free to pm me (or if you have a lot i can give you my email address). i really hope you choose andover! if you want me to give you a list of why andover > exeter i would be happy to write one up for you… hehehe</p>

3

<p>Honestly, they are both great schools and you could do anything you want at either. I would recommend going to revisits so that you can really get a feel of what each school is like. You get to sit in on classes and hopefully catch a glimpse of student life. After that, I think the choice will be more clear.</p>

4

<p>Had a son at Andover and a son at Exeter - like Exeter better</p>

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<p>^ It’s great to see the Exeter side represented with such a substantiated answer.</p>

<p>CaliPaki, absolutely come to revisit days! You’ll actually get to feel the Andover campus and community for yourself. You’ll see why Andover has the highest yield of any New England boarding school!</p>

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<p>Aah, is it blue pride or a vast marketing empire? :confused:</p>

7

<p>Ahahahahaha wow alilie that was REALLY informative. Right now, I’m leaning towards anover just because I’ve been talking to so many people from andover. Which is why one of my concerns is that the only reason im inclining towards it is because i haven’t been hearing a case for exeter. </p>

<p>And thats pretty interesting, thats like the third time ive heard that becoming a new upper is hard. i think somewhere i read (on a really old forum) that only 11 or 14 new uppers get accepted? Insane! Is that even valid?</p>

<p>Which is actually really intimidating, i get the feeling a large part of why i was accepted was my massive collection of EC’s and ethnicity (muslim pakistani). I’d ask you how smart the others are, except y’know, that’s subjective. </p>

<p>Dude! I’ve heard so much about the quads and how awesome they are. But don’t you need to round up like 5 or 6 BFFS to do that? Pretty sure I’m not gonna walk in the door and have a fleet of besties flock to my side. But I’ll definitely keep it mind for my stay there, if i even end up going…hahahaha im so unsure of myself. </p>

<p>andovergirl, wish i could visit either of the schools even once, but my living conditions dont allow that right now. Ugh! Can anyone tell me about which campus has more perks and the like?</p>

<p>ipaytuition, any reason why?</p>

8

<p>CaliPaki, I heard Exeter’s attitude is you go there because it is Exeter. They don’t need to brainwash people to come as many are dying to get in. You should revisit before you decide, not just listen to someone on an internet forum, even though you keep those views in perspective.</p>

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<p>With tongue firmly in cheek, here are the top ten reasons to choose Exeter over Andover:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I like more Saturday classes.</p></li>
<li><p>I desire to live in the middle of nowhere.</p></li>
<li><p>I want to complain on Facebook about how much I hate my school.</p></li>
<li><p>I am looking forward to taking two terms to adjust to the Harkness method in math and science while my grades suffer and my college dreams fade away.</p></li>
<li><p>I like being second best.</p></li>
<li><p>I want to attend a school “where only half of [the] lower class said that they would recommend Exeter to their friends with no caveats.” (December 2010 Exonian).</p></li>
<li><p>I am looking forward to participating in the “Exeter is 0% Fun” thread.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t like wearing comfortable clothes to class.</p></li>
<li><p>I want to enjoy my prep school only after I graduate from it.</p></li>
<li><p>l want to second-guess myself for the rest of my life.</p></li>
</ol>

10

<p>I would add a few more:</p>

<ol>
<li>I would like to start the next facebook.</li>
<li>I don’t want to go to wars on the whim.</li>
<li>I don’t want to be booed by AHS.</li>
<li>I don’t like to admit I’m math-challenged. :p</li>
</ol>

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<p>EXETER!!! And im not just sayng that</p>

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<p>@blueisbest um that was HIS opinion of exeter. theres a bunch of people who love it more. that was just him so stop saying that. i know plenty of people who love exeter. way to be a good sport. i dont trash andover.</p>

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<p>Blueisbest admitted his post was written “with tongue firmly in cheek.” That’s what we call an “expression,” meaning he was just kidding around.</p>

<p>Pulsar, you shouldn’t go anywhere just because of a name. That’s a perfect recipe for unhappiness. You need “fit,” a term you often throw around to describe why you believe Andover’s not for you - and that’s absolutely, perfectly, 100% fair! Funny that “fit” only matters when it comes to why Andover loses out to Exeter…</p>

<p>Yes, pulsar. Andover students are math challenged. Oh, and science challenged, too! That’s why both of Massachusetts’ state winners of the AP Siemens competition are current PA students. How many winners does Exeter have? What was it again… Ah, yes! One!</p>

<p>Regardless - I’m not one to battle over numbers. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: both schools are INCREDIBLE and their reputations span the world (and, in Andover’s case, space - Lyman Spitzer, a PA grad, invented the satellite-mounted telescope and is the namesake of NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope). Both are great schools, but you need fit! It doesn’t matter how good a school is if you’re unhappy there. From what I hear, the day-to-day differences in both schools are almost negligible - but you never know! Better safe than sorry - try before you buy, I say.</p>

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<p>^^^^I read that article in the Exonian in full, and have to say I agree with the author and the students polled. Exeter is a great place, but as Tom points out, no school will fit every student. If you read the whole thing, you’d see that the caveats amount to being honest with prospective students, rather than trying to sell the school blindly, without a thought to who will thrive and who won’t. </p>

<p>I’m feeling proud of the Exonians for not jumping into the fray here and attacking Andover, tongue in cheek or not. Cali, if you want answers to pretty much all of your questions, without posts attacking rival schools, check out the PEA teacher thread. </p>

<p>(And Exeter does have juice in the dining halls)</p>

15

<p>

I have to wonder why “blueisbest” felt a need to mis-state things so badly; e.g., on all 3 of the SAT tests, Exeter students average above 700 while Andover students average under 700 - according to the official college profiles of both schools.</p>

<p>Realistically, Cali, both are excellent schools with much to recommend each in many, many different ways. However, there are differences with respect to which will be a better “fit” for you. Re-visit days will help you make your own decision based upon your own needs and your own perspective. Good luch with it too!</p>

16

<p>More banging on about SAT scores… why people care so much about what the middle, 50th percentile kids at both schools score is beyond me. I wholeheartedly agree with the rest of your post, though, Mainer95!</p>

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<p>Guys, calm down. I just tried to write a playful Letterman-like top-ten list. </p>

<p>Exeter is a great school. Had CaliPaki only applied there, his choice would be a no-brainer. However, as both Andover and Exeter accepted him, his dilemma isn’t between making a good choice and a bad choice. It is determining which of these two good choices best suits his needs. </p>

<p>Because CaliPaki will be entering eleventh grade, the transition to prep school is a big issue for him. Understandably so, since the courses are usually harder in 11th grade and college becomes a big concern. So, the question isn’t whether he will experience adjustment issues at Exeter and Andover. Rather, it is whether it will be more difficult to make the transition to prep school at Exeter or Andover. </p>

<p>Classicalmama said important things about all this when she wrote on another thread that, “Teachers at Exeter will often reassure kids that it often takes 2 or 3 terms to figure out the school and really start to do their best work.” That should comfort a 9th grader or even a 10th grader. It may not be great news for an entering 11th grader like CaliPaki who does not have the luxury to bomb his first two or three terms without possibly hurting his chances of college admission. </p>

<p>This does not mean that there won’t be transition issues for new 11th graders at Andover. However, the transition to Exeter may be more difficult because it uses the Harkness method to teach math and science whereas Andover does not. That may be one of the reasons why Exeter offers transitions courses to new students in math.</p>

<p>Mainer95, my item 4 satirically refers to the Harkness Method in math and science at Exeter, not the SAT. So, I am not quite sure how I misstated something I never said! Besides, who cares about marginal differences in SAT scores, since individuals, not groups, take the test. As CaliPaki says, it might be best for you to be “case-specific.” Tell him why it is easier for a new eleventh grader to make the transition to prep school at Exeter than at Andover. And while you are at it, ask yourself what fun a rivalry would be without some good-natured fun.</p>

18

<p>I just wanted to address some points that came up:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I don’t think learning Harkness takes 2-3 terms. Harkness is used in every single class at Exeter, so you will learn quickly. It’s easier for new upperclass because they will be surrounded by kids who’ve been Harknessing for 2 years, so they can learn by example, and they will also be more mature than preps so they can learn more quickly from their mistakes. </p></li>
<li><p>I think most people will agree with me when I say Exeter is a more rigorous institution than Andover. To me the point of a prep school is to prepare you for college/life, not to have fun and chill all day everyday–internet shutting off at 11 forces you to learn time-management, etc. Alumni who come back to Exeter always say something along the lines of “It doesn’t get any harder than what you are doing here. It also doesn’t get any better.”</p></li>
<li><p>I personally like dress code. Every year the student body votes to keep it; it looks good, and it forces you to not be sloppy in class. </p></li>
<li><p>You can audit courses at Exeter if you want, and our requirements of new uppers are–4 terms of language (or pass 340 or higher), finish precalc (math 340), 5 terms of english, 1 term of religion, 1 term of art/music, 4 terms of history (usually us history + 1 other). Theater (if a stage production) takes the place of sports. </p></li>
<li><p>As a new upper, it’s likely that you’ll be put into a house, which is a small dorm of 10~20 people. You can also request dorms. People generally don’t move out of dorms, so most dorms at Exeter have a lot of dorm traditions/spirit. </p></li>
<li><p>The workload at Exeter is not that bad, but it depends on the teacher and the course, which I’m sure is true for all boarding schools. Apart from when important history papers are due, I generally always have the time for my ECs–math club, physics club, some community service, Chinese Student Organization, engineering club. Being on a sports team takes up a lot of time though, so if you’re planning to do a sport then you might get caught up in work a lot, but I can’t really tell you much about that.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Also, ask yourself: do you really want to go to the school George Bush went to? :)</p>

19

<p>Okay, first and foremost, HER. I’m a chick, you guys. Ahahahaha</p>

<p>pulsar: Like I mentioned before, revisiting, or simply visiting at all isn’t an option for me right now. Worst case scenario, I pick one school and when I see the other I bash myself for picking the wrong one, which is why i desperately need a boatload of opinions. </p>

<p>blueisbest: Ouch. Although I don’t quite see the link between exeter and second-guessing oneself? (#10)</p>

<p>classicalmama: Will do! Although I’d like to hear from some students as well. </p>

<p>seikuu: How would you describe the dorm quality? Also, I hear that new uppers are generally housed really well? Also, alumni isnt really that big a deal for me. </p>

<p>Also, right now for almost every advantage I’ve heard, there’s also been a rebuttal. For example, the internet shutting down at 11. Seikuu says it forces you to learn time management, but others have said that’s not teaching, thats training and at andover because there’s still a substantial workload but still freedom to operate as you please, you find your own way to work. </p>

<p>Dress code: as I said before, I’m a girl and from what i hear the dress code for females is virtually nonexistent. </p>

<p>Harkness is also majorly debatable. So what it comes down to, or at least what can reach a concrete conclusion about, is the living conditions, (dorm life and accomodation, meal quality, the campus) and the accessibility to transport, being able to get around on weekends and the like.</p>

20

<p>andover’s commons is pretty unbeatable lol. even if kids complain about commons from time to time, i’ve tried the food at other boarding schools and universities and it’s just not to par with commons. come onnn, cedar plank salmon, nom nom nom (twice a term though ;_;). i’m probably gonna miss it next year ): </p>

<p>accessibility to transport: uh we have bus trips to the loop (movie theatre and some general stores like the GAP, marshalls?, walmart?) and to the nearby malls two-three times a term. every other sunday we have bus trips that will bring you to whole foods (supermarket). but other than that you have to take your own taxi (unless you’re close with your house counselors - they sometimes offer to drive us : D. and if you’re international you’ll have a host family that might offer to take you around places)</p>

<p>both campuses are beautiful, but differently structured. i wanna say andover dorms are better but i’ve only been inside one exeter dorm which was okay but not comparable to adams/johnson. and to your comment earlier: i think you’re thinking of stacks in small dorms? adams and johnson both have like 40 girls in the dorm. maybe your senior year you’ll stack in one of the cottages (like pemberton or eaton) in WQN and in that case you will need a group of friends to apply together. but big dorms like adams, johnson, paul revere, dayhall, are all huge and don’t require anything of you?? @_@</p>

<p>i agree that harkness is debatable. it depends on how you like to learn personally right? personally, i don’t really see the point of having harkness tables to learn math… i mean for math i prefer to see the blackboard… i think we learn math more visually than verbally? </p>

<p>also i don’t know if shutting your internet off at 11 really forces you to become more efficient… it can also just cause you to be really screwed. :confused: </p>

<p>last thing - exeter’s daily schedule bewilders me/seems really difficult to me - you have classes, sports in between and then more classes? somehow the school day ends at like 6? (correct me if i’m wrong, an exeter friend told me but i have pretty bad memory for things like this)… this just doesn’t seem very efficient… ?</p>

<p>good luck deciding! and yeah, revisit!! maybe andover is for you, maybe not, but hopefully it is :)</p>

<p>here is the link to the diploma requirements ([Phillips</a> Academy - Diploma Requirements](<a href=“http://www.andover.edu/Academics/TheCurriculum/Pages/DiplomaRequirements.aspx]Phillips”>http://www.andover.edu/Academics/TheCurriculum/Pages/DiplomaRequirements.aspx)) i think i said before that you needed to finish precalc at 360 but its actually 340. :3 oops.</p>