<p>That’s a balanced post without the hype and hoopla. :)</p>
<p>Bravo, andovergirl!</p>
<p>Hands down Andover is the better choice unless you want a stuffy elitist environment like Exeter. The Harkness table is a great part of Exeters teaching philosophy and it is a great method. Andover is more relaxed with students that are extremely smart. Exeter has great academics as well.</p>
<p>Hahaha okay you guys really went off on an irrelevant, albeit useful tangent. </p>
<p>Okay so now, I really must say andover sounds like the better fit for me. I loathe restrictions, so even the minor factor of an 11 o clock time restraint on the internet has significant weightage. </p>
<p>I’m going to take the advice of making pros and cons. </p>
<p>PROS (Andover):
greater independance for students
more clubs (I believe)
closer to Boston.
more centralized location. (boston aside)
they mentioned me on the website! this one doesnt actually count, but its kinda cool. ([Phillips</a> Academy - Your Potential Classmates: Some Profiles of the Newly Admitted Class](<a href=“http://www.andover.edu/Admission/WelcomeAdmittedStudents/234Class/Pages/YourPotentialClassmates.aspx]Phillips”>http://www.andover.edu/Admission/WelcomeAdmittedStudents/234Class/Pages/YourPotentialClassmates.aspx) second paragraph in case you guys were wondering)</p>
<p>CONS (Andover):
Less endowment. Of roughly 100 million, as googling would suggest. </p>
<p>PROS (Exeter):
Relatives (none of whom I’ve ever held correspondence with) who currenly attend say its preferable.
Larger endowment. (Dude, two ice rinks! Crazy.)
Has a better recognized name. (Meh, I think you can tell I was struggling to add to the list)</p>
<p>CONS (Exeter):
Farther away from Boston.
More strict (internet I’m sure of, not to sure about dorm check-ins and the like. If anyone could add further insight I’d REALLY appreciate it.)</p>
<p>Now, these are the differences that I was actually able to classify into pros and cons. There are others that I cant really say how I feel about. These would be:</p>
<p>Dress code. Doesn’t really affect me as a girl, and if seeing guys in ties actually affected my decision I’d really have to rethink my priorities (and intellect)</p>
<p>Harkness for all classes. Andover, I believe, does have the harkness method in a select few classes. However, I’m not sure if its the ACTUAL harkness method of 12/13 students at an oval table or if its just a smaller classroom. I know exeter has it in all classes, some say in technical classes like math/science its not the best. I can’t say until I’ve experience both so I’m not going to take it into account. </p>
<p>Seeing as april 10th is fast approaching, I’d really like for you guys to add to this list. Also, I’m a pretty active debater (MUN and what we call parliamentary debate over here, I’m not sure if it goes by the same name in the states. Its a three-on-three debate with an individual speaker time of 8 minutes and usually around at hour’s time of prep) so if one school has a better program than the other that would be fairly important to me. </p>
<p>Really hoping to gain some insight on all of this. Also meal/housing quality hasnt been made as clear to me as I would like. Not just as an isolated case but in reference to the other school if possible. </p>
<p>So now that I’ve enumerated where I’m still a little fuzzy, hopefully those of you with answers can help me out. (:</p>
<p>Hey again, CaliPaki!</p>
<p>I’m glad we’ve helped to sway you! I just want to add in one brief thing before I get into more important stuff - Andover has two ice rinks, too. ;)</p>
<p>In terms of dress code, I agree with you that it should be of very little consideration either way, but as I’ve said before, it’s nice not having one! This certainly does not mean anyone comes to class disheveled, scruffy, or dirty, but it does mean we have quite a bit more freedom of visual expression. At my old school we had a dress code and once a month we had “rags and tags” day, a day on which we had to bring in £1 for charity in return for the “privilege” of wearing comfortable clothes. There, kids used it as an opportunity to show off their riches and designer brands. At Andover, you’ll be more prone to seeing kids wearing “SAVE DARFUR” and PANDA (Phillips Academy Natural Disaster Aid) t-shirts and PA team apparel to class. In my opinion, the way you clothe yourself can be an important way to display who you are, and it’s just one of the many reasons I’m proud to be at Andover.</p>
<p>Andover has many Harkness-like classes, though, of course, we never use that terminology to describe them - I mean, dude, it’s just a bunch of people sitting at a table. It’s really not that special and certainly not something unique to Exeter (except in the respect that teachers there HAVE to use it in all their classes…). But it works very well in humanities classes, and it is in those classes that you will quite often find the method at work at Andover. The difference here is that teachers aren’t limited to that method.</p>
<p>I don’t belong to Model UN at Andover, but many of my close friends do and one of my very closest friends is one of the co-heads. At BOSMUN, the last Model UN conference Andover’s MUN attended, Andover took home 29 of the 36 awards given at the conference. To say Andover’s MUN is a powerhouse would be the understatement of the year.</p>
<p>The Philomathean Society is the Academy’s debate team. Separate from MUN, they are the oldest high school debate society in the country. They use the Debate Room, a room in Bullfinch that was purpose-built for Philo when the building was constructed - in 1818! Philo regularly sends students to the World Debate Championships. Last year, Philo sent two students to Worlds in Lithuania. This year, they are sending one - an upper! There’s serious talent on the team. Aside from debates, Philo also holds “forums” on a variety of issues at school. The whole student and faculty bodies are invited to attend, and Philo puts together a panel of admins, teachers, and students who are qualified to answer questions on whichever subject the forum covers. Philo also houses the All-School Presidential Debates each year.</p>
<p>I’ve talked about food and housing in previous posts, and I apologize that neither of them have been in direct comparison to Exeter’s programs, but it’s because I don’t feel qualified to compare Andover’s food and housing to Exeter’s as I haven’t experienced either there. I don’t believe many people on here have… This is one of those cases that I’d urge you to go to revisits, but I remember you said that that’s not an option. Just know that Andover’s food is INCREDIBLE and that housing, while variable, is never an issue for anyone here and that there are a great deal of people, me included, who simply couldn’t ask for more from their dorms at Andover!</p>
<p>What are All-School Presidential Debates?</p>
<p>Just what they sound like - debates between candidates for All-School President. That process is in motion right now, actually, and debates took place shortly before the beginning of spring break.</p>
<p>Hmm is there a website or page about Andover’s student activities board and student council? I couldn’t seem to find anything in the student life section.</p>
<p>Does student council have much of a presence on campus? Do a lot of people turn out to vote or is a sort of, oh whatever, I’ll just check this person’s name because the guy next to me did, and then you never heard from the student council again kind of deal?</p>
<p>Calipaki,</p>
<p>Congrats on the write-up on the Andover website: very impressive indeed! Here are some things you might want to factor in when compiling your list:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Following the residential college system at Yale, Andover divides its dorms into five clusters; at Exeter, students typically remain in the same dorm until they graduate.</p></li>
<li><p>Andover has a 1-6 grading system; Exeter has a 1-11 grading system. </p></li>
<li><p>The town of Exeter is nice; the town of Andover, in my view, is nicer. Reasonable might disagree. </p></li>
<li><p>While Exeter has a larger endowment, Andovers endowment is nevertheless huge. Plus, Andover is need blind; Exeter is not. </p></li>
<li><p>Andover has one central dining hall; Exeter has two dining halls. From personal experience, the Andover dining hall is considerably nicer than the two dining halls at Exeter.</p></li>
<li><p>The Andover library is traditionally elegant; the Exeter library is intriguingly modern. Whether you like one or the other is matter of architectural preference. </p></li>
<li><p>For entering uppers, Exeter (I believe) requires one year of Health and Human Development, two terms of art, and three terms of physical education. Andover (I believe) requires only one term of art for entering uppers. Current Exeter and Andover students, please correct me if I am wrong.</p></li>
<li><p>Exeter requires three terms of English during your upper year, Andover mandates only two terms of English in a course specifically designed for new uppers. </p></li>
<li><p>If you like to sleep late on the weekends, Andover has fewer Saturday classes than Exeter. Exeter may be reducing the number of its Saturday classes. I do not know whether, when, or to what extent it will do so.</p></li>
<li><p>Can you picture yourself better in Andover blue or Exeter maroon?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Good luck with compiling your pro and con list.</p>
<p>This is a good bricks and buildings comparison. How are the teachers that actually matter more at these two places? For those who want to sleep more on weekends, I would say Andover definitely provides more opportunities. :D</p>
<p>Great list, blueisbest!</p>
<p>As a former new upper, though, let me just correct number 8: the new upper English class runs all year round and is required as such for new uppers.</p>
<p>Nice list, Blue is Best</p>
<p>You might want to get someone from Andover to clue you in about check-in times–I can’t imagine that they don’t have them. I could see the Internet going off at 11 being a turn-off for some people–anyone with an internet connection through a cell phone can get around that, of course. </p>
<p>Tom’s thread is informative as usual about Andover, but he hasn’t got Harkness right–Harkness is a different style of teaching–it’s not just about sitting around a table. Teachers and students have a very different relationship in a Harkness classroom–it’s really too bad you can’t revisit. </p>
<p>Just a thought about why you’re getting more response from Andover here-- Exeter’s been talked about so much in so many other threads–most people who want info. on Exeter just go to the ask a student and ask a teacher threads and read through them, then post new questions. (The SPS thread works the same way, as a sort of central clearinghouse for questions). The fact that you want it here, rather than there may say that Andover’s a better fit. At the risk of overgeneralizing, Exeter kids tend to research and read a lot before they ask questions or start a debate (It’s definitely something that teachers expect–and really part of that Harkness difference above), while Andover does seem to have more of a “Dude…come on over!” attitude, at least on CC (not suggesting that one is better than the other, or that Andover students aren’t giving good info.–just a different approach). So maybe it just IS a better fit for you.</p>
<p>Your last paragraph: Mhmm, mhmm, okay. ;)</p>
<p>Yeah, I know, Tom. 
I hope I didn’t come off as condescending–especially the hey dude thing, which I said stupidly… didn’t meant to… But I do think there’s might be a different approach to learning at work here. Let me try again (and again, this is all just a thought experiment):</p>
<p>Exeter is definitely a figure things out for yourself, then ask questions kind of place. For example, my kid is often given a set of math problems without any instruction on the principles being taught. That might sound crazy–but over the past six months, I’ve been amazed at how his mathematical thinking has grown as a result of having to work things out for himself (or seek out help from/puzzle through things with other kids), and at how confident he’s become–for the first time ever–in his mathematical ability. Another example–at Exeter, if most people came to class without having done the reading or the homework, the class would not be able to function; at other schools, that might lead to an individual’s bad grade, but probably wouldn’t affect the class as a whole. </p>
<p>I tend to be a figure it out for myself kind of person–others think that’s really stupid when it’s much more reasonable and efficient to ask directions first. Just wondering if that ties in in any way to the different schools. At any rate, neither’s bad, both will suit different kinds of learners, and, honestly, I don’t have any idea where Andover fits in the equation.</p>
<p>Tom and Classicalmama, </p>
<p>Tom, thanks for the clarification! I appreciate the fact-checking!</p>
<p>Classicalmama, while I understand and respect your point of view, the threads you mention are Exeter specific and thus do not address the question CaliPaki has asked, namely whether she should attend Andover or Exeter. As a result, starting this thread was an excellent way for CaliPaki to research that specific question and figure out the pros and cons of each school for herself.</p>
<p>Sure–it’s just that she could also find those answers on other threads (or most of them), and do the comparing for herself. A debater would do that, right? Research the two separate sides, paying attention specifically to what he or she wanted to compare, then put together his/her own comparison. </p>
<p>Of course, it’s entirely valid to ask others to chip in with their thoughts–I was just musing about why there might be less input from Exeter…stuff’s already been said elsewhere. Which doesn’t mean it isn’t tremendously courteous of you guys to answer cali’s questions.</p>
<p>perhaps the kids who fit with andover are satisfied with others answering their important questions while those who fit with exeter need to go out and dig up their own answers? just a possibly interesting thought.</p>
<p>What’s so interesting about that thought, seriously?</p>
<p>JayPeeh,</p>
<p>If that were the case, why are there so many threads where students accepted to Exeter properly pose questions to Exeter students and to at least one Exeter teacher? The answer, I believe, is that asking questions is often the best form of research for those seeking to learn from the first-hand experiences of others.</p>
<p>This is so inconsequential… with Pulsar here</p>