Accepted (and torn!) by Andover and Exeter

<p>DAndrew: Some of the things i’ve mentioned or asked about are actually the opinions of my school principal’s and counselors, which I bring here because I dont know how much faith I can put in their advice.</p>

<p>^I see. With the choices you are having, the “reputation” is a non issue. Period. You are getting a little paranoid. I understand while there is no wrong choice here, it is a tough one. Good luck!</p>

<p>@CaliPaki, I know that this is a bit off topic, but as a mother of an international student, I was wondering why you are considered to be an international student? In my understanding, you’ve spent some time studying in the States and you also have American citizenship. The criteria for international students is becoming quite confusing… Please correct me if I’m wrong.</p>

<p>I’ve spent time in the US and have US citizenship, but I was also born in the UK and have UK citizenship, too. Dual nationals are considered international students.</p>

<p>This is a “gray area” as different schools can handle it differently, but it seems as long as one is attending a foreign school and applying from abroad, regardless one’s citizenship, one is generally considered international student.</p>

<p>Oh Ok. I just find it a bit unfair towards people who’ve spent their whole life outside of the U.S. They have to compete with people who have American citizenship and can benefit from that by a) having a lot more opportunities b) being eligible for different scholarships. For instance, there is a huge difference between a Pakistani student who lived and studied English in Pakistan, and a Pakistani student who is an American citizen, especially if s/he studied in America prior to applying to boarding schools. Those people shouldn’t be part of the same international pool, I believe.
DAndrew, I’m not saying that anyone who has American citizenship should be regarded as a domestic applicant. What I meant was that if a dual student is applying from the States, and spent a substantial amount of time in an American school, then s/he should no longer be viewed as international.</p>

<p>And you don’t know that they are. No one here does. We don’t work in Admissions.</p>

<p>However, I can assure you that schools evaluate the whole student and take into account contextual factors, like the number of advanced courses available at an applicant’s previous school. I can speak for Andover in saying that admissions here is more concerned with gauging how much advantage an applicant has taken of his or her prior circumstances. A student from an enormous, poor public school who has done his or her best to take advantage of all opportunities afforded, however few, will be looked upon more favorably than students from private schools who may have better paper qualifications but who obviously have not used their ample opportunities to the fullest. The same concept can be applied to international students. In the end, what it comes down to is how well an applicant can succeed at a school. Schools don’t intentionally do injustices to any applicants, international or otherwise…</p>

<p>International students can come from such varied background that there seems to be no “reasonable cut”. Did the student spend 4 or 5 years in the US, and were they here before 5 years old, or spent part of the middle school? Did the student go to an international school abroad, or a local school where English is not the language of instruction? … To name a few factors that can make the process “unfair”. The bottom line is that the school is not trying to be 'fair" but rather trying to find the international students who are most ready and can take advantage of what’s offered by the school. You as parents - I think - should be more concerned whether your child would thrive in such an environment, where there is no ESL or other kinds of “special treatments” to international students.</p>

<p>Zenxan Quote:

</p>

<p>Andover Dean’s Blog Quote:

</p>

<p>Is this the definition of the word “Paradox”? I guess more kids would have applied to Andover if they knew that Andover would also admit “not so nice” kids. :D</p>

<p>All,</p>

<p>Here is Zenxan’s witty, friendly, and heartfelt entry in its entirety:</p>

<p>"Hey CaliPaki - for some perspective from somebody in the same-ish boat as you: I like Andover over Exeter because I don’t want to look BACK on my four years, and finally be able to say GOD THAT TORTURE WAS WORTH IT!! I want to go through all four years of boarding school thinking THIS IS THE BEST EXPERIENCE I COULD ASK/HOPE FOR! To me the former is Exeter, the later Andover. Both are more than worth it in the end; both will provide stellar academics, extracurriculars, and hopefully take you where you want and need to go in the future. But like I said, it’s what you want out of boarding school. I for one, as academically cutthroat and ambitious as I am, don’t want to bond with people over the agony and ~eventual~ triumph of boarding school. I want to say, hey remember that time - , and can you believe we- , etc. </p>

<p>Of course I would LOVE (no really, genuinely, love) to hear about the social aspects of Exeter from a current student. Because all I’ve heard from Exeter alums and current students so far is A) it will be worth it in the end, and B) petty arguments where they thumb their nose at Andover (really? quoting an old thread that has absolutely no empirical data and was literally made to be tongue in cheek silly? Making snide assumptions on intelligence and personality characteristics of your peers? That’s what you do at Exeter?)</p>

<p>I actually started out this BS experience solidly in the I LOVE EXETER (LOOK AT ALL THEIR LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH CLASSES <em>SQUEE!!!</em>) column, for years I dreamed of Big Red and -well let’s be honest - boys in ties, but the more I researched on both schools (yes. we future andover kids do that), the more interest I became in Andover instead."</p>

<p>I admit I was very wrong. After all, Stonehill college isn’t a no-name school as it is in the news today: [Stonehill</a> College student pleads not guilty to charges he raped 8-year-old](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/03/stonehill_colle.html?p1=News_links]Stonehill”>http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/03/stonehill_colle.html?p1=News_links)</p>

<p>blueisbest: Don’t try to bury a telling statement in a long paragraph to confuse people. If this statement were to be in the application essay, do you think she would have been admitted because it’s funny or humorous?</p>

<p>Pulsar: zenxan has yet to be admitted.</p>

<p>LOL. Being ambitious in academics, yes, cutthroat in that you will not allow YOURSELF to give anything less than 100%, does not negate the possibility of kindness. I fail to see how I can’t be both. </p>

<p>I’m also a social liberal and fiscal conservative with a gay brother and a Marine dad and I support both in their endeavors and both communities whole heartedly. I’m also half Caucasian and half Asian and my white friends always point out how Asian I am and my Asian friends refer to me as their “twinkie” all the time. I’m a straight A student and always aim to be top of my class; I fully believe in doing everything with an A effort and I am extremely hard on myself (frankly going to boarding school where everybody is highly intelligent and I have to learn to accept a 5/6 for an A effort is going to be the hard part…). I’m also always happy to assist my peers on homework assignments, class projects, etc. and regularly mentor and tutor kids in grades below me. </p>

<p>People are not one dimensional. Pretty sure students who actually get ACCEPTED to these esteemed schools are the very epitome of multi-dimensional. But I can see how somebody like yourself can’t seem to grasp the concept…</p>

<p>Here is what I found for the word “cutthroat” in the dictionary.</p>

<p>cut·throat   /ˈkʌtˌθroʊt/ Show Spelled
[kuht-throht] Show IPA</p>

<p>–noun

  1. a person who cuts throats; murderer.
    –adjective
  2. murderous.
  3. ruthless: cutthroat competition.</p>

<p>I admire you for the commitment you have for the academics and being kind to your friends. May be it’s just a wrong choice of the word.</p>

<p>@CaliPaki,</p>

<p>I feel sorry for how you were treated by some people on this thread, and I want to assure you they don’t represent ALL of Andover students. </p>

<p>As a lesson learned which you have experienced here so vividly, the moment some people felt you were not revolving around them is the moment they pull down their masks and put on their gloves. Clearly You and CC deserve better. </p>

<p>Andover’s Dean of Admissions (not “Advertising” as some may suggest) works so tirelessly as she travels around the world, and every kid from every corner of the earth is crazy about coming to Andover. Ever wonder why Andover’s acceptance rate is so low? – they only admit “nice” kids and kids who are already so full of potentials that they will succeed anywhere.</p>

<p>There are schools thriving by just saying, and there are other schools thriving only by doing. Among your choices, there is Andover and there is Exeter. In the end, the choice is yours. Good luck.</p>

<p>Are you referring to the science lab soft latex gloves or boxing gloves? :D</p>

<p>Yes indeedy :). I am academically “ruthless”. Never gotten less than 95% on any test I’ve ever taken since 1st grade. And yes, I cried the first time I got anything less than a 100%. But if you want to get picky about it - I said ACADEMICALLY cutthroat. When it comes to MY personal academics, I make every effort to do MY personal best - I am most ruthless against myself. Never has that meant I can’t be a nice person socially and personally. </p>

<p>I feel bad for you Pulsar. I know you have nothing but your petty belligerence in what must be a very sad, pathetic life with nothing better to do that post silly arguments over semantics, but seriously? LMAO. No wonder Exeter didn’t want you.</p>

<p>That’s the true self on display. Well I would have take my complement back as difficult as it is to do so. Good luck at Andover or any other fine BS that would be lucky to have you.</p>

<p>Uh. What compliment? All you have done is bombard people with rude and snide comments and act as if you’re so high and mighty to be all above this when…well. You’re not. :\ I mean, you went so far as to follow me to another thread, quote from this one, and made snide remarks. You jump into threads where people are trying to give helpful advice or suggestions and RUTHLESSLY mock and disdain of them. You ■■■■■ around for threads where you can purposefully ruin and give a bad environment to what start out as friendly discussions. </p>

<p>I genuinely feel sorry for you Pulsar. I don’t know what in your life causes you to be so callous and belligerent, or if, and this is what I personally suspect, you do it purely out of boredom, spite, and to see how many people you can irritate. It’s sad.</p>