<p>THESE COMMENTS are sad. How about we respect each other and ourselves and just leave this thread alone. Someone asked for help to see which school would suit THEM and is probably leaving with neither…</p>
<p>@Pulsar. Oh wait. I see where you complimented me. Huh. Don’t remember seeing that the first time I read it… I’ll admit to jumping the gun and only seeing the part where you went off about me being illsuited for Andover and pulling out a dictionary to tell me I can’t call myself cutthroat. Maybe it’s not the right word in your opinion, but it is how I see myself. Only, my only competition is myself. </p>
<p>But really Pulsar. It’s one thing to dislike another school, it’s a whole other thing to consistently GUN after them. I haven’t seen anybody else on this entire forum do that. Students may root for their school, bleed Exeter or Andover as the cases may be, but nobody has been so consistently belligerent and obnoxious about rival schools. If you did apply, you might want to seriously consider why you were waitlisted/rejected and if the way you behaved on here was indicated in your application or interview. </p>
<p>As for CaliPaki: I’m not sure if there is a way you can “close” a thread but I suggest you try that. Then review the actually substantive comments from Exeter and Andover students and ignore the rest.</p>
<p>^^ Now it comes the touchy part and time for reconciliation and soul searching…</p>
<p>pulsar, let’s put away our guns for now.</p>
<p>@CaliPaki, Exeter didn’t win though. It is Andover that finally surrendered. We are finally a big family after all :/)</p>
<p>Mmm…competition ain’t everything, kids.</p>
<p>This is not competition. It is act of war for all we know!</p>
<p>Still, (water) guns down and peace!!</p>
<p>I agree, there is some good and bad in this thread. None-the-less, I hope that Cali is able to sift through some of this stuff–show this to your parent’s I’m sure they will be able to help. I’m sure you know a lot about Andover by now, and need no further “advertising” (such a faux pas word now). I still stand by everything I said, although I admit my last comment could have been worded better. There is a place for you to fit in, where you will thrive. Whether that’s Andover or Exeter I don’t know. I hope that you are able to make the most thorough decision possible. Use some of the resources I’m sure both schools have to speak to more people than those who have given their time here. Good luck.</p>
<p>Calling for opinions may not have been the smartest thing to do. I have some questions that can be easily answered without all of the explosives that follow. I’ve been PM’ing these questions as was prevoiusly suggested but if any of you have more to add, that would be great. These questions apply to both schools, and are somewhat repetitive. </p>
<p>How would you describe your dorm?
Is it spacious and comfortable?
Are there any restrictions on what you can have in your dorm?
How does the dorm placement system operate? Can you make specific requests? Not just for a specific type of room, but the exact building or such?
Also, I’ve heard that new Uppers are generally housed well, in your experience does that hold true?</p>
<p>How is the internet speed across the campus during the day?
How would you describe the social dynamics? Do “groups” mingle with others, is there an attitude of social outreach?
How would you describe the culinary performance of the school?</p>
<p>How much freedom do students have? Are we free to leave and enter campus as we like?
What are you allowed to do on weekends? Putting aside school-organized activities, can you venture out into the city to do your own thing?
How does one get around the actual town during weekends? Public transport, school-provided transport, or whatever we can manage ourselves?
What exactly is nearby? Mall/drugstore-wise?</p>
<p>How would you describe the atmosphere in the student body? Is it often tense and strained?</p>
<p>For Exeter:
Lastly, I am female - is it true that the dress code for girls is virtually non-existant?</p>
<p>These questions have been discussed before on forums, yes, but with every less than pleasing answer there’s always another tidbit provided as compensation. For example, an answer to the second last question might be: “Yes, sometimes we do tend to be more sober due to our academic dedication - but every thursday we all chill in my advisors room and she makes us cream of tomato soup! Yummy!” Which doesn’t help my case a lot.</p>
<p>As of right now, I think purely short, factual, unopinionated responses would be best. Thank you all so much.</p>
<p>I’ve posted on the dorm selection process before, so I’ll quote myself:</p>
<p>"First-year students will receive housing forms electronically at some point over the summer. They’re pretty intuitive, really; the forms ask questions of the student including whether he or she keeps a neat room, goes to bed early or late, listens to music while studying, which size dorm he or she would prefer to live in, and, importantly, which type of room he or she would prefer: a single or a double. These requests are usually honored but are limited simply by the numbers of each room type available.</p>
<p>Returning students have four options: they can stay in their current dorms, have a friend officially pull them into his or her dorm as a roommate, pull a friend into his or her current dorm, or enter the housing lottery. Kids who enter the housing lottery specify top choices for placement and are randomly assigned numbers. The lower the number the better: i.e. whomever is assigned number 1 automatically gets his or her first choice dorm. It’s the higher numbers where placement becomes less predictable.</p>
<p>Kids don’t usually stress too much about the return housing process; if they are worried the process will be stressful, they are often more inclined to simply stay where they are or pull in a good friend. I simply chose to stay in Bishop because I LOVED it - and it’s an even more awesome group of people this year than it was last. There’s serious chemistry!</p>
<p>Additionally, upperclassmen have the option of requesting to “stack.” “Stack” is both a noun and verb. A stack is a small house, often in the downtown area, which can support between four and seven students plus house counselor. The stack application process differs from that of standard dorms; if you want to stack, you gather your four, five, or six best friends and apply together. If you win your stack, you get to live with your best friends for the next year in a house rather than a traditional dorm!"</p>
<p>I’ve also described my dorm before; let me quote:</p>
<p>“Dorm life will really depend on which type of dorm you live in. I live in a large, 40-guy dorm in WQN called Bishop. I love it! It was a great way to instantly meet a lot of people last year and gave me a great base of friends, right from the start. I also like it because there’s always at least one person who shares your interests and with whom you can hang out at all hours. The downside for some people is that large dorms are kinda loud, so if you want to go to bed before 11, that probably won’t happen too often. But it’s awesome. Really, really awesome. Weekends especially. I have a nice sound system in my room so sometimes I have movie nights and invite anyone who wants to come. Sometimes I’ll end up with 15 other guys from different halls in the dorm all watching. Great bonding experience! Additionally, those who have projectors and games consoles are always willing to share and game together, so we occasionally have tournaments. We also have dorm parties centering around specific events - for example, our house counselors ordered out for us on the night of the superbowl and everyone gathered together in the common room to eat, talk, and watch. It was great.”</p>
<p>In terms of dorm restrictions, the only thing restricting you from having anything you want in your room is fire code. You’re allowed to cover 50% of your walls in posters and you are not allowed to hang tapestries from the ceiling. If you ever wanted to do that… But you’re allowed to bring your own furniture to add to your room’s own included furniture. Futons are popular additions to many rooms, as are second-hand, personality-rich armchairs. Once again, they just can’t block egresses, or the fire inspector, who visits periodically, will not be pleased.</p>
<p>New uppers here do tend to be housed well - I’m certainly happy in Bishop and the other new upper guys are very grateful to live in new upper central, Andover Cottage.</p>
<p>Internet speed varies by academic building. All the academic buildings have wireless and the internet in those buildings, and particularly in Gelb, is very quick. Dorms are a bit of a different story. My dorm doesn’t have wireless and requires you to plug into the Academy network via an ethernet connection. Speed through this port varies by time of day. During the academic day, it’s perfectly adequate for browsing and downloading, and I might even be so bold as to call it speedy. However, after about 9 o’clock, and particularly around 11, the dorm internet becomes burdened and slows down. It’s useable, but the speed handicap is absolutely noticeable and often a little annoying when it comes to downloading larger files. Don’t even think about downloading video files from iTunes with the intention to watch them on the same day - not gonna happen.</p>
<p>Groups absolutely mingle with each other and there is plenty of migration between groups. That’s not to say that there aren’t broad “cliques” - it only makes sense for the kids who love drama to hang out more with other kids who love drama than kids who love math - but I’m friends with and hang out with a broad array of people because of all my activities.</p>
<p>I’ve mentioned Commons before but I’ll do it again for your benefit. My opinion of the food is incredibly high. Commons was very, very recently and very profoundly renovated and the food service has been updated. A real strength of Commons is that virtually all of the food is made on campus and doesn’t come pre-made. We have a massive pizza oven on the ground floor, and the Commons staff build the pizzas right in front of the oven in full view of students. On the ground floor we also have two stir fry stations. Essentially, you make a stop at the salad bar which is adjacent to the stir fry stations, grab some of your choice vegetables, and line up at the stir fry station. When you get to the front of the line, you instruct your chef on which ingredients to add to your stir fry; the options usually include beef, pork, chicken breast, fried chicken, tofu, ginger, a bunch of sauces, and white or brown rice. Your chef will take your plate of vegetables, add them to a wok, and cook up your stir fry in front of you to your specifications! The results are delicious!</p>
<p>Upstairs, there’s a similar mode of personalization with the egg station during breakfast and brunch. You get a small bowl of choice vegetables, give them to a chef, and he or she will cook you up an omelet to your specifications - you can ask for a full egg omelet, an egg white omelet, or a scramble, and can select between a bunch of different cheeses for inclusion in your creation. Once again, the results are delicious and fully personalized, and are cooked up in front of you in minutes.</p>
<p>As I’ve also said, much of Commons produce is organic and is produced at local farms and is therefore fully sustainable.</p>
<p>Student have comparatively many freedoms. The entire town is included in campus lines, which means you need no permission to walk downtown to shop or eat. If you want to leave the town, however, you will need a “day excuse.” You get this through asking your house counselor and signing a paper with where you’ll be and when you plan to be back. This is the procedure kids must go through on weekends if they wish to leave campus to go to Boston or elsewhere, which is absolutely encouraged. Various offices, such as CAMD (Community and Multicultural Development Office) send out notices when there are exhibitions or events of interest, such as museum exhibitions, in Boston, and often run trips of their own into the city.</p>
<p>As for getting around the town, there’s no need for public transport. Kids just walk unless they are rushed. It takes 10-15 minutes to get top CVS from the center of campus, and about the same to get to Starbucks, Brueggers Bagels, and other restaurants and stores like the thrift store and Verizon store. The WholeFoods is about 30 minutes from the center of campus and is a very popular destination even though it’s a bit of a walk. I like walking, though, but if you don’t you’re always free to spend your money on a taxi. Right outside town lines is a strip mall that PA runs a free, hourly shuttle service to and from, every other weekend. Likewise, there are occasional buses to the Rockingham Mall, a large mall in NH which means no sales tax. That’s where I bought my MacBook and we therefore saved a lot of money.</p>
<p>As for the atmosphere on campus among the student body, it’s generally pretty calm and relaxed, though it’ll somewhat depend on who you hang out with. There are certainly kids who hype each other up about upcoming assignments, and especially finals week, but kids get sick of listening to them worry each other. Although there’s always a lot of work to do, it doesn’t help to stress each other out about it, and kids know that. That’s why if you visit Commons, the Den, or any other big open spaces on campus, you’ll encounter kids who are at ease and instantly personable.</p>
<p>Hey everyone, I’d just like to say thank you for answering all of my questions and giving me the liberty of not just knowing each miniscule difference between the two school, but also knowing enough to decide which ones make a difference to me. </p>
<p>So what it came down to was that at Andover, I was fairly certain I’d have a better time. I’d be more comfortable, I’d be more relaxed, the odds were that my “adjustment period” would be briefer, and I also learned I had some relatives there. It seemed like not only the better fit but also where I’d be happier. </p>
<p>However, at the same time, the Harkness method was something I truly could not afford to miss out on. I believe that it teaches one to think in an entirely new way, and is a skill that would serve me well in whatever I choose to do. </p>
<p>My father’s advice was that because both schools are of such high quality, I should choose the one where I’d be better settled and content. My mother’s was that I was old enough to not compromise my education for the sake of better comfort. </p>
<p>Some would argue that Andover will award you with an education that also teaches you how to think. Some would argue that at Exeter you’ll make memories that will last as well. That doesnt get me any where, because any conclusion I draw can be argued against - at least this way I actually know which differences hold significance, which is better than just continuing debate till the apocalypse. Anyways, today I’ll be flipping a coin and I’ll come back later with the results just in case anyone’s curious. By the way, that doesnt mean all of this was pointless haha, because now I know what I’m choosing between. Like I said, couldnt have figured this out if it wasnt for some of you.</p>
<p>Oh, what a drama…</p>
<p>Yes, drama can be a major at most BS. :D</p>
<p>So my father calls me this evening from California and asks me if I’ve made a decision yet. I hadn’t flipped a coin yet (I’d actually been putting it off all day) but I HAD been doing quite a lot of thinking. </p>
<p>Father: So did you do what I asked you to do?
Self: Well um…well er…
Father: ?
Self: Uh…well daddy I was thinking maybe andover. <em>signals to lurking brother</em> (go get me a coin!) okay wait, shayan’s gonna go get me a coin.
Brother: <em>returns with hong kong currency</em> Okay the flower is exeter, the number two is andover.
Self: Alright daddy, I’m flipping the coin… its andover.
Father: Hurrah!
Self: Nononono wait! Shayan, flip it again. …Daddy, its andover again. One more time, flip it again. Omg, its andover. Wait lemme flip it. Andover again! This can’t be happening. The coin’s messed up. You can use foreign currency, go get me a normal coin.
Brother: <em>returns with jordanian currency</em>
Father: ENOUGH! You’re going to andover. Congratulations sweetheart.
Self: Thank you, daddy.</p>
<p>After I’d hung up, me and my brother kept flipping with the jordanian coin - it was andover once more, than exeter, then andover again. Crazy.</p>
<p>I’m going to andover! That’s all for now, folks.</p>
<p>This all reminds me of old Bollywood movies from my childhood. Congratulations, finally!</p>
<p>WOOHOO! I just wish I could welcome you to Andover in the fall. Well, I hope to come back for Alumni Weekend (the same weekend as fall Andover/Exeter!) so maybe we can schedule something then.</p>
<p>You’ve already had my congratulations over facebook, so I’ll keep this to a minimum, but I am so, so, so excited for you. Just think about it: you have everything sitting in front of you. You shape your experience. You have everything to gain. Andover awaits you.</p>
<p>Yours,</p>
<p>TomTheCat, PA '11</p>
<p>TomTheCat, Why the hard sell? People already know about Andover before they choose to apply. It appears you are working hard to make the yield look good. :(</p>
<p>Invent, I hope your high school experience is as meaningful to you as TomtheCat’s is to him, and that in a few years you find yourself similarly pumped with enthusiasm and eager to share it. Until then, live and let live!</p>
<p>Being enthusiastic is different from setting up MobileMe and other stands all over the threads and messing up other’s threads, imo. TTC has his own thread and he is putting the galleries up in SevenDad’s and other threads.</p>
<p>Good luck and what a drama! I know this coming from day one, and this is all Andover is about - show business and sad!</p>
<p>hootoo, haven’t you heard the song “There’s No Business Like Show Business”? :D</p>
<p>Maybe I’ll get your spot for Exeter haha.
That’s beside the point, I’m sure you will enjoy your time at Andover. Congratulations!! Getting into both of those schools is an incredible feat and you are crazily blessed!</p>