<p>Hah, keylyme. It's not just me, then!</p>
<p>Exeter's new viewbook? Ugh, don't get me started. I despise it. The site's a bit of a mess, too. (Although I'm there - one of the Ask an Exonians. (Tara). Don't believe a word they have me say on there; they've had it since my starry-eyed prep fall and refused to change it when I resubmitted my "about Exeter.")</p>
<p>I loved the warmth of Hotchkiss, the way it seemed to run so smoothly and elegantly. I loved the amount of variety in the academics (a yearlong course on the history of Russia available from prep year) and the focus in the humanities (something that Exeter, which I had not realized is very maths/science-oriented) was quite strong. It reminded me of a co-ed, boarding-school version of Chapin, the school I attended in NYC and loved.</p>
<p>The school my D fell in love with was not at the top of her first list. In fact, we visited schools she thought she would love, but in fact she was totally turned off by the feel. She definitely went with what she loved, and will be graduating in June '08. It was not a "top tier" school, but she still was accepted to Stanford, her first choice.</p>
<p>My advise to her has always been DO WHAT YOU LOVE!</p>
<p>I agree Cgarrett. My daughter visited/applied to 5 schools. The one she ended up attending was the only one that we were sure we weren't going to like, based on the viewbook. In fact, when we drove up to the school, she asked if we could just turn around and blow off the interview. But, after the tour and interview, it was the school we both fell in love with. She said she could see herself attending class, living in the dorm, making friends, and being a part of the community.</p>
<p>You just can't tell from the viewbook.</p>
<p>ajadedidealist - Curious why you stayed at Exeter...</p>
<p>you should always check with the school if they have recieved everything. This happened to me last year with my math teacher. I had to tell him at leat four times over a four month period to send his reccomendation to a certain school. I also had to give him another copy of the recommendation, the school called my house and told me to tell my teacher to e-mail the reccomendation so it would get there before march 10. he mailed it there and it got there march 12. You should send everything in early and check with he admissions office to make sure everything is there before it is too late.</p>
<p>warriorboy, like I said, Exeter is by no means awful. (the winter weather, on the other hand...) But was it the right place for me? No. I did get a good education here, and transferring would have proved too complicated an option. It's high school - it's not supposed to be perfect. That said, if I could re-do it, I would have chosen a different school (Exeter is very, very right for a specific kind of person, but not everyone), and the lessons I learned served me well in deciding the kind of atmosphere I wanted in college.</p>
<p>I can say that Exeter was the right high school for me. I actually had never heard of boarding schools when an admissions rep visited my public middle school. He waived my app fee, so I applied and got in. And now as a four year senior, I find the people here really interesting and I love the rain (desert boy right here), but have grown tired of the snow. Every I've taken has had something fun and interesting about it (except junior studies). And the connections you make at this school are also great too. Exeter is a school people either love or hate.</p>
<p>ajadedidealist, how would you describe the ideal exeter student? thanks for the input.</p>
<p>bumping this up -- good advice this week as you finish up your apps.</p>
<p>Great list, Olivia! :)</p>
<p>As far as the comment about not telling people your applying to schools until march I feel is a mistake. I feel this is the same thing, as your parents giving you three months notice when your going to move. Its not fair to your friends. Its much better to have them be delighted when you tell them your not going away, then to hurt them when you tell them with little notice you are.</p>
<p>I think her point is--if you do not get into boarding school, it can be embarrassing (or tedious at the very least) to tell people (after you have spent months talking about applying to boarding schools.) </p>
<p>It is probably more difficult in a waitlist situation-- people will want to know why you were waitlisted, offer advice on how to get off the waitlist, and continue to ask your status, as days and weeks go by. If you are flat-out rejected, people will just say they are sorry, glad you will still be around, and probably change the subject.</p>
<p>Wow! – This thread has some AWESOME advice!!! I think we should keep it alive for this years BS applicants… :)</p>
<p>BUMP!</p>
<p>Even though I am still waiting to see where i am accepted, I totally agree that here is a certain type of feeling you get when you visit a bs that makes you feel at home. Honestly, both my parents loved Choate, and I felt really out of place there (too much of a party atmosphere, not serious enough, my interviewer was slightly bla bla), while I really liked Exeter (for the nerdiness) and Hotchkiss (for the quiet, serious atmosphere), and last but not least, Deerfield (just felt at home). I also liked Andover, but my tour guide wasn’t that great, so I want a revisit! I think revisit days will be a big decision maker for me.</p>
<p>How did you get a party atmosphere from Choate?</p>
<p>It may have been the tour guide I had, but she specifically said she sometimes blew off her homework to have dorm parties and that almost every day they ate brownies and just did weird things. I don’t know, just my general feeling from the school… I also like schools that have a place to be alone and quiet</p>