<p>Hey Tom!
I will be joining the Andover community in the fall as a freshman (class of 2015), and I read somewhere that most students were engaged in all kinds of community service. I was just wondering, what community outreach opportunities are there at Andover?</p>
<p>Hey, iCatherine! Welcome to CollegeConfidential!</p>
<p>There are too many community service opportunities to count here, but I’ll highlight a few of the popular ones, most of which are community outreach programs. First of all, Andover is close to the town of Lawrence, one of the poorest communities in the United States. Lawrence schools suffer from chronic high percentages of student absence as well as underfunding from the government. As a result, Lawrence schoolchildren lack opportunities that a lot of us take for granted, like after school activities and drama programs.</p>
<p>One thing that many PA students choose to do at some point during their Andover careers is to tutor a child from Lawrence in math and science. Additionally, because Lawrence is largely Hispanic, many kids come from non-English speaking households and require tutoring in reading and writing. On some occasions, these kids are bused to the Phillips Academy campus, but on most other occasions students here are bused out their during after school hours to tutor and entertain the kids. Another program that has run in previous terms has been a drama outreach program by which PA kids who are interested in drama can provide after school classes to Lawrence students.</p>
<p>Another program, massively popular, is one in which PA students are bused out to a local center for the needy. Here, kids play games, deliver performances, and generally entertain the center’s patrons, which include both children and adults.</p>
<p>Andover also requires all students to participate in the annual Non Sibi Day. Non Sibi Day is a Saturday in fall term set aside entirely for community service, and each student is required to sign up for one of the multitudes of different programs offered on campus and off. Last year, I chose to participate in the Bread and Roses Picnic, an event held in the Cage, our indoor track. We set up volleyball nets, ping pong tables, karaoke, and most importantly, a massive feast, and welcomed the patrons of the Bread and Roses soup kitchen. This year, my Non Sibi Day event was composed of making blankets to be sent to Haiti.</p>
<p>If you have any more questions, ask me! I’m always happy to help.</p>
<p>Yours,</p>
<p>TomTheCat, PA '11</p>
<p>I’ve uploaded some brand new videos I took today at Blue Key Head auditions held during lunch in Commons. For the people who were not able to attend revisits, my gallery now includes some videos of what you missed. There are just about a million more of these auditions planned for today and tomorrow, so I’ll include more as I record them! The three new videos are all of a single Blue Key Head audition.</p>
<p>[MobileMe</a> Gallery](<a href=“http://gallery.me.com/thurstonsmalley#100011]MobileMe”>http://gallery.me.com/thurstonsmalley#100011)</p>
<p>I just uploaded A BUNCH more - and they’re PRICELESS! If you want a taste of Big Blue spirit, watch my latest videos! They feature current uppers auditioning for the role of BLUE KEY HEAD, Andover’s spirit leaders. Watch their auditions!</p>
<p>TomTheCat,</p>
<p>What were your grades like before you got accepted? What were your extra curricular’s and hooks? I want to know what types of students get accepted and what it takes.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Hey, Nadizzle.</p>
<p>Let me preface this post with the statement that there’s absolutely no formula for getting into Andover. Plenty of kids with stellar stats get rejected. That said, I applied with more or less straight A’s in challenging classes at a private school in the UK and a 99th percentile SSAT score from one sitting. On the extracurriculars and hooks side of things I’d held positions in my middle school’s student council and my first high school’s student council, was international, played as setter on a regional championship title volleyball team, and a one-time winner and three-time finalist at my K-12’s annual speech competition. Annnnnnnnd my mom went to Andover as well. I definitely had a lot going for me, but I was still rejected from Exeter and waitlisted at Deerfield (maybe because of my FA need - who knows). Admission to schools this competitive can absolutely be a crapshoot.</p>
<p>Like I said, there’s no formula for getting in - but it sure doesn’t hurt to have strong grades, test scores, and extracurriculars about which you are visibly passionate.</p>
<p>This may be true in Tom’s case with FA need. But several of my friends who are very rich got in with not so stellar stats (As and Bs, less than 90% SSATs, no student council etc.). So don’t worry, if you are a full pay you will have a good shot without stellar stats. I’m sure Tom knows many of his friends may not be that stellar after all. Half the class of 300 don’t get into stellar colleges either. Don’t look for just brand name. If you want to get into a good college, your odds may be better at other schools where you place yourself in the top 25%.</p>
<p>I’d just like to point out that Andover is need blind, so I’m not sure how much of pulsar’s last post rings true.</p>
<p>Craysian’s statement is correct, and pulsar once again looks like a hill-person idiot who’s never been to the PA website.</p>
<p>I don’t know. I think you getting waitlisted proves that admissions is doing something right. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-chances/898747-please-suggest-what-would-best.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-chances/898747-please-suggest-what-would-best.html</a></p>
<p>pulsar, you are getting very annoying, and frankly boring, which you were everying else but. To be WL’ed in a school is not the end of the world. Why do you have to be such a sore loser? And you don’t call someone’s real name out on college confidential. That’s just mean.</p>
<p>Andover students are not only nice, but they’re sensible too. What good would they do in the world if they just let people like you walk over them with the excuse of “Oh, I couldn’t stand up for myself because it was too mean” </p>
<p>I personally can confirm that Tom is a great person, not only helpful on the CC forum but also great advocator for Andover in general. Shame on you pulsar for trying to put him in any other light.</p>
<p>But I have met Tom in person, as well as I HAVE visited Andover. </p>
<p>Andover IS the real deal.</p>
<p>Why don’t you just stop, pulsar? I almost feel guilty responding to your posts - here you are, resurrected for a third (fourth?) time because you got your ass banned every other time you desperately clawed at the schools that didn’t take you. Pathetic. On behalf of every school on this board that you try to taint, thanks for making us look great.</p>
<p>Hey TomTheCat! I thought you would be gone for a while (or forever) since school is in session. Hopefully you’ll stay and help all of us here on CC before you go to college. Good luck!</p>
<p>Hi Tom, I read on Andover website that they are starting a cool Auction “Bid on Blue” to support student financial aid. I think it is a great idea. Do you have any info how well it’s going?</p>
<p>TomTheCat,</p>
<p>Rest assured that the people on CC understand that you are a great guy being victimized by attacks that would try the patience of a saint.</p>
<p>@SergeantFriday-Amen.</p>
<p>@TomTheCat-I’m not sure if you shared this on the previous questions, but what extracurriculars did you participate in while at Andover?</p>
<p>BTW, patience is a virtue. However, I’m sure TomTheCat knows this.</p>
<p>Tom has done an excellent job of promoting Andover on CC. I hope it counts towards his extracurriculars by being the head tour guide etc.</p>
<p>Amazing photos. What camera did you use for the horizontal images like IMG_0549 if you don’t mind me asking?</p>