Hi guys! i hope you guys are all well during this pandemic 
I got into Andover, Exeter, Taft, and St Andrews. (grade 9) (international) (boarder)
I have no legacy so I don’t personally know much about the schools.
I am a:
- professional dancer (10 years) (ballet, contemp, jazz, hip-hop) (semi finalist at international competition) (offered admission to prestigious ballet school but didn’t go as I don’t want to be a professional dancer)
- grade 8 pianist (9 years)
- environmental “activist”: (internship, student leader within clubs, PSA projects)
- track and field
I’m interested in:
- language (i speak 4 = english, mandarin, japanese and cantonese)
- english + humanities
- philosophy
- conjunctive sciences
- biology
I am currently leaning towards as Andover because of the strong art and humanities programs. I also got the best “vibe” when I visited.
Do you guys think it’s the best school for me?
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Congratulations. My knowledge of Andover is limited to driving through town on the game bus, and losing another football game.
I graduated from Exeter in the 90s so my information is dated. Exeter, NH is very much a small town. The plus is your entire existence while at PEA will be focused on your experience at PEA. People talk about the academics, athletics etc. in isolation. Every moment of your day is about interpersonal interaction that is entirely focused on your fellow Exonians. Its about building relationships in different settings with the goal of personal excellence “not for self” but for the community at large.
This is the source of Exeter’s reputation for being a grind and “pressure cooker.” When I was there, the school was not well versed in identifying signs of stress in students, who being young and driven, were generally not well positioned to identify stress in themselves. It is essential that you have the strength of character to ask for help.
The few people who recognized the toll they were taking on themselves left. They are still considered Exonians, send in class notes, and attend alumni events.
None of my subsequent academic experiences have been as challenging or rewarding as my time at Exeter.
Please excuse the typos, poor grammar, etc.
tagging @golfgr8 as I believe she is knowledgable about dance programs.
I do know that St Andrews has produced some amazing artists and is a pretty unique school - there was a girl on here last year who turned down a spot at Groton (and she was a legacy I think) to go to St. Andrews - @misslilbookworm
Yes @one1ofeach and @dancingpianist - As of a couple of years ago, Andover had a stronger Dance program compared to Exeter. Because Kiddo danced - like @dancingpianist, for 10 years, we took Exeter off the list (also for it’s location) because we really wanted a higher level of training. Feel free to PM as we looked at dance programs at Andover, St Pauls School, Deerfield Academy, MPS, Emma and others. I’m sorry to disagree with someone above, but I would not place Taft into the serious dance program category. The strongest dance program we saw was at St Paul’s School. They have sent dancers to professional programs. Their Dance Company was the most talent group of dancers we saw at the time. Kiddo auditioned and did a morning class. It was very difficult to make a choice between the 7 schools we were ultimately accepted to. However, Kiddo decided upon Deerfield because their program allowed the flexibility of doing Dance, having multiple dance/performance/training courses, Student choreography opportunities. AND other EC’s/Sports.
Andover has a variety of dance options, also,. Watching YouTube videos of dance performances of Andover and other schools may also be helpful. We sent emails to dance directors and actually spoke with them. You may want to do this also.
Hope this helps!
I have to agree with you on this one, since Andover is a bit more humanities-focused compared to Exeter who is more STEM-focused. However, I believe that you should consider the experiences you had when you visited both schools. Which one fits you better? In the end, they both are top schools and it all depends on which one you get the better vibes from.