<p>Im applying to Andover this year and i was wondering if one B in 9th grade and 8th grade will hurt my chances of getting in?
Also, what were your stats when you applied (ec’s and grades)
Thanks</p>
<p>I don’t think it will, as long as you’re trying hard. I had a B in math, and I got in. Just make sure your application shines in other areas to make up for that weakness.
I had straight A’s except for the B in math and scored in the 99th percentile on the SSAT. I’m good at writing, and I won awards for that. I also participated in Model UN, debate, community service, school newspaper, and coached a science team for younger kids. I didn’t do any sports, but I biked a lot in my free time. I double-enrolled in language, which showed that I was able to work hard.</p>
<p>what are dating/parties like at Andover?</p>
<p>The parties tend to be pretty crazy. I don’t go to them often, but some of my friends do. Regarding dating: I hate to say it, but people mostly just hook up. There’s not a lot of actual romance.</p>
<p>Do you know if there are any twins both currently attending Andover?</p>
<p>I don’t know any personally, but I’m sure there are. There are definitely siblings that attend Andover together.</p>
<p>Thanks for answering the questions…mine is:</p>
<p>What were your SSAT scores and ECs like?</p>
<p>I already answered this, but I’ll copy and paste it :):
I had straight A’s except for the B in math and scored in the 99th percentile on the SSAT. I’m good at writing, and I won awards for that. I also participated in Model UN, debate, community service, school newspaper, and coached a science team for younger kids. I didn’t do any sports, but I biked a lot in my free time. I double-enrolled in language, which showed that I was able to work hard.</p>
<p>My DD wants to reapply to Andover for Gr10 after being wait-listed for Gr9. A friend who does admissions work (not at PA!) strongly suggests reapplying to Gr9. Her rationale: it’s harder to get acclimated to the PA culture and workload as a new Gr10 student because the same systems aren’t in place to help ease new Gr10 students in as there are for Gr 9. Given that my DD is quiet & reserved and one of the youngest in her class, we’re giving this some thought. Although, academically, there’s no need to repeat. Thoughts? Does PA have social/emotional supports in place for new lowers? Do teachers give new lowers the opportunity to ease in, the way I hear they do in Gr 9?</p>
<p>I was actually in the exact same situation as your daughter- I got waitlisted initially and reapplied. Though my transition’s been successful, it might be a good idea to have your daughter repeat a year. I don’t have too many friends that are returning students, so socially it might be better for her to start when everyone else is new and have more opportunities to make friends. Also, there really isn’t any sort of support for new lowers, so it would definitely make her transition easier to start in ninth grade.</p>
<p>Regarding your answer to booksandlax, what do you mean by “pretty crazy”. Like if I sent you a link to a party from a tv show how would it be in comparison? Like this: <a href=“http://25.media.■■■■■■■■■■/tumblr_lj91xkeESz1qgc6jgo1_500.gif[/url]”>http://25.media.■■■■■■■■■■/tumblr_lj91xkeESz1qgc6jgo1_500.gif</a>, is this (maybe a bit wilder) version of parties you or your friends have been to? And are there really no relationships (Andover exclusively, or other bs’s if you know) but hookups? Is there a lot of gossip at Andover? I hope these questions aren’t too superficial, but I’m curious in not just the academic but the “fun” aspect, even though that won’t be the reason why I attend a boarding school, especially Andover, if accepted.</p>
![http://25.media.■■■■■■■■■■/tumblr_lj91xkeESz1qgc6jgo1_500.gif[/url]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj91xkeESz1qgc6jgo1_500.gif%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
<p>Definitely not too superficial- the climate of a school is really important! I think it does vary based on the party/dance, but that depiction’s pretty spot-on. Obviously, people aren’t open about drug/alcohol use, but it definitely happens. The parties are too chaotic for me, but some people do enjoy themselves.
There are some people in relationships, but it does seem relatively rare to me. Of course, the boarding school lifestyle makes going on dates rather difficult, so there probably are committed couples that just don’t go out together.
There’s not too much negative gossip, but when there is, it travels fast since everyone lives together. However, people at Andover are overall really nice, so that’s not too much of an issue.</p>
<p>hey ijustgetbored, mind if I chirp in?</p>
<p>The parties here are pretty solid. Lots of music and fun, and just a good place to hang out. If those get too wild for you (there are MOSH PITS so be warned.), you can always chill in the den with a couple of friends, or watch a movie in the dorm, etc. ijustgetbored was right about the alcohol and drugs. If you are looking for the stuff, you will find it. If you aren’t, you probably won’t ever see it unless you stumble upon some crazy night. It’s really like any other high school. There will be that group that makes bad choices, but are still good people. And yes there are MANY relationships. A solid 10 couples in in my grade alone. Mostly hook ups though due to BS nature of constant contact. Even though the couples don’t “go out”, they find time to sit in the dorm and watch movies, hang with friends, go down town together, go to the movies on the weekends, study together, etc. Gossip is sometimes an issue, so my advice is to keep your secrets to yourself to avoid any hassle. it’s, again, like most high schools where gossip is like an infectious disease and will spread within the week.</p>
<p>and bsroxmysox: deff not like those parties. These are usually monitored by faculty, and are generally pretty mellow. parties at PA= dances, get togethers in dorm, or dj sessions in rooms.</p>
<p>Haha, hey swimdude006 thanks for answering ALL my questions 
You too ijustgetbored, now I’m not only excited to maybe be surrounded by people genuinely excited and good at school but who can party hard too :P</p>
<p>Glad to help :)</p>
<p>Hi I’m thinking about applying for andover. Please be 100% honest, do you like it? I want to go to a school I love and with people I love. This is an awkward question, but are there cute guys? Hahaha. About 10 questions are coming for you! How’s the social life? How are the dorms? Do you like the teachers? Are the people there mean? Please answer!</p>
<p>Hi! I have like 100 questions and it would be amazing if you could answer them! Please be honest on this one, do you like going to this school? This one’s awkward, but are there cute guys? How’s the social life? What are the dorms like? Are the teachers nice? Do you like the way the classes are taught? Please tell me about how much free time there is an what you do during it. Last one, if you could go back, would you go to this school or not?</p>
<p>Feel free to ask as many questions as you like! 
I honestly do love it here. Applying was the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s a fantastic school academically, and people are really welcoming. I’ve already made so many great friends And yes, there are tons of cute guys, especially compared to my old school! Most people have active social lives, though there are a few kids who seem to only focus on academics. But there are a lot of extracurricular options and dances/parties, and people go into town a lot. There are all sorts of dorms, and they can have anywhere from 4-40+ kids. If you start as a freshman, you’ll live in a dorm just with other freshmen, but grades 10-12 all live together. I live in a small dorm (11 girls), which I love, but there are also options for medium or large dorms. Dorms are divided into clusters, so you have a sort of mini-community (like a neighborhood) within the larger school.
I love all my teachers! Of course, I’m sure there are teachers who are either very strict or somewhat incompetent, just as there would be in other schools, but I think overall the teachers are great. I haven’t had any experiences with bad teachers. The classes are very discussion-based, which I love, and the teachers are very casual with the students. I’m naturally shy, but I feel comfortable participating.
How much free time you have really varies based on what activities you do and what classes you take. I only play intramural sports, so I don’t have long practices like other kids do. But I am involved in Model UN, community service, and the Phillipian, which take up more time. I generally have a couple of hours of free time in the afternoon, which I use to practice guitar, go into town, find new music, or talk to my friends.
I would absolutely choose Andover again! Feel free to ask any more questions you might have.</p>
<p>Thank you! I was also looking into Phillips exeter and I know you guys are rivals but which school do you think I should go to?</p>
<p>I don’t want to badmouth any other school- obviously, no one school is perfect for everyone, and all the distinguished schools have good reputations for a reason. However, I chose Andover over Exeter because of the community. At Exeter, kids seem to be a lot more focused on solely academics, while I think Andover students live much more balanced lives. Exeter also seems like a more cutthroat environment academically. Of course, I’m biased towards Andover, and these are only my perceptions, but a lot of my friends have said they chose Andover for similar reasons.</p>