Because many dorms are, in fact, converted houses. If you think of a typical suburban home, there are only so many kids that one can comfortably squeeze in considering that the House Counselor lives there as well.
@Ranran888 Also remember that a portion of the house is occupied by the house counselor. In both the house my kid lived in last year and the house this coming year the counselor occupies the entire first floor of the house.
Are bed bugs a common problem?
@katrina571 I havenāt heard of that being a problem at all.
No
Want to send packages to DS, does one need to put down his name only or the dorm name as well?
Nope. Just his name, Phillips Academy, and the address, like so:
Student Name
Phillips Academy
180 Main Street
Andover, MA 01810
Thatās how Iāve got the address saved on my Amazon Prime account; itās never failed. The kids get an email notice when a package arrives for them and they need to go get them in the mailroom. One thing to remember is that there are no weekend deliveries/student pickup because the mailroom is closed.
Thank you @AppleNotFar
Wondering if someone can give some feedback regarding course selection:
For a student with no background in programming/coding, would you recommend CSC 350 Programming Fundamentals or CSC 470 Introduction to Discrete Mathematics and Programming as a first CSC course?
Thanks!
350 is really the equivalent of CS for Dummies. TA high mathematical level of expertise is not required, and the course is not taught using a traditional programming language, but is fine for the younger cojort that wants to get a taste of CS. To give perspective, an equivalent type college course (not CS, obviously) is Physics for Poets
470 does not assume any programming/coding experience, but does assume greater mathematical aptitude.
Thanks @skieurope !
Does contacting teachers and sports coaches affect your admission to schools like Andover (did any of you guys get in touch with teachers or coaches)?
@KnightsDude My kid was in touch with the coaches at all the schools where applications were submitted, and my sense is that many, if not most, of the applicants who feel they could be an impact athlete in their sport(s) do the same. I also have a sense that if you can be an impact athlete, then contacting the coach can help your application, but I wouldnāt begin to guess by how much, and I imagine it varies depending on the school, the sport, and the applicant.
If you are an athlete, and particularly an impact athlete, my guess is that it can only help, and not hurt, for you to go ahead and contact the coaches. If nothing else it shows interest in the school (you can mention during your interview that youāve contacted the coach(es)), and you might learn a little bit more about the sport at the respective school.
Note of caution: depending on the time of year, coaches may be more or less likely to respond to your email, so donāt lose heart if you donāt hear back as quickly as you would like. Most coaches have several roles and responsibilities at their schools and are busy folks. ETA: also try not to read anything into the speed or frequency of the coach communications in regards to your chances of admission. You may not get accepted at a school where a coach has been in touch with you a ton, and you may get accepted at a school where a coach is more sparse in their communication.
I agree with what applenotfar says. There are some schools where the coach was very much āin touchā where SwimKid was waitlisted and others where the coach had minimal contact but we found out that the sport played a huge role in admissions. Be in contact with coaches and teachers who may have an impact in admissions if you could be an impact athlete, mathlete, cellist etc! You never know what the school needs that year.
Cool thank you! I will definitely email some of the teachers and coaches when I have the chance.
During breaks, do students generally leave Friday night or stick around until Saturday morning?
@CaliPops Itās a solid mix - it really depends on where people are going for break. Generally, students who live relatively nearby tend to leave Friday, while those who have take a couple of flights usually leave Saturday morning. In my dorm, we just had to be signed out and gone by noon on Saturday.
Thanks @qwertyem564. Consistent with your summary, my child opted for the Saturday departure.
Congratulations to all who got into schools today! I know how stressful M10 can be and how much work you all put in to get where you are now!
Iām currently an 11th grader at Andover. I know many of you have a lot of questions going into making your decisions (I know I did!), so if thereās anything you want to know about Andover, feel free to ask!
Iām an Andover parent that can try to answer questions too. Big Blue congrats to all new accepted families!