Dress shirt and tie, usually with a blazer.
Hi @bloemetje! I lived in Hale my freshman year! Room 113 is a three-room double 
Hi @applier1! I was in PKN my freshman year and I loved the cluster vibe! Our cluster dean made an effort to know everybody and keep up with us. PKN is the smallest cluster in terms of number of dorms (only 5!) but each one has at least 35 people so it evens out all around. Itās pretty woodsy what with there being the Knoll, Rabbit Pond, and the sanctuary. I canāt speak with much experience about Fuess in particular since Iām a girl who moved out of the cluster. However, from the few times Iāve been in it, I can say that the Knoll dorms are structured pretty similarly so if youāve been in one, youāve been in all. Donāt know about that specific room size in comparison to others, sorry! Hope this helps!
Hey @privateschool21! the rooms in Carriage are relatively small, the doubles are one-room and the dorm is quite old (the consequences of Abbot Cluster). Also, I saw some confusion on this thread about whether Carriage has had/will have a proctor. Itās probably already been addressed, but I can almost certainly say that the dorm will be entirely composed of new lowers, sans proctor.
At least heāll be with some new lowers! Do you know he will be able to rise the bed for under bed storage? Itās so hard to figure out what to bring first time around.
@privateschool21 yes! The beds are adjustable in height and go pretty high.
Thanks so much @gossipgirlME !
Yes, thanks so much @gossipgirlME ! This helps so much.
@CavsFan2003 Ultimately, you are delaying college a year to give yourself the best chance of success at Andover. In addition to being better prepared for the understandably difficult 11th grade year and associated standardized testing (SAT/ACT/AP), having another year at Andover will give you more time to connect with classmates and teachers, to get involved with organizations on campus, and generally get the most out of your Andover experience. Having just finished my second year at Andover, what would have been my last had I not repeated, Iām very glad I have another year there. It takes some time to find your niche, as it were, and the connections you make with both friends and teachers will last well beyond college. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me (this goes for everyone in this thread. My inbox is always open!)
Hey @CavsFan2003 , my apology for the tardy reply. I agree with the well laid out thoughts by @Aetrus. If you truly want to attend Andover, then you could share with your Dad that you have a substantially better chance of admittance as a 10th Grader than an 11th Grader. I do not mean in any way to imply you are not exceptional in all ways, but let me allow to re-frame it sort of the way I did for my child a few years ago. First off, I told her that she would have basically no chance for admittance as an 11th grader. I also told her she was unlikely to even be accepted as a 10th grader. (She very much did not appreciate what she perceived as a lack of confidence in her. But, I wanted her to understand that if they only take 13 % of all applicants, she would have a high probability of not getting accepted as a 10th grade repeater). So, the first point of conversation is regarding optimizing your odds for admissions. If you dad is āall inā on your being accepted, then he would hopefully see the merits of the numbers. According to the Andover website here is how many class members are accepted in 10th and 11th grades: " an average of 85 new peers in the 10th grade, or lower year, and 20-25 new 11th graders". So, the basic point is odds and numbers. You will just have a greater chance of admittance if you enter in the 10th grade. In a previous post I already mentioned about the quality of the education and of your personal experience. There is one more factor that may be relevant and may appeal to your father. (This is not something I ever even considered with my child, but I witnessed this with her and some of her other peers who also entered in the the 10th gradeā¦) You will have a greater potential for leadership opportunities if you enter as a 10th grader. For instance, my daughter was co-captain of one team as an 11th grader, and co-captain of TWO teams as 12th grader. She was on the board of a couple of publications and had a greater role in one of her clubs. Had she entered as an 11th grader, she might have had some leadership opportunities, but not nearly as many. I mention this for two purposes. 1) The more time you can really truly be leading a team or club or group (not just a position in name onlyābut the real deal), I believe the better prepared you will be for college and adulthood and life. You will have experiences (good and bad), have to deal with all kinds of personalities, and have to handle situations that will give you grit and wisdom and perspective. And getting to do that at Andover is especially powerful. These are the kinds of experiences I trust any parent wants for their child. Repeating a year with help tremendously in your chance to lead (if that is something you are indeed interested in). 2) If you are interested in leadership, and you do demonstrate it as a senior, it will strengthen your college application. I do not recommend being a leader just to show colleges, but if you become and a leader and practice leadership, then that might be seen by admissions officers. You would not only be applying to their school with a world class education, but you would also potentially be a leader at their college.
Now, if your dad is very bottom line oriented and only about the money, none of this may be very persuasive. Unless you are on full financial aid, paying for an extra year of boarding school is a financial hardship for most of us parents. In my case, though, it was a happy choice between saving money and supporting my child in becoming the best human being she could become. It was a very easy choice and I would do it again :-). Please feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. P.S. I may be tardy in replying again. Donāt take it personally! We have a new foster toddler in our family and his addition is taking up most of my non-working time.
What is the best place to park on drop-off/registration day? Do we drive directly to our childās dorm or park somewhere specific and drop off dorm stuff later in the day after registration in the morning? I didnāt see an answer to this on the calendar/info we received, but apologies in advance if I was just thick and didnāt find it.
@latenightcoffee I would suggest parking near your childās dorm and walking to registration at George Washington Hall (GW), then moving in after they register! Iād imagine there wouldnāt be much parking available around GW since many students will be registering, and itās nice to get a feel for the campus before classes start.
@latenightcoffee Registration happens at George Washington Hall. Your child will get their blue card (which acts as a key card for their dorm) and their room key there, so you have to do that before going to the dorm. Im sure there will be parking set up with signs (likely next to the chapel or in Pine Knoll), but after your child is finished registering, you can park at the dorms.
Thank you for the info
DC is a Freshman and has 5 classes. She is considering adding a 6th. Do any current or past students have any advice/thoughts/suggestions?
For Fall of the first year, my advice is donāt. Just donāt. Unless your 8th grade was at a junior boarding school, then maybe. But still probably not.
She should take the time to settle in, adjust to the pace, the academics, trying out clubs, making friends, get used to a roomie that is not her sister. Then for winter, if she and the adviser think she can handle it, add a 6th course, although I would suggest that the 6th course be an arts course. There are 11 more terms that she can add a 6th course, so no need to rush.
Be aware, she (and you) will likely be in for a culture shock when she receives her first term grades. If sheās expecting all 6ās, dollars to Dunkinā Donuts, itās not gonna happen.
CaliKid took 6 classes through freshman year, with the 6th course being an arts course. DC uses the arts course as a ābreakā from the standard coursework. But by ābreak,ā I do not mean that the workload is necessarily lighterāCaliKid invests a lot of effort in those classesābut CaliKid enjoys such classes immensely and views them as an opportunity to focus on self. Similar to what @skieurope suggests, I would not suggest loading up with a 6th academic class at this juncture.
At Choate, and maybe other schools, a sixth course must be approved by the advisor who will help the student determine if itās a good idea and, if so, which type of course might be a workable addition.
Re-read post #575.
Currently a senior. It ultimately depends on what classes she is already taking and what course she is planning on adding. As CaliPops said, some students take art courses as a 6th course to get graduation requirements out of the way. If it is a core subject or otherwise time-intensive course like Religion and Philosophy, she may be biting off more than she can chew. There is no one correct answer, and her adviser will be a great resource in deciding if this is the right choice (like Choate, Andover requires the adviserās go-ahead for all schedule changes).
Just to clarify, this point is moot as the student is a 9th grader, which blocks her out of any Philosophy & Religion class.
Itās also important to note that approval for a sixth course is also dependent upon factors other that student readiness; itās subject to schedule and space availability, so the class she might want to add may not even be an option at this point.