Ask About Andover

Prep School Admissions
741

First, I agree with CaliPops.

Next, my kids were deciding between two small schools and Andover. They came from a large public school with over 100 per grade. They had a close knit group of very diverse friends and were worried about building new friendships at BS (like CaliPops kid, my kids were not typical middle schoolers). Initially they only were looking at small schools thinking they wanted support of smaller community and close knit feeling. However, in the end, they decided they would have a better chance of meeting like-minded peers at a larger school. They definitely have found a group of extremely supportive friends at PA (and they still have their friends from home). I don’t know if that would have happened at a smaller school.

When it comes to teacher support, they do meet with teachers during conference periods, get help via email from teachers, and use the campus writing center (help from older students) and go to group study sessions with teachers and other student leaders. They get plenty of one-on-one support. However, at Andover, while teachers and house counselors are somewhat helpful, I could not imagine a teacher inviting a student or a group of students to their house to eat cookies and discuss a book.

The larger school also means that there are enough kids to sustain a great variety of clubs and activities with kids that have talent in those areas (who they also learn from).

742

Once you click “SayYesToAndover” and paid the initial deposit online, will you receive some confirmation email/mail? When do we sign the contract? Thanks!

743

For current and past students: what was your favorite class at Andover, and why?

744

HSS-530 - International Relations, taught by the very knowledgeable Chris Gurry. He was just a font of knowledge and instilled this enthusiasm in the students. Not an easy teacher, but very fair Sadly this info will be of no use to you because he retired before I graduated and the course was dropped.

745

very loose and deceptively simple question: do you love it at andover? and not just the academics or the sports, which of course will be rigorous and fabulous. but do you wake up every day and think “ugh, another day at school,” or “thank god i came here.” do you have great memories with great people? are you excited to come back to school after break? did you have fun there? if you’ve graduated, do you look back on your time there fondly and with nostalgia? just curious

746

@privateschool21 this is fairly normal, especially with Art courses. I got turned away from my top 3 art courses, but I had a fourth backup that I did get. It’s a great class! Sometime you win, sometimes you lose I guess.

@livelaughxc Hookup culture seems to be prevalent, but it doesn’t seem to be any worse than other schools. At least at Andover, kids have better things to do than hook up (homework!). Andover is a fairly liberal school, with liberal students that oppose the hookup culture. I don’t want to imply that they exaggerate its existence, but being growth-driven people, they target the hookup culture as something Andover can improve on. It’s arguably a strength that it’s talked about so much at Andover.

@theswami the dorms with drugs tend to be the large dorms closest to campus. If students surround themselves with the right people, drugs should not be an issue.

@denvermanning Andover students are both academically, athletically and socially adept. Many kids do various extracurriculars that are extremely impressive, almost annoyingly so. But this is definitely a strength, Andover kids have the passion, intellect, and determination to do great things. For example, I’m pretty sure Andover is the only high school that has a TED conference. In clubs, students can have remarkably in-depth conversations because people either know their stuff, or want to learn. For example, none of our clubs really have coaches/instructors because the students can fill that role themselves. The best part is, even if kids are totally new to something in freshman year, many of those kids become leaders by their senior year.

@ffsophiar there seems to be a common consensus among alumni that Andover made a positive impact on their lives. Students know that Andover will help them, and see this vindicated throughout their four years. Unlike any other high school, everything works completely smoothly, from smartboards to hot water, and the school does everything it can to make sure students excel academically. Some students (claim to) suffer with mental health (but literally every high school student seems to), and they see counseling. Andover has good resources for this, including three or four counselors at the wellness center. Again, this issue is hardly exclusive to Andover, and I must I add, not a problem that affects me (so please excuse any insensitive remarks).

747

@KnightsDude Thanks for the prompt reply, but this wasn’t the kind of answer i was looking for. thanks anyways, it’s good to know that people liked andover

748

@ffsophiar - Just a parent here, but based on my past discussions with DC, I think you’re asking in part for an either/or response to a question that at least my kid would likely not answer that way.

Does my child think on some days, “uh, another day at school”? Yes, especially around finals time. Does my child think every day, “thank god i came here”? Also, yes, especially in view of the great friendships developed. Is my child absolutely ready to come home and relax at the end of the term? Yes. Is my child absolutely ready to go back to school after the summer is over. Also, yes. Could my child talk all day about things they love about Andover. Yes. Are there things that my child wishes Andover would do differently and finds frustrating? Yes.

Given the option for a redo, would my kid change their mind regarding school selection. Not a chance. Apart from family, Andover is probably the last thing my kiddo would ever want to give up. I think the reality for my kid, at least, is that the school is designed to be challenging, and that means not every day will be roses. But that was understood at the outset, and the friendships, community, culture, experiences, independence, and opportunities for growth make my child love PA. It’s love, but not blind love. And like a marriage, it requires some work, and you’re not always going to agree with the object of your affection.

749

@wilsonmago My information is a couple of years old, but we did receive a confirmation email of the deposit payment at the time. PA uses a different system now than then, but I assume you would still receive a deposit confirmation email. If you haven’t received a confirmation of some kind, you might want to inquire. (Disclaimer: I’m relatively neurotic about stuff like that.) About the contract, we signed in mid-to-late April, and we received some emails before then letting us know further information about enrollment would be coming soon. For us, May 1st was the day our kiddo got access to the PA network and received action items for things like a housing questionnaire, assessment tests, class selection, among other things.

750

@CaliPops perfect answer, thank you so much. of course all high school experiences are going to be bittersweet but if your kid loves the place, that’s good enough for me

751

My son’s math class was invited to the math teachers house for a pancake breakfast during class once. It was a great morale booster!

752

So, back to my math questions.

How challenging is math?

Are they word problems?

753

You will never find yourself unchallenged in math. For those that aren’t that into math, there are sequences that are more leisurely paced. But make no mistake, no sequence will be easy.

754

When will I receive my placement tests?

755

I believe placement tests go out in the beginning of May, to be completed by June 1st

756

How is the cell service at andover? What are the strongest/worst providers? I’ve heard about a couple more rural schools having bad connection with certain providers.

757

Cell phone coverage is fine;it’s not Hotchkiss after all. :smiley:

758

Side note
@skieurope I thought the Hotchkiss comments re cell coverage was hyperbole until I experienced it
I’m shocked they haven’t built a tower or put repeaters somewhere. Coverage is shockingly bad
during our visit I had to make a work call and I was roaming the halls trying to find a signal
so funny and crazy all at once. All I was thinking was “holy s&!t it is true.” As a parent, it moved up a notch on the list.

759

any new students get housing information yet? Thanks!

760

I have a question about the departure date during the break. For example, on the calendar of 2018-2019, 11/16/2018, 12/14/2018, and 3/1/2019, were marked as dorms close. When do the students have to leave the campus? On these dates or one day after these dates? Thanks!