Wait really? Male privilege… (Just kidding). I just know that in Paul Revere/Day Hall (Flagstaff upperclassmen girls dorms) singles were very hard to come by! Apologies
Can you talk about the boys junior dorms? How many students are in each of the junior Abbot houses? What are the pro and cons of being in the Abbot cluster?
Pro: most beautiful cluster, IMO; proximity to center of town; small dorms (~7-13 students per dorm)
Con: distance from the rest of campus.
The reality is, though, the best cluster is the one that you are in. 
So go in with that in mind.
I’d say that a pro of Abbot cluster is that I know a really nice kid who will be there :). I like the idea that the best cluster is the one you are in. I think all the walking will be good for him.
Can you tell me about freshman (junior) dorms for guys? How many students in each of the dorms? Do they have required study hours?
Here are all (I’m pretty sure, although I might have missed one) of the freshman guys dorms:
Rockwell (WQN/WQS~this is technically two dorms, Rockwell South and Rockwell North, but it’s really just one dorm):
Usually has around 40 guys, the largest freshman boys dorm by far. Located in the quads, so you have to
cross Main St. to get to the main campus, but it’s only about a 3-4 minute walk.
America House (ABB): Mid-size dorm, around 15 guys.
Bertha Bailey (ABB): Around 10 guys.
French House (ABB): Around 10 guys. Although it’s in Abbot, French house is one of the closest dorms in Abbot, located right next to the chapel and near GW (George Washington Hall).
Pemberton Cottage (WQN): Around 10 guys.
Draper Cottage (ABB): Around 10 guys.
Most of the dorms in Abbot are a little ways away from the main campus, but some people like the smaller community rather than a large dorm. They’re also closer to downtown, which can be a plus.
I’m not sure which dorms have which, but the rooms will be a mixture of singles, doubles, and triples. The smaller dorms tend to have more singles, I believe. The three-room-doubles are always really popular, because you each have your own bedroom as well as a shared common space.
There are study hours beginning at 8pm, and from then on you have to either be in the dorm or signed out to a “place of study” (i.e. library (not until spring term for freshman), any of the academic buildings). This applies to all grades. In the dorms, it’s supposed to be quieter during study hours, but this is more enforced with freshman than the other grades. They’re called study hours, but nobody actually forces you to study. It just has to be a study-friendly environment for everyone. Freshman have lights out at 11pm. The internet never cuts out though, which is good.
I hope this helped!
Also, if you don’t know, these are the abbreviations for the different clusters. Forgot about that.
ABB - Abbot
FLG - Flagstaff
PKN - Pine Knoll
WQN - West Quad North
WQS - West Quad South
As a parent of an incoming junior, I have a question. We are thrilled about the intellectual atmosphere, deep sense of community, and extraordinary education Phillips Academy provides. My question is this…is there anyone looking out for the physical and emotional well-being of these still young 9th graders? Can you just skip breakfast? Does anyone notice if they have a runny nose? Will they get enough sleep? This question may be beyond your scope of experience, but just wanted to ask. Thanks.
How does the college admission process work? Do they offer much assistance and guidance?
Also, how may extracurricular activities should I sign up for? I want to get involved, but still have time to study and sleep.
Hi there! If you’re a student or parent who will be new to Andover this fall, or just someone who’s interested in the school, this is the thread for you (cliche, I know).
I’m an upper (11th grader) at PA (or I will be, in one week! 
), and I came in as a new lower last year. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about campus life, classes, sports, music, clubs, food, the different types of trees we have on campus, or anything else that crosses your mind. I’ll do my best to answer them, in as much detail as I can!
While being a student at Andover involves accepting a certain amount of responsibility and independence, there will be many people who truly care about your child and will be looking out for her/him. House counselors in the dorms are sort of like “parents away from home.” They’ll always ask you how you’re doing, and are always available to talk about anything. Teachers and house counselors might approach you if you look unwell or particularly tired, and if you’re struggling with something, whether it be time management or a personal issue, they’ll offer you advice. You also have periodic meetings with your advisor, who will check up on how you’re doing, academically and personally. You can schedule meetings with them at any time as well.
There are also a number of wellness resources around campus that your child can go to. Currently all the counselors are located in Graham House, but beginning in Spring term, Graham House and Isham (medical center) are merging to form the Sykes Wellness Center. Counselors are always available to talk, and the conversations are completely confidential (unless the student talks about something potentially harmful to themselves or others).
Freshman also have prefects, uppers who live in the freshman dorms. While I was never a junior at Andover myself, I have many friends who were juniors, as well as friends who were prefects. The prefects are sort of like big-sisters/brothers and help the freshman out a lot. The uppers choose to be prefects, so they definitely really care about all the juniors and their well-being. Freshman also have lights-out at 11pm, and most tend to actually go to bed at that time, so they usually get enough sleep. Time management can always be an issue, but if your child manages their time well (I suggest some homework on Saturdays :)), getting enough sleep is usually manageable.
I’m an upper, so I’m just entering into the realm of college counseling this year, but I do know some things about the process. About halfway through upper year, you get assigned a college counselor. You work with them to compile a list of colleges that you should apply to. They’re very knowledgable about the whole admissions process, so they can usually answer any questions you have. I believe you also work with your advisor on colleges. It depends on how well you click with your college counselor, but most students find the whole process very helpful.
How many ec’s you do is a personal preference, and depends a lot on how well you manage your time. If you tend to do all your homework before you watch Netflix, for example, you might be able to handle more activities than if you procrastinate a lot. However, freshman and lower years are the best times to get involved or try something new, as you’ll have to dedicate more time to homework and studying upper year.
I’ve found this also depends on what sport you’re doing that term. In the fall and spring, I did less time consuming sports, like intramural soccer and dance, so I had more time. I was able to do an extra club and some community service. In the winter, however, I did JV swimming, which took up a lot more time, so I didn’t participate in as many other activities. Some clubs meet 3 times a week for an hour, and some just meet 45 minutes per week. Last year, I probably averaged around 2 hours per day, 5 days a week for extra curricular’s, and I didn’t feel too overwhelmed.
Hi I was wondering what happens on the day of welcoming new students since I’m a bit nervous about it and what’s to come. I know that all the Blue Keys are there and it looks like a lot of fun. Thanks!
Welcoming day (Friday, this year) is a ton of fun. The Blue Keys are standing on the corner by Main St. cheering, screaming, etc. as new students drive up. Once you move in (or started to, at least) there’s a welcome lunch in the cage, which is by the gym. There’s a couple of open houses going on throughout the day. Sometime in the afternoon, all the students meet the Blue Keys on the great lawn. You divide up by cluster, and meet your Blue Key. There’s a bunch of “get to know each other” games, and the Blue Keys teach you some school cheers. It’s pretty fun. Next is a reception for students and parents with cookies and stuff, and then the parents have to leave campus. You have dinner with your Blue Key group and then meet with your advisor for class scheduling. That’s pretty much it for the first day!
@oak2maple: I feel compelled to address your concerns as you are practically exactly where I was a few years ago when my child started as a 9th grader. As @qwertyem564 pointed out, the supporting system of the school is comprehensive and tested over time, so you should rest assured that there are resources to address just about any issue your kid might run into throughout his/her time in Andover. That said, it’s important for you as the parent to stay on top of things especially in her first year (or longer depending on how quickly she could reach the satisfactory level of maturity), and remind her to advocate for herself if she needs any help. Realize that the first part of my above advice can be overdone rather easily while the second part is typically harder than you’d expect. We are caring parents and that’s why our kids do so well, but BS is a new journey where we parents need to learn and adapt as well as the kid, so trying to find that line acceptable to yourself, your kid and the school is important and always tricky. Most of the Andover kids as I know are pretty strong with high tolerance for their age. When facing difficulties, they’d rather endure and/or fight on their own than asking for help. Despite the school authority’s repeatedly asking the students to speak up if they need help, they just don’t do as often as they should.
The “hands-on” level of dorm parents can vary widely. Most of them are teaching and coaching in addition to being dorm parents. Some of them are young faculty members who don’t have kids (so would they notice your kiddo’s runny nose? They may or they may not), and some have young kids that need their extra attention. Things can become fluid in the level of individual attention one gets outside classroom. You might get more than one reminders in dorm meetings about the importance of having breakfast, but I don’t think you will be “caught” if you skip breakfast. For 9th graders, there’s a required lights out time, but sometimes kids just turn the lights back on to finish their work. Unfortunately, procrastination and staying up late is pretty common among BS students. They will have ample opportunities to hear adults telling them how important to get enough sleep, but in general no one will “tuck them in”.
From our experience, Isham Health Center is very good with caring and highly approachable medical professionals. Of course, it doesn’t ease the pain of not being able to be at your kid’s bedside to take care of her when she’s sick. As a matter of fact, that was the only time when I thought BS might not be a good idea after all. Then if it ever happens to your kid, it’s probably rare anyway. Kids try not to go to the clinic because if they have a fever they will be quarantined until the fever is under control, which obviously will ‘mess up’ their schedule. Encourage them to seek medical help and don’t try to tough it out if the symptoms persist after some Advil. They can use laptop and do homework while they are in Isham, and they are provided special nutritious meals.
I’m not sure how comforting my post is to you. What I tried to do is to give you an objective account of our experience. Generally speaking, Andover is for kids who are relatively more able and independent in their age group, but no one is expecting them to be super kid. Check with your kid often, keep in touch with the advisors, and encourage them to ask for help if needed (and remember sometimes asking once is not enough). He/she will be fine. Welcome to join the Andover family, and good luck!
@panpacific @qwertyem564 Thank you so much for your detailed replies. It gives me great comfort to know our family will be joining a community that includes helpful and wise members such as yourselves.
One more question… and this you may of gotten before regarding the school in topic…in my opinion my son is a strong student who has always been at the top of his class, is quite talented in his area of expertise, and is mature for his age. At Andover, is this the norm? Will he have to get used to now being in the middle or even the bottom of his class? Do kids who were “stars” at their middle schools enter each year and learn to adjust? Is it possible to be the leader of a club with so many other talented options? I guess I’m wondering about the “pressure cooker” atmosphere you hear about and the competitive atmosphere, and how this will effect him.
I want to say yes. I am sure you have read your son’s class profile when he’s admitted. A class with a high average of SSAT scores and class ranking like that is a strong class by any measure. If you are, like many other families, looking to stimulate and help your son grow with new challenges and give him the opportunities to learn not only from the best teachers but also from peers just as smart and motivated as he is, this is the right place. That said, “at the top of his class”, “quite talented” and “mature” are qualifying factors tied to one’s current circumstances. Kids with these qualities are not all equally well prepared as each other. “top of class” in one school in a corner of the country may mean very different academic readiness than their counterpart in another. Generally (there are exceptions of course), I find kids from suburbs and private schools of NE, CA and NY/NJ are better prepared than kids from other areas with similar class standing. But, we are talking about the starting point of a 4 year tenure. Kids during this period grow and change a lot. And I’ve witnessed significant “reshuffling” over the 4 years. Kids who are very advanced in the beginning may run out of steam sooner than they realize and end up so-so while some kids who take it slow in the beginning can grow stronger and faster later and finish off with flying colors.
Another consideration is that the student body at Andover is highly diversified. While a good number of “well-rounded” kids are admitted, there are lopsided talents whose strengths are not necessarily in academics or all academic subjects. There are kids from disadvantaged background who are qualified academically but are however in the lower end academically among the admitted students but admitted under the school’s holistic admission process to meet the school’s institutional needs (most notably, diversity and athletics). Based on the two factors as stated above, if you son’s strength is academics and he will be able to keep his focus while he’s in Andover, it’s unlikely he will be in the “bottom of his class”. It’s possible that for a period of time or longer, he may be in the middle of his class and that is OK. For 9th graders, there will be an adjustment especially if he’s not coming from a rigorous private school. In addition, he may find himself not to be “the best” on many things as he used to be. And sometimes he may feel he’s not good at anything which of course is not true. Of course, one thing to learn is that there are indeed some people out there who are stronger and better than you are no matter how you slice it. Tough as it is for a young teen who are used to being the best, it is actually a life lesson one should learn sooner or later.
It is possible to become the leader of one or more clubs even with so many talents vying for those positions. There are many student organizations and many leadership positions. As a 9th grader, he has the advantage of getting involved in the activities he’s interested in early and having more time to work his way up. Don’t be discouraged by those who seem so better at something than you are. There are more opportunities than the number of “super” talents.
As for “pressure cooker”, I think most of the pressure is self-imposed. The kids have high expectations of themselves and they also know their parents, teachers and friends from back home are “watching”. While the competitions for top grades and leadership positions in EC can get intense at times, from our experience the students by and large are courteous and collaborative with each other. The upper (extending to late lower and early senior) year can provide so many opportunities and challenges, and becomes stressful to many kids who aim high in college admission. Parents should help manage expectations and help with logistics when there is so much in their plate.
Hope this helps in some way.
Can you tell us about the cluster system? Do you get to know most people in your cluster? Do most people stay in the same cluster their whole time at Andover or is it common to move around? Does each cluster have its’ own personality?
I think this is definitely the norm at Andover. It’s the case for nearly everyone I know, including myself. I must admit, at the beginning, it was a change to not be at the top of my class in everything. However, even though every student here is talented and ambitious, it doesn’t really feel like a competitive environment most of the time. Everyone is very supportive of one another, and classes have sort of a “we’re all in this together” mentality. This is one of the reasons the Andover community is so great. As for leadership positions, it’s definitely possible. It just depends how much time and effort you want to dedicate to a certain club.
Hope this helped.
Sure. There are five different clusters, or mini communities, within Andover:
Pine Knoll (PKN, located near the bird sanctuary),
Flagstaff (FLG, located in central campus),
Abbot (ABB, located closest to downtown Andover),
West Quad South (WQS, located near athletic fields),
and West Quad North (WQN, also near athletic fields).
Each cluster has a ton of cluster pride (I’ve heard PKN has the most spirit, but maybe I’m biased ;)), but they don’t really have their own “personalities.” You get to know everyone in your cluster a little better than the rest of the school, perhaps. There are cluster events, like munches and such, that are good opportunities for cluster bonding. Many people (including myself) choose to stay in the same cluster during their time here, but many also opt to enter the dorm lottery to switch clusters. Most commonly, people switch between their freshman and lower years, but it’s also possible to switch between other years. It’s easier to switch clusters if you have a friend in a different cluster that “pulls you in” to share a room.