@flavor: I thought that Exeter students had to take a placement test beforehand. I’m not sure though, so don’t quote me on this.
Correct; there is a math placement test. I would not worry about it until after you have been admitted, though.
@flavor Exeter math Dept. is pretty good at placement, they look at SSAT scares, math placement test results, recommendation from your current math teacher, and recommend a starting placement. From there many kids move up or down at the beginning of the term, or between terms. The math Dept. is very kind, and tries to challenge students but not overwhelm them. My D tried moving up a level for a few weeks first term, then moved back to where she had been placed. You can also choose to accelerate over summers if you want to work on problem sets then. Most kids are very comfortable and happy with their math level, and there are many, many different choices.
The curriculum is not divided into traditional algebra/geometry/precalc/calc. The problem sets are a mixture of all of the above, and just get harder as you go on. The most advanced students frequently come having completed BC calc, and may start at 23X or 31X which moves you through a quick review of Exeter problem based math learning (there are no text books) and pretty quickly into multivariable calculus, linear algebra. Or you can branch out into statistics,discrete math, modeling competitions, or advanced computer science. There are 2-3 years of graduate level math that many students take, theoretical/proof based, so don’t fear you will run out of potential courses or cool professors. Drs. Wolfson, Feng and Ibbotson are some we know who are great. A few mathy kids do work at MIT on Saturdays, and one just won a Davidson fellowship for his theoretical math work at RSI last summer. Some, but not most math kids like competitive math and are on the math team.
All the problem sets are listed on the math Dept.page, along with the placement tests. It is obviously to your advantage to place at the level you are actually at, so follow the directions when you take the exam.
@2prepMom Thank you for your detailed answer. I was bit worried because my friend’s cousin once went to a quite good boarding school with a 5 on the Calc BC exam, and they still placed him in Calc BC even though they offered higher courses.
Sorry about the double post, I have another related question. What math class are students typically in at Exeter? I know in most public high schools, freshman typically take Algebra 1, etc. I know that the courses are different, but similarities can obviously be drawn between Exeter’s courses and typical high school courses. Do most students take Calculus, and if so, what grade?
@flavor My advice would be not to worry about math placement, based on my daughters personal experience, but you could call the Exeter math Dept. if you would like to ask them? My D was highly accelerated in math and loved the math program, in fact that was one of the main determinants of her choice to go.
Math at Exeter can be very challenging if that is what you are looking for. I have never heard a student complain they are not being challenged enough (and I know some pretty mathy types). There are tracks within math, and once you find your place (with the help of great faculty), you can still move up or down depending on your interest and ability, say by working on a problem pack over the summer to move up, or dropping down a level during a challenging term.
Best way to understand the math levels is to look at the Level 1, 2 and 3 problem sets on the Math Dept. webpage (corresponding to the 100, 200, 300 classes). Many Exeter students come in with enriched/accelerated math backgrounds, place somewhere in that continuum, and proceed as rapidly as they care to through the more advanced math offerings. It is all problem based learning, and algebra, geometry, precalc are woven together from the beginning. College level math (the 400 series) has many different levels of challenge depending on your level of interest, including several levels of calculus and other college math choices. After 400 level, there are 3-4 more full years of additional math taught, through graduate student level proof based and theoretical math.
The AP curriculum does not apply, Exeter states “course offerings extend well beyond AP curricula”. Many students take AP tests, however, and most score 5 (you can check the score distributions on the college counseling “info for colleges” document). Exeter helped develop AP in the 1970s, but when AP restricted what could be taught to only AP approved curriculum, they dropped out of the program.