@harry
Dorms are one of the very best things about Exeter, because most kids stay in the same dorm all 4 years. The upperclass students put a lot of effort into “adopting” the preps, and in turn as you become a more experienced student you will help the younger students along. It makes a big place feel a lot more like home. The advisors live in the dorms with you or nearby, and there are many dorm-oriented activities, especially during orientation and early in the year.
Each dorm’s personality changes to reflect the current students, and so year to year it is hard to characterize them. Some are closer to the gym, and so are preferred by athletes, but otherwise there are no “bad dorms”. Typically preps live in doubles and upperclass students have singles, but that varies a bit by dorm layout.
Day students have advantages too, especially being able to stay in dorms when invited, and being able to have guests over to their homes for a home cooked meal!
@Gryffin, I think you have 5 plus health prep fall - 1) English 2)Hx 3)math 4)bio 5) Russian. You’re good. You could add 1/3 credit music each prep term if you wanted to free up a term course later year for another elective.
@GryffinHunter: Another science option is to start with physics–an option that math/science types often take. That way you can, if you really like bio, take the 200 level sequence your lower year, then chemistry and advanced bio classes upper and senior year. Your courseload seems fine (though I agree with 2prepMom about the additional music credit)–but good luck with the little to no homework thing! 
My son opted for the introductory European History sequence and liked it so much that he took 3 terms of it (and the AP test in the spring just for the heck of it–and it’s a testament to Exeter’s rigor that he got an A with no studying)
@HarryYew As HeartYew pointed out I’m not sure you’ll have a choice of double or single your prep year unless you request (and get) a particular dorm that has only singles. Preps get the rooms left over after all the returning students have chosen theirs. My son, by chance, had the best of both worlds prep year–a double that had a wall dividing it into two small rooms. They shared an entrance and a closet, but had their own sleeping and study space. ( I actually don’t know if that type of room even exists anymore since his dorm was completely renovated the summer he graduated.) After his prep year, he always had a single.
I’m a big fan of just letting the dice fall where they may when it comes to dorms if you’re a prep, unless you really know and love a dorm (because family members have lived there in the past, for example). Uppers and seniors should probably let the school know if they want to live in a dorm or a house though since houses are much smaller and then to have more new uppers and seniors, which can make it easier to make friends quickly but harder to broaded your circle of friends in the long run.
Came up with yet another question. I have had a wonderful Latin teacher for the past two years and I’m currently in Latin one. I have gotten some advice to repeat Latin one due to the difficulty of the Latin programs. Is this a good idea or should I continue to Latin 2?
Can someone explain the advantages of taking physics first instead of biology?
@HarryLeggs: Exeter will send you a Latin placement test. My best advice is to follow their recommendation. Latin is tough at Exeter and it taught very differently than it is in many other schools, but they’ll place you correctly. There are options for accelerated classes as your move on, so repeating the first year of Latin won’t mean you can’t take advanced Latin later.
@heartburner: I think it’s a matter of what students might want to do later at Exeter. For that reason it can be worth studying the course catalog and mapping out a tentative 4-year schedule as Gryffin did, just to get a sense of prerequisites and how different classes might fit in the schedule down the road. People think of biology as easier than physics but–provided students have a decent background in math–I don’t think that’s necessarily true at Exeter. My kid did bio first but some of his friends prep year did physics first. My kid ended up liking physics much better than biology and I think found the work easier–mostly because he preferred problem sets to memorization. If your son has a strong interest in science, I think it can make sense to do physics first because it opens up the possibility of taking the more advanced 200-level biology sequence that is not available to preps.
@heartburn
A lot of top-tier math students will take physics prep year, and move onto 319 chemistry during lower fall. 319 is an AP chemistry course, starting from scratch, that requires a physics pre-req. Also, strong physics students in their prep year have the opportunity to move up to 208/209 in the winter and spring terms (more of a challenge).
This can be done a year later, however-- physics during lower year, chemistry 319 during upper year. It’s just that more advanced students may choose to double up biology and chemistry 319 during lower year if they’re really geared towards the sciences.
This seems like a bad idea even for those interested in science as a major in college. Such early specialization in science could come at the loss of some great liberal arts experiences when the enthusiasm for discovery and learning so many new things at a place like PEA is at its peak. I am an engineer and physician-scientist but I greatly value my exposure to a liberal arts education in college. I wish I had an opportunity to have more of this type of education in high school. Appreciation of art, literature, history, and foreign cultures makes life (and a person) interesting. Not to mention all the ECs and sports at PEA that might be looked over because of additional work devoted to more challenging science courses. I love science and always have, but there must be a balance that advisors guide students to. This is high school, not an MD-PhD program.
What is the advantage of the additional science work - is there a weighted GPA? Is it just to get AP credit to take more science courses in college?
What is the advantage of the additional history work?
No one leaves PEA without a broad base of humanities (including history, literature, religion), art/music, foreign language, math, and science. It’s actually tough to fit those electives in given the many required courses that ensure a solid liberal arts education–which is why it’s important for students who love the sound of those upper level science classes as much as my kid loved the humanities to plan that sequence carefully. No weighted GPA or AP classes (though some do take AP exams)–some students are just really passionate about science!
What if you love History and Science(+Math and English with a few languages thrown up in the mix)? I guess you just have to choose…
There is no question that my son is interested in science. When I asked him what he wants to do with his life, he told me that his career must involve experiments. He likes the discovery process. I assumed that this meant chemistry or physics, but he corrected me and reminded me that “experiments” are performed in disciplines like the arts, math, economics, computers/robotics, and philosophy (“thought experiments”). It doesn’t need to be a “hard” science.
For his own good, perhaps he should use his time at Exeter to explore the liberal arts and interesting ECs. He recently became interested in digital art and film making. He has never been exposed to fields like anthropology or sociology. I am so excited for him to be in an environment for learning and discovery, I would hate to track him into an MIT or CalTech education too soon. He comes from a science family - 6 undergraduate science or engineering degrees and 7 MDs or hard science PhDs distributed amongst his parents and grandparents. So there will be some pressure to pick a science major in college. Now might be the best time to explore the arts and humanities around the Harkness table. On top of all of this, I run a funded lab at a medical school and have reserved a place for him in the summers working with post-docs - he will get plenty of science at home.
Can someone help me understand the Winter Transition Course in Study Skills? This seems like something my son should look into, but the description appears to be more of a “remedial” course to help those struggling. Is there a stigma that comes with participating in the course? Can anyone choose to take the course?
My son lacks time management skills - homework being done right before class, frequent requests for extensions. Playing video games or on social media when homework piles up.
He needs this course now.
JV Football - My son is interested in playing football at Exeter. Will he move in sooner (August) to participate in try outs/practice? Or does he move in on Sept 6-9 like everyone else?
This affects some father-son summer plans.
The winter study skills class is primarily ( maybe entirely) for students whose grades first term put them in danger of academic warning/dismissal. I’m not sure how that’s determined now that fall term classes are pass fail, but I suspect it’s a combined recommendation of the adviser and instructors. Time management is perhaps the most important skill a student needs to thrive at Exeter–far more important than those 10 percentage points on the SSAT. Last year, the school introduced an optional study hall for preps and lowers for student who needed a distraction-free study environment in the evenings. I’m not sure whether that is still in place this year or not–maybe a current student would know.
I think I remember that my son’s roommate, who played football his prep year, was invited to school one week early for pre-season.
@GryffinHunter; Heartburner is making a good point here. As inviting as all of those advanced classes look, think of Exeter as a place to dip your toe into a variety of things that interest you and maybe an opportunity to explore some stuff you don’t know anything about yet. There’s no reason to overspecialize this early. At the same time, I think it’s a good idea to take your required classes in a timeframe that will give you maximum flexibility to take the elective you want as you move forward. That’s why I suggested that a person with an interest in the more advance math/science sequences may want to begin with physics rather than biology. Whether you actually take those classes down the road is a decision you can make year-to-year, but it’s nice to keep your options open when you can.
@heartburner
He’ll move in with everyone else. Usually only football recruits for varsity, or potential varsity athletes, are asked to come to pre-season (conditioning hours required before their first game).
Is it possible to take 6 classes?
What percentage of kids in the dorm will be new each year?
There is another thread for this.
Sometimes (Once a month or so)
Check the course of instruction for the list of other suitable activities for the Gym Requirement.
Can someone compare these dorms? Webster, Abbott, Peabody, Soule?