<p>Did you do the Access Exeter or the Summer School? My son was in the AcExeter and was in Abbott.</p>
<p>A short dorm guide from a four year Exeter senior. Keep in mind that this is one perspective from one person! Hope it helps, though!</p>
<p>The most important thing to remember no matter what dorm you end up in is that very few people choose to switch dorms during their time at Exeter. Most find their first and closest friends within the dorm, regardless of which dorm they are in, and choose to stay there with those people. Dorm life is close and it seems difficult to go wrong in which dorm you choose - and most people don't choose at all. Some dorms hold different stereotypes, but they change over the years and no stereotype is consistent throughout the dorm - there are always exceptions. The most important rule is that everyone, everyone, everyone will find a place at Exeter. Don't try to add up these dorm reputations and attach a singular stereotype to Exeter as a whole - there is every type of person here, and then a few more. This is just a streetmap if you want to know a little more about where you might live. These statements are one person's perspective, and if there are ever legitimate stereotypes they change dramatically from year to year. All of that aside, here are a few words on each of the dorms</p>
<p>Also, North side is slightly more artsy, South side is slightly more athletic and preppy, though plenty of lines are crossed. North side is close knit by dorm, while south side is more close knit by personallity type. South, better proximity to the gym and library, north side, better proximity to academic buildings and the academy center. </p>
<p>--- South Side ---
Girls
Dunbar - One of the largest dorms on campus. Home to a wide spectrum of people. Not quiet like someone suggested, but I don't think it's terribly loud (no dorm is known to be very loud, though.) Yes, eating disorders, drugs and alcohol are known to circulate thorugh here, but mostly because of the sheer size of the dorm.
Bancroft - There are close relationships within the dorm, but most Bancroft people branch out and find their own seperate groups of friends outside of the dorm as well. I believe Bancroft's reputation for being cliquey is highly antiquated...it died out in my first or second year at Exeter. Most bancroft girls who I know are very friendly, relaxed and down to earth, a few might fit well in amen or dunbar.
Amen - The most beautiful and luxurious girls' dorm. Also is home to a very specific group of people. Generally speaking: pretty, wealthy, blonde, preppy. Expensive drugs practically ran thorugh the pipes there a while back, but it's definitely toned down now. They are generally very friendly and nice people, but you may want to consider if you would 'fit in' here as it has one of the most consistent images of any of the girls' dorms.
McConnell - All singles. Very close dorm, sometimes to the point where people don't branch out. They are mostly quiet people who keep close friendships. The walls are very thin! The dorm is unattractive on the outside, the rooms are somewhat small. Most people there are very happy, though.
----North Side---
Hoyt - Pretty athletic, fairly quiet. Big rooms, good location. Somewhat close but people also branch out. A mixed bag of people.
Langdell - Exetremely close-knit dorm, extremely nice and friendly people. Langdell has to be one of the most inclusive dorms, a very welcoming place for new students as a result. There is a signature "langdell table" in wetherell!
Merrill - They spread out a bit more. Seems sort of nondescript to me, probably because there a lot of hard workers in this dorm. Everyone here seems a little bit quiet but also extremely nice.
Lamont - Definitely off beat, home to many artsy and drama people who read fantasy novels and watch anime. A little bit divided from the rest of the campus community, but this off kilter group is large, close, and self sustaining. The female portion is centeralized in Lamont.
Wheelwright - A lively place, not the most tight knit dorm but it has become more so over the years. Pretty nice, mainstream and clean people.</p>
<p>Boys
---South Side---
Cilley - Very wealthy, pretty athletic, nice dorm. The closest you'll come to a male equivilant to amen. Known for the tradition of "C-ball," a cross between volleyball and handball.
Wentworth - Super athletic, a haven for postgrad athletes, athletes, and more athletes...must have something to do with the proximity to the gym.
Webster - Sort of split between athletic people and some very intellectual geeky guys, but has the best of both worlds, it seems.
---North Side---
Peabody - A sort of physically unattractive dorm, but with a very close group of people. A diverse dorm in personallities yet the dorm is well bonded. A beautiful dogwood tree blooms in the spring just outside the dorm!
Ewald - Has a record of housing some very interesting characters and memorable people in the Exeter community. A tight dorm. In an unfortunately obscure location next to Main Street. Not the most pretty dorm inside, but the rooms are nice and many have lofts that you can climb up into.
Main Street - Probably the most tight of the boys dorms. A lot of bright thinkers live here. They play a lot of quad ball, which is nearly identical to C-Ball, that makes main street into a little more of a cult. Also has lofts like Ewald, but is a physically nicer dorm.
Soule - Has changed a lot over the last four years, so that all I can say is that they're generally pretty close, the rooms are decent, and that it's a musical bunch. The school radio station, WPEA, has a legacy of Soule DJ's.
Abbot - Hard workers, too nondescript and diverse to attach stereotypes to. Is known for having nice dorm faculty.</p>
1 Like
<p>Wow, mikira, that was awesome! I've been looking for something like this... Obviously, I am just applying, but I'm trying to find EVERYTHING out about Exeter. So thanks!</p>
<p>emythewise, are you applying for ninth grade this year?</p>
<p>No, 10th grade next year ('09-'10). I missed the deadline in January and wasn't prepared to leave my family (or my family wasn't ready to leave me!!) at age 14 in 9th grade.
My mother's more open about it now, and I'm getting the earliest head start possible.</p>
<p>Hoyt sounds like the dorm for me!
or McConnell because of all the singles.</p>
<p>Lamot sounded like me lolā¦ Wait, why do I care? Iām not going to Exeter.</p>
<p>Hmmā¦ I stayed at Hoyt for summer school and I liked it. I liked that it was close to the academic buildings, and the faculty was nice. Merrill and Langdell sound nice as well. Or should I go south side? I am not at all preppy, athletic, and rich, so maybe Amen and Dunbar arenāt the best? No one stayed in Lamont during summer school, but it looked sort of creepy because it was next to the infirmary.</p>
<p>Also, lilly, what were those passageways like?</p>
<p>AMEN HAS AN ELEVATOR. <3</p>
<p>musisat, that whole preppy-athletic-rich concept isnāt entirely true anyways, and they change from year-to-year. wherever youāre placed, iām sure youāll be fine. take what mikira said with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>can new preps request a dorm?</p>
<p>What about the houses? Iāll be a new upper in the fall, and would like to know what the houses are like since Iāll probably end up in oneā¦</p>
<p>my sister lives in a house. theyāre very nice.</p>
<p>I live in a house too, though itās not at any boarding school. :D</p>
<p>Mikiraās post is fairly accurate. Iād add that Merrill tends to stay very tightly knit, far more than McConnell. Main St. bros are also very tightā¦tend to stick together. Amenās rep is now completely inaccurate since '09 graduated. A lot swimmers in there. Dunbar is not an eating disorder/drug dorm. The drugs were a fun rumor from our prep year, and they inherited two girls with edās from Amen and Bancroft over the past couple years. Drugs and disorders are by no means prevalent, and they do not characterize any dorm. And Dunbar is <em>very</em> loud. Whoever said it was quiet must have been confusing it with McConnell, because Dunbar is the loudest dorm on campus. Bancroft is not nearly as cliquey as it used to be.</p>
<p>All that being said, do NOT pick a dorm. The magical dorm assignment process is almost infallible, and if you happen to be one of the very few kids they mess up, you can move out easily. Itās a lot easier to figure out where you belong once you get here.</p>
<p>Rad, which house does your sister live in? Has she mentioned anything specific about it? Would you mind asking her? :p</p>
<p>So I guess we canāt choose our dorms or even put in a preference? I just hope I get a roommate. That would be nice, but the other factors donāt matter as much.</p>
<p>Gould. sheās a senior ive said too much o.o</p>
<p>Homg lol rad, on revisit day I was trying to figure out who was your sister so I could be all āI know your sister! On the internet! Under a random screen name! For 4 monthsā¦!ā LOL creepy, I knowww >.<</p>
<p>creeper lol
i told her yesterday to look out for some crazy abnormal folks and thatād be you lot 
u shouldāve run down Main St in a giant lion costume, then sheād know :P</p>
<p>Thatād definitely be us, bwoo ha ha >B Except I should totally do that next time!! All I did yesterday was carry around a fail umbrella (it got in the shape of some weird origami thing and opened randomly)</p>