I’m thinking of applying to Exeter and Andover. I was wondering what a day to day schedule of a boarding student attending either school is like. (i.e. amount of time spent doing homework, hanging out with friends, music lessons, sports, extra-curriculars, class start/end times, and other stuff like that)
My time to shine! I’ve only just started freshman winter, but it’s SO MUCH FUN! I adore this place. I’ve met the closest friends I’ve ever had and classes are interesting for once. Let’s discuss.
I’d say there’s about three hours of homework a day, sometimes less if you work steadily, but most of the time I’m “working,” I’m procrastinating with friends. It’s really not as overwhelming as people say it is on this site. We also have a LOT of free time. We have hour and a half free periods, hour and a half lunch periods, fifty-minute conference periods. A hard worker can get most of their work done before school is even over.
Classes are SO SO nice. Before I came to Andover, school consisted of a lot of worksheets and lazy teachers. Now, classes are full of discussions and intelligent engaged students.
I can’t tell you anything about the sports program, because I’m in yoga. It only meets three times a week and it’s VERy relaxing if you’re not a sports person.
I LOVE hanging out with friends. We mess around in each other’s rooms in the dorm, and skate all over campus together. Weekend nights are literally the most fun I’ve ever had. We watch movies on the TV in the common room and stay up in each other’s rooms until five AM singing and joking. It’s a sleepover every night. I wake up in the morning knowing I’m going to have a great day today with them. Come to Andover if you want friends that you’ll love more than anything.
All in all, 10/10 experience so far. Would highly recommend.
@ffsophiar Wow. That sounds like an amazing and experience. Honestly, I hope I’ll get the chance to experience it. What’s been your favorite class so far?
@mondaydevil honestly i love my music theory class! i have the best teacher. oh and my french class. i’ve learned more french in french 100 in three months than from six years of mediocre public school spanish.
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I’m a lower at Exeter, and though I had a similar experience ^^ my prep year, things are definitely picking up workload wise. Still manageable, however as you add clubs and extracurriculars, free time during the day starts to disappear. I’m in 2 acapella groups, take voice lessons (just a once a week commitment), have a radio show, and train for crew year round. Im taking some notoriously demanding classes right now, so I honestly think this year might be the worst for me work-wise, and it’s definitely been a grind. I can usually get 7-8hrs of sleep by going to bed at 9:30-10 and waking up really early, but that doesn’t always happen. I do some homework for an hour or two before class, go to 4-5 classes depending on the day; go the the gym or practice depending on the season, dinner and then, if I need to, meet with friends/teachers to study, or go to the library for research for the last hour or so before check in. Wednesday and Sunday afternoons are almost entirely dedicated to extracurriculars; it gets pretty busy. Except for during the spring season, my Saturdays are completely free, and I rarely (never) do homework on Saturdays-I save them for time with friends, which I think is worth it. All in all, I think I do anywhere from 3-5 hours of homework on a normal day, but that number can go higher if I have major assignments. The workload is definitely a real thing-“not as bad as everyone says” is relative. It’s what you make of it. I never did homework the way I do now my prep year, but that’s what prep year is for. You adjust. I love Exeter, my best friends and memories are there. It’s a great time regardless.