<p>Thank you very much PEAteacher and tuesdayair. I hope I get to experience that too!!!</p>
<p>Okay, here are a couple of random questions: I noticed that robes were on the list of items to bring to school…do you know if the boys actually wear robes to the bathrooms? I’ve heard from friends with children at other boarding schools that hardly any of them wear robes, mostly towels or boxers…lame concern, I realize, but wait until you hear my second one: What do they use to carry their shampoo, razors, etc…into the shower? I am assuming it should be waterproof…I remember using a cute little pink bucket in college, but does anyone have any suggestions for boys?</p>
<p>When I went to camp at stanford last year I carried all my toiletries (spelling?) in a small tubaware thing. Planning on doing that at exeter :)</p>
<p>My brother at BS uses a blue plastic shower caddy. It’s hard and waterproof with holders for soap, shampoo, etc. I think he got it at Bed, Bath and Beyond. He does not attend Exeter, but another prep school like it. You also probably order something online like [url=<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Tote-Basket-with-Handle-Clear/dp/B000QY9FL0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1249958793&sr=1-3]this.[/url”>http://www.amazon.com/Tote-Basket-with-Handle-Clear/dp/B000QY9FL0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1249958793&sr=1-3]this.[/url</a>] I would just avoid getting something made out of cloth or fabric. </p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Thanks, “isyn” and “wc.” I’ll have to look at BBandB. Any thoughts on whether to purchase a robe??!!</p>
<p>I’ve always found it strange that they list robes as items to bring to school. I’ve seen a boy wear a robe in the dorm ONCE. A prep. He got weird looks and never wore it again. What you’ve heard reflects what I’ve observed: boys who go take a shower wear either boxers or a towel wrapped around their waist (keep in mind that the walk from room to bathroom is usually somewhere between three and ten steps). As for carrying their stuff, most kids have some sort of plastic bucket. I believe they sell more macho-looking versions of your little pink bucket…</p>
<p>What would you say the general atmosphere seems like around Exeter? (Sorry if this has been asked before; I vaguely remember something like this.) One person who visited described it as “tense” and “stressed”. To what degree do you think this is true (if it is at all)? Also, how much/is there any of that “elitist” feeling that people seem to find at many boarding schools?</p>
<p>Thanks, PEAteacher, tuesdayair, and everyone else for taking your time to answer all these!</p>
<p>No robes. Not for boys.
However - slippers are totally cool for some reason. Many of my son’s friends wore the ‘wicked good’ slippers (ll bean) around the dorm instead of shoes come winter term. Get the kind with the rubber on the sole. They are really comfortable and warm after long days of walking through freezing slush.</p>
<p>Thanks, liddyb4!! I checked out wicked good slippers on the llbean website, they are very highly rated and reviewed. They offer many style choices: moccasins, moc boots, scuffs, slippers, slip ons, etc…most of them have the obdura rubber sole, which one does your son like?</p>
<p>I guess I live in the… less refined dorm, as I can’t remember seeing slippers (mostly bare feet, socks, or flip-flops). lemons.can.fly, I think the atmosphere on a typical weekday would be better described as “intense.” People are busy. There’s no doubt that there will be times when you’re stressed (same for your teachers), but there are also lots of times when the atmosphere is relaxed (as in the dorm at night, in the dining hall, on weekends, etc.).</p>
<p>I came to Exeter from a very different school and was worried about kids being too preppy and snotty for my tastes, but was pleasantly surprised. As I think I’ve said before, most kids at Exeter strike me as remarkably “normal,” or exactly the way you expect teenagers everywhere to be. You’ll find the occasional kid with an attitude, but most are perfectly regular, down-to-earth kids.</p>
<p>lemons.can.fly - I know that the stereotype for boarding school is often elitist and snobby, but right from my first day on campus, I felt people were really down to earth and open.</p>
<p>And about slippers - I don’t know about other dorms, but my dorm’s floors got really cold in the winter! Socks and flip flops work but slippers are fun :)</p>
<p>Mom to sports:</p>
<p>He & friends have the brown/chocolate brown moccasin. Style #TA36124.</p>
<p>Lest anyone think Wentworth ‘refined’ - even in February they wore these slippers with athletic shorts and a scrungy tshirt. Maybe just their feet were cold - I don’t know. Sometimes I have even seen the classic Exeter boy outfit of dress shirt, loosened tie, shiny athletic shorts, no socks, and furry slippers - nice look. He has actually walked out to meet my car in said outfit.</p>
<p>liddyb4, you’re the best!!! 
this sounds like it will be my son’s manner of dress as well, ever since he spied a few boys on campus wearing their shiny basketball shorts with a shirt and tie. He insists he won’t need more than one pair of khakis. I bought two pairs and one navy blazer, which I have read they only wear once a year, but oh well…I’ll make him wear it when he’s at home, too!</p>
<p>Both jeans and shorts can be worn to class. I actually can’t think of any time when preps are expected to wear khakis or blazers… tuesdayair? Uppers and seniors have a few formal events at the end of the year, but I can’t think of any for preps and lowers…</p>
<p>Thanks, PEAteacher. It is so generous of you to volunteer your time on this site, you are a fountain of knowledge for us newbie parents of boarders.</p>
<p>Preps have the dinner with Dan Brown. I can’t think of anything for the lowers, though.</p>
<p>My daughter survived prep year. What can we expect for lower? Are they the invisible forgotten kids? No longer new, yet not in that frantic upper year.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>interesting thread, photoOp…on a side note, does anyone know how many kids are in each class? Does a class increase in size every year or do they only replace students who have left?</p>
<p>Actually, returning lowers seem to thrive, possibly for the reason you point out: they’re not burdened by all the anxieties of prep year anymore and they’re not stressed out by all the demands of upper year yet (333, no electives, starting the college process…). So they’re in a great place, still wide-eyed and full of energy, but more mature and relaxed.</p>
<p>momtosportsfiend, yes, each class gets larger every year: preps make up less than one fifth of the total student population, while seniors make up nearly one third.</p>
<p>My son is entering Exeter as a new lower in the fall. We’re going shopping for school clothes soon and I appreciate all the discussions about clothing for boys. I’m sure glad I got clued in on the whole bathrobe thing! My son doesn’t wear jeans or athletic shorts so I’m planning on buying mostly chinos. I’m trying to figure out how many pairs of pants and how many shirts to buy. We signed up for the laundry service so I’m thinking he’s going to need at least 10 of each. Are button down dress shirts what most boys wear to class? Ties are far more expensive than I imagined. How many of those does your average boy need? We’re going to start hitting the outlets this weekend. Thanks for any help anyone can offer.</p>