<p>As I read through the threads, it appears that everyone at Exeter applied with a 4.5 GPA, tons of extra-curricular activities, national awards, test scores in the 100th percentile, etc.</p>
<p>BUT, I find it hard to believe that everyone who's accepted is that way.</p>
<p>Is it possible that Exeter does accept a few lazy students each year who may be extremely intelligent but bored to tears at his/her base school?</p>
<p>What of the student who struggled academically right up until the year before s/he applied at Exeter? </p>
<p>And this is no offense to anyone at all. But with it's generous financial aid and desire to create a more diverse environment, do you get the impression some of the students who benefit from this initiative are perhaps less academically successful/have fewer extra curriculars to boast of in an application perhaps b/c they had fewer opportunities than most? Or do you find that even the majority of these students arrive with 4.5 GPAs and a list of ECs that must continue to the next page?</p>
<p>Wow, I don<code>t want to be disrespectful so please don</code>t take this badly but Exeter can avoid the lazy as it is one of the most rigorous prep schools in the world.</p>
<p>“But with it’s generous financial aid and desire to create a more diverse environment, do you get the impression some of the students who benefit from this initiative are perhaps less academically successful/have fewer extra curriculars to boast of in an application perhaps b/c they had fewer opportunities than most?”</p>
<p>At the risk of seeming “touchie” on his topic, are you referring to affirmative action? Usually when “diversity” is being used people want to really speak to the fact that minority kids may get in though not as strong a candidate. I will agree that it happens at times but being private, I dont think this is a big issue at bs. It is true that some schools take kids from particular inner city programs, but there are some kids that make the cut based their qualifications and happen to bring diversity to the pot. </p>
<p>It is sad, that so many non-minority kids are shocked when their minority counterparts are as good if not better academics or sports wise than they are. </p>
<p>Kasey1971-dont buy into the hype about , 4.5 GPA, a ton of EC’s or 100% SSAT (I dont think that exist??) It just isnt true. Yes you have to be a strong student, but not perfect.</p>
<p>don’t worry- most students who say that may have a 4.5 at their old school, but Exeter’s probably tougher. 100% SSATs are impossible. Frankly, I don’t think Exeter’s that great, but there’s probably a bunch of people who would disagree with me. It’s good, but it’s not impossible to get in. Like any school, it does not accept hundreds of identical students- standing out by getting involved in an EC that isn’t part of the normal application booster is a good thing. to get into any good school, try to focus on what original about you. Trust me, they’ve heard the same old speech on “perfect GPA, class president, perfect SSATs, etc.” thousands of times. Yes, it’s good to get good grades, and have EC (you need them to get it!) but you don’t need to be perfect; you need to be original.</p>
<p>Exeter has some people who wern’t the top of the class at their old schools, but I believe they know exactly what their doing when they accept these people.</p>
<p>It depends on the student. If you can somehow prove to the admissions office that you really are not just “bright”, but are extremely talented at something, be it sports, sciences, math, humanities, it’s not impossible to get in with below average grades. Without being able to prove that to the admissions office somehow, maybe through essays (if you love to write) or getting in touch with the head of the math/science department if you think you could really prove it to them, I would say that you have little to no chance of making it.</p>
<p>I’m a current student at Exeter and I’ve been here for three years, and not gonna lie, it’s really tough here. Everyone is extremely competitive about grades, ECs, everything, and people drop out every year because they can’t deal with it. The question that comes up during the application process to Exeter is whether or not the applicant will be able to deal with everything that happens here.</p>
<p>I’m a tour guide at Exeter as well, and one of the things that the admissions office cares about is how much the applicant him/herself really cares about Exeter. What are your reasons for wanting to go? Show that you’re passionate. Show that if you were accepted to Exeter, you would take full advantage of the opportunities offered here and that you really want to be here. </p>
<p>I realize I sound really harsh, but one of the things that’s the most frustrating when I give tours is when it’s obvious that the applicant him/herself seems completely disinterested. Maybe it’s because it’s only the parents that are looking around, asking questions, or maybe the applicant is utterly unresponsive when I ask him/her a question. There’s no systematic communication between the tour guides and the admissions office officers, so what I feel about each applicant doesn’t get reported to them, but I think that during the interview, the admissions officer will take note of similar things.</p>