Exeter course selections/ new student questions?

<p>Several families are on this forum who have recently been through the Exeter course selection and move in process for new students, and we would be happy to answer any questions or suggest resources we have found helpful. Usually there are a few questions that come up in the summer, so I wanted to open this thread to see if there are students or families with questions.</p>

<p>My D is entering upper year (grade 11), began in prep year (grade 9) and is interested in math and science, and classics.</p>

<p>There is an interim advisor assigned to each new student to aid in new student course selection, particularly electives. It helps to look over the diploma requirements in the course cartalogue (a copy is on-line under academics). If you have questions, the Dean of Students Office can help connect new students to their interim advisors.</p>

<p>Some course selection issues may apply to other schools too, but our experience is limited to Exeter.</p>

<p>So welcome to new Exeter families!</p>

<p>Hi! My DS is an incoming prep and is doing private lessons in piano. Do we have a choice in teachers? And if we do, kindly privately pm me if you know the good ones. Thanks!</p>

<p>Private music lessons are a good choice (I wish we had known and done that earlier) because 2 performance credits are required in the arts for graduation (as a 4 year senior), and one of the easiest ways to fulfill that requirement is taking private music lessons (which can be 1/3 credit per term, or a total of 1 credit for the year). You are allowed to add that ON TOP OF the 5 courses a term limit. Since prep year tends to be the easiest academically, it works well to add music onto prep year.</p>

<p>One of the challenges in Exeter is fitting in all the classes if you also want to take 4 years of math, science, language and English. 3 arts classes, 1 computer science and 2 religion classes (not sectarian religion, can be ethics or philosophy type classes) are required, and use up 2 years, which leaves only 2 years for history. Because classes are capped at 5 per term, every course slot is taken with this plan, and most students want to take more than 2 years of history, so they cut back on science. Music lessons are one of the only ways to take 5 1/3 credits a term and preserve the 4 years of science while taking 2 or 3 more history classes. A few other music performance classes are organized as 1/3 or 2/3 credit a term too.</p>

<p>Exeter has a tremendous amount of courses to choose from…but so little time! Suggest making a four year plan and mapping it out.</p>

<p>I personally do not know the music teachers, but it might help to e-mail the music dept. chair and ask how it is arranged, and whether teachers have particular areas of interest.</p>

<p>Feel free to ask me questions as well! I’m a rising senior at exie, been here for three (going on four) years, so I’ve seen it all :)</p>

<p>This isn’t a significant question, but I’ll ask it anyway. On day of registration, usually how many trunks/suitcases/bags do people have? I don’t want to under pack or overpack-- FYI I am a male, if that changes anything.</p>

<p>I have better questions which I can’t remember for some reason… :3</p>

<p>Moving in suitcases: Because too much stuff will overcrowd the room and make organizing harder, suggest you start out with less, and wait until Thanksgiving to bring winter things. Most students get notebooks and such from the bookstore. You could use the bedding that is given to each student, but most students bring their own. A memory foam mattress pad really helps. A small rolling plastic set of drawers is handy for snacks and storage, and to use as a bedside table. The beds raise to allow under-bed storage.</p>

<p>There are good lists on what items to bring on this forum. A few ties, about 10 shirts and a few pairs of jeans/shorts/khaki pants will be fine for clothing, with lots of socks and underwear and a rain jacket. </p>

<p>Sporting equipment and specialized clothing may add to this. </p>

<p>We did not follow this advice and moved in the first year with an SUV full of stuff, a lot of which slowly came back home.</p>