<p>My child does not go to Exeter, so I cannot comment on the school. She does however, attend another top boarding school with Saturday classes. She also plays sports so not only does she have to attend classes and keep up with her work, she must also travel to games on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Sometimes the games are home which is great, but other times they are 2 hours in each direction. They eat dinner on the road and often arrive on campus at 9 PM on Saturday night. Sunday is the only day that she does not HAVE to be somewhere from 8AM until 6PM.
I love so much about her school and so does she that she maintains this schedule, but for break, she comes home and collapses from exhaustion. There are many teachers and advisors that realize that bright 14 year olds are still young and immature, but there are also some who really believe that kids this age should be able to handle the immense pressure that attending one of these schools brings. Don’t know the answer, just my 2 cents.</p>
<p>Let’s keep in mind who wrote this article–an intelligent teenager who’s been taught in those burdensome classes to write well–but a generally and naturally ****ed at the status quo teenager nonetheless. I didn’t have much good to say about my h.s. when I was 16. Or my parents. Or my life in general. Which didn’t mean I wasn’t a happy kid. I just always thought everyone else was happier.</p>
<p><<when not=“” pulling=“” all-nighters=“” to=“” finish=“” history=“” papers=“” or=“” falling=“” asleep=“” in=“” assembly=“” dragging=“” ourselves=“” through=“” the=“” crushing=“” schedule,=“” what=“” is=“” there=“” do=“” here?=“” can=“” we=“” for=“” fun?=“” have=“” all=“” been=“” swasey=“” and=“” las=“” olas.=“” many=“” of=“” us=“” participate=“” athletic=“” contests=“” cheer=“” our=“” friends=“” on.=“” often=“” go=“” repetitive=“” dances=“” friday=“” night=“” movie=“” screenings=“” forum.=“” but=“” these=“” activities=“” are=“” enough.=“” blame=“” whomever=“” you’d=“” like=“” (student=“” activities,=“” deans,=“” principal=“” hassan),=“” phillips=“” exeter=“” academy=“” does=“” try=“” hard=“” enough=“” ensure=“” that=“” its=“” students=“” happy=“”>></when></p>
<p>I mean this in the most loving Mama sense…but doesn’t this strike anyone else as just a bit…whiny?</p>
<p>Peri: I agree with you about Saturday classes, in terms of spreading the schedule out better. Exeter isn’t adjusting the daily schedule, but they are cutting back Christmas break and adding some days to the end of the year. It’s an experiment…I’ll be interested to see which they end up liking better.</p>
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<p>I think the kid has a point here. Everyone knows that “Hard”/“rigorous” is the hallmark of Exeter, and that it is not for everyone, but it sounds like it is not just some of the students/families haven’t made the right decision in attending Exeter but the school hasn’t found all the right kids to be able to handle or even “enjoy” the workload. The fun-seeking, rule-breaking, well-rounded kids complain about Exeter while plenty ambitious, knowledge thirsty, and leaning loving kids outside Exeter would kill to take their positions. A case on “fit”.</p>
<p>The choice is between soulless workaholism and fun-seeking law breaking? I think most of Exeter’s “diverse and well-rounded” student body might fit comfortably somewhere between those two poles. It’s NOT all about workload…Exeter has sports and music and clubs and fun stuff to do just like every other prep school. The writer’s playing with stereotypes and extremes, not accurately reflecting the student body. As Periwinkle states above, Exonians love to complain about the workload–I don’t think they really work harder than their counterparts at any of the other HADES schools.</p>
<p>Why do they love to complain? To brag?</p>
<p>Who knows? Maybe it’s the type of work they have–lots of tests and quizzes and essays every week. I wonder if that might be different than some of the other schools; maybe some of the other parents can give some insight about that. </p>
<p>It has its braggy elements I suppose–along those lines, I’ve seen kids on Facebook poke fun at each other for complaining. As far as I can tell–and I’m not actually there, just experiencing it vicariously–it’s not a big horrible glum shadow cast over the campus, just something they do. </p>
<p>My kid doesn’t actually complain about the work much–but he’d agree with the Exonian writer about the dances, which he usually thinks are pretty lame. They have to be better than those 70’s Freebird dances I went to though!</p>
<p>There will always be whiners at any school. I’m not falling for this. Someone’s trying to get rid of a lot of competition.</p>
<p>If the OP is an Exie, he/she finally found some fun in reading your responses. However, I think this is just a thread to give a heads up from another article written on campus. Read into it what you may, Exeter is a top tier school and with that comes brilliant disciplined students. If one is overextended and stressed by their activities and workload, don<code>t consider such schools. I do commend Exeter students for printing their discomforts. It</code>s really for the suits to read in hopes to change things for the students comforts. I agree that Saturday classes add to the stress at any school. I didnt see a lot of smiles there during my tour and it was a Saturday. Having said that, there are students who would be board without such challenge and rigorous schedules. So for those who are considering such schools, know what you`re aiming for in a BS. You may be smart enough to get in but are you up for that challenge?</p>
<p>Absolute. maddog. Exeter isn’t for the people who want to “have fun” just to have fun. The people need to get the fun out of learning and the academic challenge I guess.
It seems to me that PAA students are by far the happiest students among students in top boarding schools… or is that just another marketing strategy to put many happy posts on this forum?</p>
<p>TomTheCat doesn’t seem to be too happy at least for now.</p>
<p>So the Exonians complain to feel good? In their own newspaper mostly read by people associated to Exeter (it’s not online is it)? In such a somber tone, quoting “half of lower classmen would recommend the school to friends without caveats” and “new alums come back to campus to break rules”?</p>
<p>Glad I chose Middlesex then…</p>
<p>Izzy, did you choose NOT to attend Exeter? Was it an option for you? It could have been, I wouldn’t know. My point is that people SHOULD choose because Exeter is not for everyone. Some on CC claimed they’d chosen to attend a certain school while they didn’t because they didn’t have to. Had it been a viable option to them, they might’ve chosen Exeter, the “wrong” school for them.</p>
<p>The Exonian just went on line but only for subscribers so far.</p>
<p>Sounds like you’ve got a good sense of the place maddog.</p>
<p>There is so much to recommend Exeter. However, balance is not the first word that comes to mind when I think of the school. Instead, words like brilliance, choice and rigor are top of mind. All the best boarding schools are academically tough, but there is more of a factory-like quality to Exeter (IMO) that bonds many of its graduates around the feat of having been graduated in on piece than of having loved the experience. </p>
<p>Prospective applicants and parents need to think long and hard about attending Exeter no matter how brilliant and qualified the potential student. For some kids, it’s a dream experience of the mind. But for many, it turns out to be an unbalanced (and maybe even unhealthy) deferral of fun, perspective, sleep and happiness. Is that REALLY the right choice for the child? Parents of children brilliant enough to be accepted by Exeter need to check their ego at the door, to be sure that they’re facilitating a smart and healthy match and not caving into the flattery of admittance. This thread suggests that too many Exeter parents and alumni don’t do that.</p>
<p>My son did have the choice and turned down Exeter, which surprised many people at the time. I think he was wise to choose a school which is a better fit for him.</p>
<p>My d also had a choice and selected another school. It too surprised many people even today. (She sometimes prides herself in not going.)</p>
<p>I think my d would have done fine at Exeter, and would have attended if she was not offered a spot at her first choice, Deerfield. It is a matter of how the kid feels. Even now my d says she just didnt “feel it” at L’ville, even though I loved it. </p>
<p>How many times do we hear kids say they are bored, with nothing to do. I think it is a “badge of honor” to say we have no fun, and the work is hard, it is what is expected at an “Exeter”. </p>
<p>Just my 3 cents :-).</p>
<p>doschicos and Alexz, I didn’t realize the ‘pressure’ you’d face even when you choose among ADES. Are the Phillips’ that huge in prestige/popularity?</p>
<p>DA I would have to say yes, plus they offer everything, including great FA packages. </p>
<p>At Exeter we were offered a “full-ride”, but more importantly it had every activity plus Japanese, (extremely important to my d). But she/we wanted more “community” and that was so important to us coming from a big city yet a very small family ( a line of only children, thus no cousins, etc). DA didnt give us a totally free ride, and it is hard on me financially, and no Japanese (my d takes Chinese).</p>
<p>Personally, prestige/popularity is not a big issue for us because few kids in the midwest go to bs. My d is the first in our family and social circle to leave home in high school. Those people that we come across that understand bs know that the world doesnt start and stop around PA/PEA.</p>
<p>DAndrew - Folks do get caught up in prestige/name recognition. I equate people’s reaction to his choice as similar to a kid turning down an Ivy acceptance to attend a top LAC. Both offer a great education (I’d argue the LAC offers a better one) just different paths to the education. Your average Joe is more familiar with Exeter or Andover but those knowledgeable about boarding schools know that others like SPS, Groton, Deerfield, etc. provide an equally stellar education yet different environments.</p>
<p>Is it possible that some kids pick other schools because they don’t want to do all the work at Exeter which can be interpreted as fit? 
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