<p>If you are fortunate enough to get in to both, suggest going to revisit days (they are scheduled back to back to allow the many cross-admittted students to visit both). Some kids feel more comfortable at one, some at the other. Most kids know right away which they feel is more like “home.” It is more a slight difference in style than of substance. They are both amazing schools with comparable strengths across the board. </p>
<p>My D attends Exeter. She is social, has many “nice” friends, and feels like Exeter was more warm, welcoming and transparent than Andover when she had revisit days at both. It was a personal choice. Families we met while revisiting both schools seemed about evenly divided.</p>
<p>And the rivalry is generally one of the more enjoyable aspects!</p>
<p>Exeter may spend alot of time talking about Harkness, but Andover spends alot of time talking about how nice their kids are. I don’t think PA students are any nicer than any other prep school.</p>
<p>MBVLoveless- “Gimmick” you obviously base that opinion on hearsay since you attend Lawrenceville. Base on the number of posts you have made on this board so far in 2013(200) it appears that you have some expertise in the admission process with a special interest in “matriculation” statistics. There are ways to determine attributes of a candidate beyond the typical test scores, grades and extracurricular activities. It is being done quite effectively at Tufts and I believe it is also used by BS admission officers. My child will be enrolling in the class of 2017 as a freshman(junior). We are not a boarding school family. Andover and a few other schools started to solicit my child to consider the option. Andover is the only school that showed genuine interest throughout the process. I can tell you that the faculty and staff I have met are the most humble group of educators and that flows right up to John Palfrey, head of school. Is my son smart, yes but 75% of the applicants are academically admissible. All of his scores were not in the 94th percentile. Did he have straight A’s in a rigorous middle school yes. Did we need financial aid yes. I believe one of the reasons he was admitted is because he is a nice kid and his recommendations reflected that. There will never be a school that is all nice kids but that should not prevent a school from aiming for that goal. Being a nice person is a reflection of your character. Andover has always emphasized character development along with academic development. Andover is in the enviable position of being able to admit without regards to someones ability to pay. You can ask anyone on the Andover campus if need blind admission has had a positive impact on the student body and you will hear a resounding yes for the better. We did not apply to the assorted, sought after New England Prep schools. Andover pursued us and we obliged and I will be forever grateful for this opportunity for my son. Gratitude is an attitude and it will permeate a campus where students consider their attendance a gift rather than a privilege. You can’t deny there are boarding schools full of children of privilege who think their attendance is a right.</p>
<p>@firstgenbsp: I don’t know why you seem so defensive? Of course you’re affiliated with Andover, so you inevitably speak with bias, and so do I.</p>
<p>For the sake of offering an outsider’s perspective, I know people attending Andover too, some of whom aren’t exactly what you would call nice. One once remarked “the only people who should be allowed to attend prep schools are rich, white boys” which is ironic considering he attends a need blind school. That indicates Andover doesn’t exclusively recruit nice kids. And I don’t really believe there isn’t a sense a entitlement prevalent in the student body of a top-tier prep school.</p>
<p>Niceness of the student body is not an attribute unique only to Andover. Every school wants nice kids on its campus. My Taft interviewer explicitly said the adcoms specifically seek to admit nice kids. Also, ask students at other schools whether or not they consider their peers nice and you’ll also get a resounding yes just for the sake of it.</p>
<p>“Andover has always emphasized character development along with academic development.”</p>
<p>Yes, and so have many other schools.</p>
<p>“Gratitude is an attitude and it will permeate a campus where students consider their attendance a gift rather than a privilege.”</p>
<p>Students at the most selective schools will consider their attendance a gift rather than a privilege no matter what because they know they got in with proper credentials. It’s, agian, hardly unique to Andover.</p>
<p>MBVLoveless: Defensive, I don’t think so. Your example of of someone you know hardly defines the character of the school. Your example of “one” does nothing to support your case. Of course there are people like that on every boarding school campus but I am sure that person did not share that during his interview. I do not understand why someone like you spends so much time posting on this blog. And your attitude is out there for many people to see, well over 300 posts, and yes, you reveal yourself by the statements you make. All boarding schools have their own unique characteristics and I have certainly not spent as much time as you reading the matriculation stats and putting your own spin on things. I have read enough of these posts that I can start to develop an idea of the character of some of the schools discussed. I really don’t hear much about your school. As long as you are happy where you are, then enjoy your gift. Find something to do so you can put it on your college application because you won’t get credit for college confidential. I do not need your point by point rebuttal, if anyone is defensive it is certainly you. I only shared my perspective and that is not up for discussion- you have your opinion and I have mine. With age comes wisdom.</p>
<p>I also only shared my perspective that is “not up for discussion”. By the way, if you follow your own precept, it’s not up to you to write a paragraph full of personal attacks in rebuttal to my short remark earlier either (which wasn’t even directed at you!). I believe every prep school, including Andover, desires to admit and possesses its fair share of “nice” kids, and if you disagree, I think you’re quite a prejudiced hypoc-- (oops-sorry, “nice person” should be the words!). </p>
<p>I’ve done all I had to do for the summer, including practicing my instrument, volunteering, working, SAT prep, and writing music. I’m only back here recently after my 2 month hiatus, so thank you for your benevolent concern about my lack of summer activities to put on college apps. I’m only enjoying the last days of my summer vacation doing whatever I feel like doing, including offering my perspectives of BS on this board. </p>
<p>fwiw, nice people don’t care whether or not other people think they’re nice. Get over yourself and just admit that Exeter has as many nice kids as does Andover.</p>
<p>Well, thanks. I got into both but Andover gave me financial aid whereas Exeter did not. The choice was quite obvious from there. But it can easily be said that both schools are great and have their fair share of “nice kids” Even though nice seems to have lost its true definition at this point and has become nothing more than another admissions ploy.</p>
<p>@needtoboard It makes me a little sad that I cant attend Exeter just because of all of you great people But I know Andover is going to be amazing, and hey, I can always visit :)</p>
<p>@mrnephew haha, how did you know and @needtoboard totally. I’ll be blue and you guys will be red and we’ll take a purple picture or something And then andover beats you ;)</p>
But I know Andover is going to be amazing, and hey, I can always visit :)</p>
</p>
and @needtoboard totally. I’ll be blue and you guys will be red and we’ll take a purple picture or something