<p>i am in the same position as you. choosing between andover and exeter is so hard! luckily i can go to revisit days, but best of luck in your decision!</p>
<p>Congratulations on your acceptances!
I really cannot speak about Exeter because I do not go there, but I will tell you what I think about Andover. I am a four year Senior at Andover and the last four years have been incredible. Andover students are very supportive of one another (helpful with academic studies but also supportive in athletics and other pursuits) and the teachers are extremely willing as well. I have made great bonds with my teachers because they live on campus and are extremely accessible but also because they will come to watch me play in a sports game. I am playing a sport in college next year, and I have already had teachers tell me that they want my schedule so they can come to watch some of my games. The community is very close, which is what I think makes Andover so special. Yes, we do have a new dining hall that is absolutely phenomenal. And as far as athletic facilities goes, we have a somewhat outdated gymnasium but we have an incredible new turf field (just four years old) and a beautiful hockey rink that is new also. The fitness center is very nice and has good hours.
While we may not use the Harkness method in our Math classes, the classes are extremely engaging. We do have some Saturday classes, but not every week. We also do not have a dress code which is nice. The freedom that you are given at Andover helps you become a more independent young adult and prepares you well for college.</p>
<p>Azerbaijan is not Eastern Europe any more than Syria or Israel is. Your neighbor Borat was not from “Europe”, for crying out loud! You tell us Egypt (or Georgia and Armenia, closer on the map than you appear to be) are Europe now? What map are you using, something from 2200? Please downgrade, because at these schools (ignorant as most of us Americans may be about geography) someone may catch you in a…lie!</p>
<p>That the reliable ‘Wikipedia’ article (written by Azerbaijanis attempting to ride on Turkish EU-ascendancy?) would like their country to be Europe does not make it so in 2011. And why bother? AnXeterFieldTon Academy (why, my, all Academies accepted you! my!) may have passed on your application if you were not from an exotic land but boring Germany or France instead. Or perhaps they did?</p>
<p>I’m not sure what brought on your attack, mumandpup, but relax. Azerbiaijan is at a cross roads; part of the country is considered the Middle East, part of the country is considered Asia, and yes, part of the country (North of the Caucasus Mountains) is considered Europe.<br>
Whatever school this lucky young person picks, I hope it doesn’t have bitter people ready to attack someone without cause.</p>
<p>Sorry, I’m biased. </p>
<p>I have a child at Deerfield, and one just accepted to Deerfield and one of the other two schools (no need to mention which one). PEA and PAA are very similar, but in my mind PAA had a much better vibe, less nerdy students, and a far nicer campus. </p>
<p>That said, neither holds a candle to Deerfield. (like i said, I’m very biased.) Wherever you go, you’ll get into a great college. The academics are superb at each school. But what makes the schools different? My current child at Deerfield says one of the greatest aspects of the experience is formal sit-down dinners for the entire school. To gather a few times a week as school with teachers is an experience neither PAA or PEA can match. I know, it’s just food; but really it’s not. You meet teachers, and classmates (tables are assigned). </p>
<p>And the campus? Intimate, historic, and modern. Only downside is you don’t have nice towns like Exeter and Andover to hang out in. </p>
<p>Not trying to start a flame war, but in my mind DA has both PEA and PA beat, as suggested by their admit rate and yield as well.</p>
<p>@mumandpup First of all, I’m from the only American school in Baku, and I base my geography knowledge on what I learned at my school. While you seem to consider Egypt and Georgia neighbors, which tells us a lot about your geography knowledge. I simply find it hilarious. You might want to check out this link [url=<a href=“http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2909.htm]Azerbaijan[/url”>http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2909.htm]Azerbaijan[/url</a>]. This is definitely more credible than wikipedia.</p>
<p>@PEAMom, thank you! I absolutely agree with you.</p>
<p>BostonPapa: The best way to avoid a flame war is to describe what you love about your school without denigrating the others. Your description of the sit-down meals at Deerfield for example is very helpful–as you point out, is very different from both PEA and PAA. Your description of vibes and nerdiness strikes me as less helpful (varies from person to person) and potentially hurtful to a group of kids as nice your own.</p>
<p>@BostonPapa, thanks for your opinion! I was really looking forward to find out more about Deerfield. I think your comparison is very insightful. Congrats to your child on being accepted to DA!</p>
<p>Yazmie and other prospective students: Just be aware that seeing Exeter kids as “nerdy” or describing the school as having a negative vibe is a common stereotype, largely subscribed to by people who have visited/toured the school, but not actually gone there. </p>
<p>I’d pay more attention to what kids who have actually gone to each of these schools (and their parents, of course 
) have to say about their particular schools You’ll notice that most of the posters here have gone out of their way to NOT describe another person’s school. That’s because seasoned posters know that they really only know and understand the culture of which they are a part.</p>
<p>Point taken. While i don’t necessarily consider nerdy to be an insult, it’s certainly not a compliment. But in all candor, based on only one 1/2 day of experience, there was a noticeable difference in the make-up of the student body relative to PAA. Again, that’s NOT an insult, it’s just an observation. </p>
<p>To try and put a positive spin on it, the Exeter students seemed much more of the studious type than the students I saw at DA or PAA. I hate generalizations too, but just like some kids look more athletic (even if they’re not), some kids look more intelligent.</p>
<p>Thanks Papa and I agree that all of these schools do put off a certain aura. I just think, when you come down to it, the nitty gritty details of how meals and dorms and classes and week-ends are designed are what make a difference in a kid’s day-to-day life, and are therefore most worth trying to define. </p>
<p>And maybe I’m just a little sore that you guys beat our varsity cross-country team so soundly on Parent’s Week-end this year. ;)</p>
<p>Congrats Yazmie! </p>
<p>Deciding between Andover and Exeter? I have a friend in the admin at Exeter so they get my vote.</p>
<p>Good luck deciding and go with your gut!</p>
<p>Listen Yazmie… honestly, it comes down to how the school feels to you. All of the mentioned schools are excellent schools. It comes down to whihc schoo, you felt most comfortable in. You say that Milton had welcoming people and that your friend/relative is there(I think you said it was your cousin?) I would say, from what I’ve read in this thread thus far, that for you, Milton is the best option. =)</p>
<p>Hi Yazmie! I know where Azerbaijan is, in fact I wrote a 20 ish page economics paper on the country. </p>
<p>I’m a 4 year senior from Andover. I can only honestly speak about Andover, since I have never gone to Exeter. I can, though, dispel some of the wrong/ignorant accusations I have seen. </p>
<p>First, Andover technically has saturday classes. They aren’t weekly, but they happen at least once per term. That being said, it is my opinion that having an extra day of classes in no way changes how serious one is about their academics. We have had US physic team members, essay-award-winning authors, debaters whom have qualified to compete in world tournaments; that is not to brag about the people at Andover, but to say that our lack of weekly saturday classes does not take away from the community’s collected intelligence. </p>
<p>About better courses: Andover has some amazing courses and I do agree with UpperExonian when he suggested reading the schools respective course of study. Know that you will not have the time to take all the courses that interest you, but the course of study is an awesome insight into a school–just look at how some courses are titled. Last term I took a course called politics, subversion and the heroic journey in children’s literature, which was just as cool as it sounds.</p>
<p>Speaking of my english course: Although we do not utilize the harkness table for all our classes, like math and science for instance, we do use harkness tables in our English classrooms and other humanities classes. If there isn’t a physical harkness table in the room we often have desks in an oval to simulate the same roundtable discussion that comes from the harkness table. </p>
<p>I had to go through the same decision process as you are going through now. My advice, because you can’t visit campus, I would make a pros and cons list for both schools. If you are wary about a pro or con ask someone in the school. Also try emailing club presidents or teachers of subjects that you might be interested in. I’m not sure about Exeter, but Andover students and teachers are extremely passionate about what they do and would love to talk to about it. A great person for you to contact at Andover as well is Ms. Susanne Torabi (<a href=“mailto:storabi@andover.edu”>storabi@andover.edu</a>) who is the adviser to International Students at Andover. Feel free to message me with any questions you have about PA.</p>
<p>Do they have any courses on string theory? You can tell I watch PBS.</p>
<p>@pulsar I know Andover has quantum physics; I think Exeter does too. I really wanted to take it.</p>
<p>String theory ftw</p>