<p>I don’t know, with the House system, we have House Cup, social events, TRADITIONS, colors, flags, chants, House lunches, House sports, and thus a much stronger House spirit than what I imagine a typical dorm might give. But students only live in the houses during their sophomore and junior years. This could either make bonding stronger (because you live closer to more people in your graduation class) or weaker (because you live close together for only 2 years).</p>
<p>Not sure if Exeter’s dorm system is different or similar to that.</p>
<p>Here is an article on Exeter’s schedule for next year. As you can see there are Saturday classes and @MBVLoveless has your friend at Exeter said that all of his friends are like this?</p>
<p>I don’t know, but now that I think of it he really tries to play up this image of Exeter being an impossible school (which it might be), so I don’t think he’s reliable. My advice is go on theexonian’s online page (as well as thelawrence) to read some articles (mostly under the “Opinions” and “Life” sections) to get some gleam into the students’ lives.</p>
<p>I wonder how this works out… since day students are drawn locally and boarders internationally. After all, you would find more smarter kids when you search far and wide. This could be true if day students get extra help outside the school, and many public school students in the area do get that kind of help. But I doubt if day students have such time after long hours at school.</p>
<p>Day student’s don’t have the distractions that boarders have to face.</p>
<p>Also, the Princeton area (where most of the day kids live) is known for its extremely good educational system. Day students generally come here more prepared academically than their boarder peers, who come from a more diverse background.</p>
<p>As an incoming Lower at Exeter, @MBVLoveless, I know that it will be challenging and difficult, but I also know that I will ned to enhance my study habits so that I am not up until 3am because I know that it is possible.</p>
<p>I think looking through student newspapers is one great way to get a feel for the school. Just be aware that the opinion pages inevitably express the view of one (opinionated!) student, not the entire student body. Exonians in general love to talk about how little sleep they get, especially in the lower grades, but my kid has made it through four years of Exeter without ever pulling an all-nighter except at the end of spring terms when they all stay up and socialize. With rare exception, he’s able to manage his workload so that he gets the sleep he needs (this has lessened as he’s gotten older, but he’s still regularly getting 7-8 hours a night)–and he tells me that he wastes plenty of time during the day socializing, online, etc. One big difference between Exeter and other schools is that no one will ever force you to go study or ask you why you’re not in class (they’ll assume you have a free period). For some teens, this freedom works well; for others, not so much. </p>
<p>Again, classicalson’s experience is just one experience. Going to revisits and asking many kids about how much sleep they get each night is your best bet.</p>
<p>I know I sleep less than 7 hours a night…But if (as classicalmama says) Exeter preps like to complain about the workload than Lawrenceville frosh do, that might be a cultural thing to consider.</p>
<p>The workload is the price you pay for one of the best educations in the country and I am willing to pay that price, as are most Exeter students. I do agree with the cultural thing, though. Exeter does put much more stress on academics I felt.</p>
<p>I think that Lawrenceville has a more balanced stress on academics and athletics whereas at Exeter academics are at the top and slightly below are the arts and athletics.</p>
<p>How so? I doubt one school stresses clubs more than the other.</p>
<p>Regarding academics and athleics, pretty much. I always felt Exeter is more lopsidedly intellectual than its peer schools (which you might like, depending on the type of person you are).</p>
<p>By that I meant that they spent more time talking about clubs to me more than any other school I looked at and applied to. To me they came off as more club-centric than any other school. </p>
<p>I do like that Exeter is lopsidedly intellectual which is one of the reasons why I chose the school.</p>
<p>@needtoboard : I’d agree that Exeter sees academics as a top priority. In general, though, I appreciate the way boarding schools carve out time for athletics and arts with Wednesday and Saturday competitions. In public school, my kids were constantly missing class to head off for competitions for sports, band, speech, etc. Anyway, the day is set up to fit academics, sports and music in without one interfering with the other–though if you are part of an ensemble and a jv/varsity team, your days are packed, and there were times when my kid had to drop his ensemble for a term because his athletic training took priority. </p>
<p>Exeter’s workload is intense and can be a shock to the system the first year. No question. I have no way of evaluating how it compares to Lawrenceville’s, but students who don’t manage their time well independently are probably going to lose sleep. To my mind,an even better test than asking a bunch of students at the school about their sleep patterns is to ask yourself whether you have the self-discipline to get things done on week-ends, during the day and during study hours in the dorm when there will doubtless always be some kids socializing/having fun. Again, no one will force you to sit in study hall or lock you in your room without internet access–but if you use your time well during the day, you won’t be up all night. If you prioritize your social life or computer games, you’ll be pulling late nights. </p>
<p>As far as the academic-athletic balance goes, there are lots of athletes in my son’s class moving on to D1 through D3 teams–including swimmers–so there are great opportunities for athletes as well. D1 schools–including Ivies–welcome Exeter athletes because the school’s academics are so strong–that particular hoop is easy to jump through in the recruitment process, even for athletes with a B average. </p>
<p>@classicalmama, I’m sure the temptation is strong for new students to leap into all the exciting EC offerings at Exeter, as they have so many more offerings than most 8th graders have previously seen.</p>
<p>But we are expecting a bit of a comeuppance for him academically, and trying to keep him focused on adjusting to new academics first. How acceptable (both by the school and peers) is it to hold back in the first term or two from “over-joining” and doing only required activities?</p>
<p>Oh God now I’m scared. I already am quite the procrastinator, but I always find a way to get things done. I’m afraid that I’m going to miss out on the true experience of Exeter if I’m constantly worrying about my grades. However the educational mindset of the school will probably help me loads. I find that I work so much better at school as opposed to at home. So hopefully this will help. I’m willing to have to battle my procrastination as much as possible, but I’m worried about how I would do. I definitely refuse to fail. </p>