<p>I'm in a magnet program that was statewide and had an acceptance rate of less than 10% and this year we sent 10+ students to HYPSM? Just wondering if its worth the cost? Some prep schools near me are: Georgetown Prep</p>
<p>Stay at your magnet school. Exeter (Along with its fellow compatriots) has many legacy/recruited athletes to help boost its matriculation stats. The few remaining students at these “top tier” schools that get into HYPMS on their own merit are very, very talented.</p>
<p>If you want have a better education overall, go to a top prep school.</p>
<p>■■■■■■■■, be sure to consider that Exeter has its unique style of teaching, the Harkness Method, as well as its environment with the intense, competitive atmosphere. </p>
<p>Many students who attend seem very content, but be aware that most boarding schools’ have rigorous academics that go beyond the required education, thus, the school year can be quite stressful.</p>
<p>If you’re applying based off of college matriculation statistics, then know that Exeter sent 30% of its graduating class of 2012 to an Ivy League school, MIT, or Stanford.</p>
<p>I can say boarding school is a great experience for most, but definitely not for all. I recommend applying just for the sake of this experience and education considering you have a great program to fallback on at your current school.</p>
<p>Choosing between Exeter and an excellent test-entry local magnet is indeed a difficult choice.</p>
<p>1) Suggest you take a look at your 4 year plan for courses at your local school, and Exeter’s course catalogue. Are there similar academic opportunities at both?</p>
<p>2) Exeter’s boarding environment will probably expose you to more geographic, socioeconomic, international and possibly racial diversity. It is also a friendly and warm community.</p>
<p>3) What about sports and extracurriculars? Those “extras” seem to make the difference for many who aspire to highly selective school admission, since academics alone don’t usually do it.</p>
<p>I have posted analyses before, but a best guess is that about 1/2 of the HYPSM admissions from elite high schools are academically capable students boosted by athletics, special talent, development and somewhat by legacy (seems like less and less legacy). The other half are in the very top of their class and also seem to have a passion the college finds promising. </p>
<p>It is certainly possible to become that type of elite student in many different ways, in many different settings.</p>
<p>On a more personal note, yes, for my daughter and our family we also had a strong local option, and yes Exeter is worth it.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot guys, I think I’m going to stay in my local magnet program because of its quality and because Exeter is really expensive. I was just curious about its reputation because I just watched the social network, and Mark Zuckerberg graduated from there. Thanks for all the advice!</p>
<p>ivy</p>
<p>Exeter may not be all that expensive - for families with income under 75K the tuition, room, board, books, computer and travel are free. And aid scales up to 200K income. About half of students receive financial aid, and the average award is over 39K. There is an aid calculator on the website page.</p>
<p>Exeter has one of the most generous financial aid programs of any school.</p>
<p>Ivy, the boarding school experience is unparalleled. It will give you many opportunities to experiment with the wide variety of courses available that most public schools don’t offer.</p>
<p>Before you reach your conclusion, Ivy, do some research about the school(s). You can find a lot about the student life just from looking on Youtube or from a quick Google search.</p>