<p>Hi everyone!! I’m a month in as a freshman @ DA. There have been lots of highlights in my short time here; Disco, amazing new friends, a manageable work load, and beating Choate in a couple games 
Classes are doing fine for me, but that could be because I’m taking all entry level courses :). Socially, DA has not been what I was expecting. Even faculty comment on how not-cliquey the freshman class is in comparison to other classes. We have fun and we work hard, and I can honestly say that I’m receiving a stellar education and being enriched so that I can be a better me.</p>
<p>Invent: Deerfield does not have an olympic size pool. It has USA swimming regulation short course yards swim pool (25x25 yards). Olympic is 50x25 meters. Just thought I should point that out there.</p>
<p>Well I’m thinking of applying to enter in 2012 at Andover, Exeter, and Hotchkiss, and I have a few questions. (not only for those three schools, if you’re attending another, let me know :))
-Is the workload difficult to manage?
-How are the facilities?
-Dorms? If you are there now, would you mind taking some photos and posting them here?
-Food: Good or mystery meat (although I’m half vegetarian anyway)
-Are the classes fun?
-Is the Harkness method really that amazing? (Exeter, OB)
-Are all the kids really really genius, or are some able to stand out still?
-Are you homesick?
-How often can you see your family?
-Is there a Starbucks near any of the campuses?</p>
<p>Alafair, I go to Andover, so I’ll answer your questions specifically for here!</p>
<p>-Is the workload difficult to manage?
Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. I’m taking relatively average courses, but sometimes the homework load is just unbelievable. But honestly, if you manage your time well, you shouldn’t have any trouble finishing all of your homework and getting a reasonable amount of sleep!</p>
<p>-How are the facilities?
The campus is wonderful here, especially the science center. Honestly, my favorite building would have to be the dining hall. I’ve visited several COLLEGES and Andover’s food is definitely superior in my eyes. The only building that I think could use a little bit of work is the English building, simply because the building is either unbearably hot or shockingly cold. Speaking about all of the facilities collectively is difficult, but if you had any questions about specific buildings I could answer them.</p>
<p>-Dorms?
The dorms here are great! I got VERY lucky with my dorm placement, so my dorm won’t look exactly like all of the other ones here. If you PM me, I’d be happy to share a few pictures!</p>
<p>-Food?
The food is great. Every day, we have pizza, soup, an open salad bar, an ice cream machine, pasta, and then the daily specials. If you’re a vegetarian, you’ll have PLENTY of options. </p>
<p>-Are the classes fun?
Absolutely. The teachers are really passionate here, but they aren’t off in their own chem/math/English world. They’re really understanding, and are so willing to meet with you if you have any questions. My English class is probably my favorite. The classes are extremely fast-paced, but you won’t be overwhelmed if you prepare.</p>
<p>-Are all the kids geniuses?
Definitely not. A lot of the students here are simply intelligent, not geniuses. And then you have the kids who are quadruple legacies and whose parents donated dorms/buildings–they stand out in a bad way. But honestly, everyone here has something about them that’s special. I thought I was hopelessly average, but my friends have labeled me as “the piano prodigy.” You’ll find your passions here, and you’ll find out what you’re truly good at. </p>
<p>-Are you homesick?
Not in the slightest. I talk to my parents everyday, and parents weekend is in 2 weeks!</p>
<p>-How often can you see your family?
You can go home any weekend you want to. I live in NY, but I probably won’t be going home until I have a break. There’s always so much to do here!</p>
<p>-Is there a Starbucks near campus?
Yep, about an eight minute walk. Downtown, we have CVS, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, a bunch of clothing/accessories stores, and a supermarket. The supermarket, while deceivingly labeled as “downtown,” is about a 35 minute walk…</p>
<p>How is the dorm advisor supervision? How often do your parents get the advisee reports?</p>
<p>I have four house counselors. They’re always around at night, and one of them is usually in contact with our parents, talking about whatever house counselors like to talk about. Andover encourages us to be independent. House counselors aren’t babysitters, and there aren’t any formal reports that I know of. I think it’s just casual interaction with our parents, that’s all that they’ve told us.</p>
<p>Cassat, I was wondering what pm means… Sorry but I’d love to see some real life pix of the campus… Thanks :)</p>
<p>It means Private Message. (: So just click on my username and hit “send a private message.”</p>
<p>Could have sworn I’d dropped this link somewhere on this thread - maybe I didn’t. Alafair, I maintain a gallery of pictures and videos I shot with my iPhone during my two years at Andover, covering everything from pep rallies to sports games to Blue Key head auditions to snowy days to Yorkies performances to campus panorama shots to The Social Network being filmed on campus. [MobileMe</a> Gallery](<a href=“http://gallery.me.com/thurstonsmalley#100011]MobileMe”>http://gallery.me.com/thurstonsmalley#100011)</p>
<p>Hey I thought I would revive this thread from last year because I just finished my first day of orientation at Andover, so if anyone has any questions about orientation there or really anything I can probably answer it, and if I can’t I probably will be able to in the next few days.</p>