<ol>
<li>Are there many Canadian students?</li>
<li>How do the classes work? Like, is it harkness, or…? </li>
<li>What does the average Andover student’s application look like? If you know, that is…</li>
</ol>
<p>Sandol1010: For ALL your recommendations, talk to him/her IN PERSON! this is key so you can be polite and have a good impression on them. And it doesn’t really matter when you send your applications in (as long as it is before the deadline). I handed in my applications at the interview, cuz I interviewed at my schools on the very deadline, and it didn’t affect the interview at all. Approach the interview as them getting to know you, and try and make yourself stand out!</p>
<p>Stuckhere: no, I do not know of many canadian students at the school (remember that I’m a freshman). All humanities (english, history, philosophy, religion) are all taught in a discussion format ( discussion based class=what exeter calls “harkness”), while math, science, and all other courses are taught in a typical class setting. These classes though, are not typical at all, as they are very interactive when it comes to teaching students. And every application is different. Most kids have solid academics and are pretty advanced. Ever kid stands out in the crowd though, whether they be a piano protege, sports recruit, mathlete, or model UN representative, they are all pretty unique. That’s what the “hook” is for in your application. If you want to get in, then you need to define yoruself for who YOU are. Don’t take up sports this year just to put it on your apps, but instead, focus on one thing that you are passionate about, and write about it in the applications</p>
<p>hope this helps!</p>
<p>Hi swimdude006,
I am a competitive swimmer and I am planning to apply to as a boarding student for grade 10 in 2012. I understand that the team only practices as a team for 4 months in a year, where do the swimmers train for the rest of the season? Is it possible to train at a local club nearby?
Thanks</p>
<p>Ateoswim: 1st off, congrats on taking the first step to applying to andover! To answer your question about off season, it is very hard to actually get around to swim with local clubs cuz of the workload and study hours. I only know of one successfull boarder who is doing it because her parents now live in andover. Waterpolo is one way to stay in ahape during off season. He coaches do pretty intensive sprint sets, which keeps us in pretry good shape. There is also free swim during the week and weekend that students can go to. A bunch of swimmers go and do practices (usually gurls varsity captain holds captains practices and create sets for all the swimmers there). Some people have found that doing different sports during the year is better as it will give them a “shock” when they first swim durig season. So really, it depends on your ability to stay in shape. Whatever the case, andover will push you to as much as you can handle. </p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>The boarding schools that I’m applying to (along with Andover) are known to have rigorous academic programs…but HOW rigorous? How much time do you spend on homework and studying?</p>
<p>thx very very much!</p>
<p>Sandol1010: the academics here are very rigorous, but are manageable. I get around 4 hours every day, and it is of constant work. At any top prep school, you will have to study and work hard. These past weeks have been the hardest of my life, yet i’m still loving the time. The weekdays are full of work, yet on the weekends, we can relax a lot.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>What made you choose Andover over any other school, what makes it different? (Sorry if someone else already asked)</p>
<p>@sandol1010: It depends on the day. Some days I get about two, some days I get four. Most days, it’s less than four with several small breaks in between. Studying usually takes longer, but it’s also more spread out unless I procrastinated and had to cram the night before. It also depends on how rigorous your course load is and the teacher you have.</p>
<p>@98beebee: FA. That’s it. If Andover hadn’t given me as much money, I’d have hightailed it to Exeter. I’d say there isn’t enough of a difference between all the top boarding schools and I’d probably be just as happy at Exeter as I am at Andover.</p>
<p>Oh wow, okay. Haha 
Nice answer, I’m just getting these different vibes from viewbooks, other opinions, reviews, etc. Still haven’t received Andover viewbook though.</p>
<p>Another question: what other schools did you apply to, and what were the results and why?</p>
<p>I applied to Deerfield and Andover. I started my apps VERY late, so could not apply to more than 2 schools. I chose them because of their rigorous academics and amazing sports. Both were very different in terms of community and environment, and I could easily adjust to either one. I got accepted to both, and chose Andover because of the environment and the people there. Everyone here just seems to be happy all the time, and enjoy school. I feel the same way, and I have a feeling its going to be very hard to leave this school in 4 years:)</p>
<p>Hi everyone! i sent my application to Andover 2 weeks ago. I mentioned pretty much every sport and extra curiccular activity ive done in my whole life. i now realize that was probably a huge mistake!!! I did focus more on my Travel, Piano, and Science Fair accomplishments but i mentioned everything else as well! Oh Snap, I hope the AO wont hate me?! also, whatsort of SSAT scores are acceptable? im scoring 2169 on my practice test? (applying for ninth grade, female.)</p>
<p>Naturaallyme: there is a huge range of ssat scores I’ve seen in my grade. Some kids got perfect scores, and some weren’t even close to the average. the SSAT is not a deciding factor as to if you get in or not. It basically shows how well you take tests, not how smart you are. What determines your smarts is your current grades. And don’t worry about your ECs. It definitely didn’t help you to add all of your ECs, but it shouldn’t have lowered your chance of getting in. As long as you defined a couple of ECs that you are passionate about, then you’re set!</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>swimdude006: Thanks for the Luck! Current grades are more important than I had thought… I’ve asked my school to mail my grades from sixth grade up to 1st quarter this year, (upon request from Andover), and I really don’t remember exactly how my grades were the past two years. To clarify, I get mostly As but theres always the occasional B. (I’m not trying to boast, i’m sure you all get great grades ) But i remember third quarter last year i got maybe two-three Bs. Does Andover look down upon Bs? Or am being paranoid…I’m more than a bit stressed out about this. How important are the recommendations? How important is the interview? (Sorry to be bombarding you with questions, I just don’t want to underestimate, or overestimate, the significance of each part of the application).
Thank you!</p>
<p>naturallyme: Don’t worry about the questions! it’s only natural to be curious. Recommendations are very important for the process. Get multiple recommendations for your ECs, but only the ones that you really care about. And think of the interview as a “first impression”. All the interview does is let the school get to know you in person, which lets the AOs see if you are fit for the school. Remember to just be yourself. There are a lot of people who are qualified to be at this school, but the AOs decided that they wouldn’t do well in an environment like Andover’s. Remember that Andover’s not for everyone, and that you need to be open to other options. And trust me, a couple of Bs won’t kill you. I had some, and they didn’t penalize me for them. And if you’re worrying about your past grades, don’t. The AOs will most likely be judging you from who you currently are, and not what you were in the past. It just wouldn’t be logical if they did that. </p>
<p>hope this helps!</p>
<p>I’m sorry if somebody already asked about recommendations but how many do you need?
I’m trying to apply for Andover, and i know it says i need a math recommendation, an english one, and a personal one, but do i need more? And what does it mean by personal? Does it mean sth like a music one?
thank you!</p>
<p>The personal rec is from any adult that knows you well, but probably not a family member.</p>
<p>LiveForMusic: what PaerIdeas said^^^. The personal recommendation is from anyone besides your immediate family. This is usually from a sports coach, music teacher, or alumni. Usually, people use this for their EC. You can have as many of these recommendations as you want. I remember reading on the common application that you could have as many as you wanted, and it wouldn’t hurt. Try and have around 2-3 of these, and you’ll be fine. if not, that’s ok too!</p>
<p>swimdude006: Thanks! You’ve helped a lot! Ill keep y’all updated on how my interview goes, its in two weeks! thanks again, ttfn.</p>
<p>naturallyme: not a problem! I’m just glad I could help! and trust me, interviews won’t completely mess your chances up. I remember I said “I’d like to go to ANDOVER because…” in my deerfield interview, and I still got accepted :D, so don’t worry. Just act natural and you’ll be fine!</p>
<p>Thank you!
I was kinda worried about the recommendations, but I feel better now:)
Oh, and I’m having my interview like, a month from now, but I’m not sure how it’ll be like.
What kind of questions are asked? How do you need to answer? What do they look for?
I’m getting an off-campus interview and I’m a bit nervous…do you think it’ll be really different from the on-campus interviews?</p>