I know this seems weird considering Andover’s reputation but a few friends of my siblings go to Andover and tell stories about rampant drug use at Andover. I am sure this is true in most schools but it seems Andover is on a level all of its own. I also know kids at Deerfield, St George’s, Hotchkiss and Choate and none of them feel that drugs are a big problem at those schools but have heard the stories at Andover and all agree they think it is an issue at Andover.
Do you think that it is just the kids I know and the fact it is a small sample group? I dont really want to be at a school that has widespread drug use and am scared that I might fall into the wrong group if I was.
BTW I am a legacy of Andover and it was my first choice till this weekend when I heard all these stories. I still want to go there but I am concerned.
Is there anyway to really find out the truth about drugs at boarding schools?
Hello, I dont exactly know the answer to your question, and i’d like to add that i would also like to know this. But from what i’ve heard (from current students mostly) there isnt a major problem. I think that even if there were to be a widespread drug use there, if you have good morals, i’m sure you will be okay.
Also, here’s a link to their “state of academy survey.” It gives you pretty good insight to the parts of Andover that isnt on the website… http://sota.phillipian.net/
I am surprised to see that only 79% of students at Andover report that they are happy. I wonder if that is typical for a teenage population or if other schools have higher or lower rates of happiness.
So was I, but then again, Andover does apparently have a very rigorous academic program. Maybe the 21% are all incredibly stressed? @siliconvalleymom
@siliconvalleymom , someone I spoke with in development there said that roughly 25% of the alums viewed theIR time there very negatively. (An equal # were very positive.) I suspect some part of it is the age. I also wonder, given how exceptional the students there are, what the correlation is between the unhappy alums and how well they did. (I.e, was the high flyer who was no longer at the top of his class who viewed the years darkly?) I recall a similar phenomenon at ultra selective grad schools where the person who had only ever been in the top 10% of his/her class discovers that someone has to be in the bottom quartile and they’re that person! Or it could be stress as suggested.
I have seen these reports for other schools and have seen much higher rates of happiness. But other schools may prioritize that differently and probably at the expense of something else.
Your comments make sense I guess. I am a very good student (high grades, very high SSAT, etc). Should I be worried that I will become a stressed out kid and then take drugs? I have good self esteem but, like all kids, like to fit in. From what I can tell other schools have very strong academic programs too and if they dont have the same issue what do you think the reasons are? I have heard that there are almost no rules at Andover, do you think that is the reason?
@Wannaboard , I would guess this happens everywhere in varying degrees. Some schools are far quicker to expel kids for infractions than others.
It sounds like you know you don’t want to be involved with this kind of behavior so I will bet you can avoid it. If you are uncomfortable with what is going on around you and do not have the power to stop it, you have the power to leave. Trust me, there is more than enough to do at PAA that is well within the rules. Give yourself credit for recognizing your desire to fit in. That is great self-awareness. Assuming you are accepted, you can form friendships based on shared “legal” activities. Your kind of person is there, I am sure!
@Wannaboard The short answer is no. I have two kids who graduated from Andover in recent years. Based on their experience, while drug use was an issue that’s been around for a long, long time, just as on many other campuses of boarding schools, day schools and public schools, it was always something “under the radar” done by a small group of students. I can responsibly say that the overwhelming majority of kids in Andover don’t have “a drug problem”. The school administration is tough on implementing disciplinary rules for drug use, so one’s certainly in big trouble if caught using drugs.
If you are Andover legacy, why don’t you ask your folks to reach out to alums who have kids attending Andover recently and See what they say. If you do find out that it’s not the ideal environment for you, don’t force yourself to apply or attend. Good luck!
I agree with @panpacific . In addition, this is a great question to ask at revisits. FWIW out of the schools that you mention, there is one that I hear about constantly in terms of drugs, and it’s not Andover 
So part of it could really just be who you’re hearing it from and not necessarily true in a broader sense.
I think a 79% happiness rate for the high school years is pretty high overall. I think the teen years can be filled with a lot of angst, stress, etc. It’s the fodder for all kinds of movies and novels.
I have asked everyone I know that either is attending or has attended lately and this is what they tell me, over 10 students. I think there might have been a change recently and the problem is worse than even a few years ago. I guess one wont really know till you attend but I am just trying to figure out the type of place it is before then. My Dad (who went there) is pushing hard for me to go there. I guess if I get in I will go and hope for the best.
All these kids who are not happy or have taken drugs at Andover could mean that it’s their problem, not Andover’s. Perhaps some students were not prepared well enough for the rigorous boarding/academic life there. I’m taking both sides here, so hear me out.
As defending Andover:
-They’ve warned MULTIPLE times that their academic coursework is going to be among the most rigorous in the nation. Applicants should’ve considered that when they were applying.
- I think Andover and the other top schools (Exeter, etc.) has really tried to get the most prepared students, but sometimes their plans may not work out and the student may get more overwhelmed then they’ve imagined. You can’t blame them too much, they’re all humans like us. This is why, at the interview, they constantly ask you for experiences you’ve had living outside of home and consider kids who’s taken higher classes so that they’ll have an easier time adjusting to the rigor in their academics (Heh I don’t have any sources for this…but it just makes sense in my mind. This is why you’ll see many freshmen in E and A taking college math in their first year. They’ve already gone through classes way above their grade and therefore have experienced/adapted to great stress)
As defending the students:
-I agree that Andover should pay more attention to these drug troubles and stress. A limit is a limit and teens only have so much stamina/power/energy.
Anyway…I’m shocked at the stats. Andover was my first choice and I agree with the OP. It’s quite frightening.
three other points to consider 1) stress sometimes is not academic but rather the teenagers need to fit in- which could lead to social anxiety, loneliness, depression and ultimately making bad choices. 2) it’s very hard for most top students to predict what it will be like at a school with such academic competition/demands. For some students the adjustment of “no longer being the best” is very disheartening and stressful. Especially if their self esteem is purely based on being that 99%, straight A student. 3) certain parents can create tremendous stress for their kid. Their unrealistic expectation that their children excel at all costs can be very damaging- Stanford has released considerable info on this topic
You are concerned you might fall into the wrong group? You have good self esteem, but like all kids like to fit in? Seems to me you should consider delaying your attendance at any BS if you might fall into that group or choose to do drugs just in order to fit it.
I too agree with @panpacific that the simple answer is no. Drug use at Andover or any BS is present, but done very much under the radar, by a minority of students and is far from considered rampant. If this is what you have heard then it is more about who you are talking to and less about the actual culture of the school. It is without hesitation that I say that Andover is far from a party school in that sense and if you don’t wish to be a part of that group then you will not feel pressured to be.
I am already at prep school in MA so I dont think I need to delay Boarding school. Anyway, maybe I shouldnt have asked the question I did here as I am not sure answers actually reflect what I know to be true already. Thank you for your times.
Funny how you join CC just today in order to bad mouth Andover. Hope other visiting here will see your posts for what there are.
@Wannaboard This is your question: “Do you think that it is just the kids I know and the fact it is a small sample group?” I think it has been addressed by posters on this thread. As always, when you ask a question, you shouldn’t expect every answer you receive to be what you expected/liked. Last words - wait till M10. If you have an offer in hand, you can revisit this topic and make a decision from there.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
I think that’s a good stopping point, as it’s quite true. Closing thread.