<p>Hello :)
I have a few questions that I can't seem to find anywhere! I'm a freshman and am thinking about applying to Andover for next year. I have a 3.8 GPA this year but didn't have very good grades in middle school. I don't play any sports but I volunteer all the time. I want to know, truthfully, what the application process is like. What do you really need to get in? Another thing, I wouldn't mind having one other roommate, but is it possible to ask for a room with a private bathroom? And do you think it's too much to ask for a single room with a bathroom? I'm just not used to sharing spaces like that. Also, I'm really shy, and not outgoing. I have social anxiety and am not 100% sure if boarding school would help or hurt that. Thoughts? Also, do people legit just sit around and study all day like every website says? Or are there actually really cool parties that people sneak out to go to? What are the classes like? I read somewhere that the classes are from 7am-6pm and on Saturday. Is this true? And is it too much or does it not seem that that much once you're used to it? I think that is all the questions I have right now... any other information would be so helpful!
Thanks!</p>
<p>Parties? It’s not college yet. But you don’t lie around studying all the time either. It’s like a normal top tier BS. </p>
<p>And no Saturday classes for PA. </p>
<p>The applications process is a bit extensive, so I’d encourage you to get a head start. I think admissions opens about September. They are due mid-January. Understand that these are very competitive schools, so don’t get ahead of yourself. I was halfway through planning room decorations when I received rejections. This process can eat you up, but I would encourage you to be in a place where you aren’t depending on the results through out.</p>
<p>To answer the rest of your questions: What you really need to get in? I thought I knew but I’m wrong. Rooms/bathrooms? It will be an entire year before you know if you’ll be in or not. Relax. The Harkness table (used in Exeter and Andover both) is designed to help shy people. If social anxiety is a serious issue for you, it would be a good idea to talk to a professional about that. Ultimately, I think that these top tier boarding schools could only help. I have it on good authority that are parties with alcohol and the whole deal. It’s boarding school, but it still is full of teenagers. WARNING: PA has No Tolerance policy. If you are found with illegal substances, it is expulsion. There are parties without alcohol of course too. Last I read: Andover has classes from 8 to 3 (infrequent Saturday classes), Exeter from 8 to 6 (Saturday classes becoming less and less frequent). I can’t answer your last question, but I would assume that it varies.</p>
<p>One last note: PA is an amazing school. Exeter is an amazing school. So are Hotchkiss, Deerfield, and St. Paul’s. But don’t forget about other amazing schools that don’t have the same name brand recognition. If I had applied to more, I might not be looking at these rejections.</p>
<p>Another last note: I know I don’t sound very cheerful now and I’m sorry. I do think you should apply though. You have a shot at some of the best education the world has to offer. Even if you don’t get in, the journey is fantastic. I’m not happier, but I am smarter. Do it. Doooo it. Doooooooo it.</p>
<p>@itsabigailslife If you are really serious about applying for boarding schools, I say go or it. Don’t let things like bathrooms/room types/parties persuade you out of applying. The fact is that many of these schools are amazing and have so many opportunities for both your social and academic life. Boarding school is something I definitely think you should apply for, but only if you are willing to spend the time and commitment during the application process. </p>
<p>I won’t lie. The application process is incredibly stressful, lengthy, and terrifying, but when you finally send out that last essay or finish that last interview, you will have learned a lot. You will have to start early to research different schools and discover which ones you want to apply to. A lot of the top tier schools require interviews. You can either to a regional interview or an on-site interview, depending on your location and your families financial situation. Then you will have to write a lot of essays. By a lot, I mean a lot. At least 1 essay for each school and maybe 1 or 2 short answers. This number varies though. At some schools you might have to write 2 or 3 essays. You will also have to monitor teacher recommendations and submit your grades/test scores. Then begins the stressful wait for M10.</p>
<p>I encourage you to do more research on boarding schools and the application process. Whether you get in or not, it is still an amazing experience. You will meet some of the smartest people at these schools and will learn so much at these schools. I definitely think you should apply for next year. If you need more advice on the application process, ask people at CC and I’m sure they’ll help. Or you can message me. I won’t be able to tell you about life at these schools though. I didn’t get accepted to any… :(</p>
<p>But still, apply! </p>
<p>Just want to tell both bananaboat and creamcheesecake that you’re both truly generous to encourage someone else after your very disappointing day. It really shows a lot of character.</p>
<p>@Daykidmom The ten year old in my head was just like “I don’t want character! I want to go to boarding school!” But…I appreciate it regardless. :P</p>
<p>Other people have covered a lot about the admissions process, so I’m basically just going to say it isn’t guarenteed, but good test scores, good grades, well-written, thoughtful essays with character, and a decent personality definitely won’t hurt. Exact necessities are vague and depend on the circumstance - someone waitlisted one year might be accepted a different year.</p>
<p>It is possible to ask for a single, but no guarantees. For girls, Isham has a few singles and so does Nathan Hale. Hale also has three-room doubles, where you share a common space but have separate bedrooms. I’m a little more hazy on the boy’s side of things - I’m pretty sure Rockwell is all singles and other dorms have some singles. There’s pretty much no way you’ll get a private bathroom. For girls, you’ll be sharing with at least three other girls (double brick, first floor of isham). Don’t know about boys. Again, you can ask for a single (they send out a housing request sheet in mid-May, I think) but there’s no guarantees you’ll get one, and you won’t be getting a private bathroom.</p>
<p>It’s entirely possible to be a hermit at Andover. You can hole yourself up in your dorm room, especially if you have a single, and be able to live like that. However, you’re going to have at least some social interaction, if only during classes (let’s say you have enough ramen stockpiled to never go to Commons). I’d also advocate at least talking to some people. Talking to teachers is always helpful for classes, and it’s nice to have friends. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about social anxiety, so I can’t really help you on that front.</p>
<p>I don’t know anyone who studies 24/7. There are very studious people, but a lot of them are also willing to just chill with friends over dinner or whatever. A lot of students play video games. I don’t know about parties, but I do know people sometimes have sex on campus and it’s not like students have never been caught under the influence of drugs/alcohol. I don’t know about sneaking out to go to parties, either.</p>
<p>There are 7 blocks for classes, starting at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 2:45 p.m. Each class block lasts 45 minutes, except on Wednesdays and Thursdays when each block lasts 1 hour 15 minutes. On Wednesdays, you have 1st, 2nd, and 7th periods as well as All School Meeting, and on Thursdays you have 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th periods. You have one block for lunch. If you’re taking 5 courses, then you have another block free. Classes depend on the class, really - a lot of science courses are fairly lecture-intensive with some labs, which English classes range from mostly lectures to mostly class-based discussion. Class sizes are around 12 people, so it’s not too many people in a room. The classes themselves aren’t too bad. I’ve definitely been bored in some, a little overwhelmed in others, but it evens out and it doesn’t take that much getting used to. It’s the homework/projects that make the majority of the workload, and that mainly depends on the classes - I barely had any work freshman year and even now I’m not completely swamped most of the time.</p>
<p>(for reference, I’m a three-year-upper)</p>
<p>@TheTester Do you feel like you have learned a lot? Are you liking PA more than you liked public school?</p>
<p>@thebananaboat I’ve definitely learned a lot. There are some amazing courses and teachers at the school. I’ve taken some decently advanced courses not offered at my public high school, so that’s always a bonus, and I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten more out of the english/history/language courses than I would have if I stayed. </p>
<p>@TheTester Hi! I was recently admitted to PA, and I was wondering what would happen after you got accepted? I know about placement tests and rooming surveys, but can you go more in depth as to what you really do?</p>
<p>@26postcards First, congratulations on the acceptance!</p>
<p>I’m admittedly very fuzzy on the exact details of this stuff, but I’ll try my best. In mid-Mayish (possibly June), you’ll receive a packet from Andover with placement tests/housing forms. There should be instructions in the packet, and you should trust that over anything I say. </p>
<p>There should be a math placement test. It covers up to pre-calculus, I think, and it’s mainly (if not all) multiple-choice. Do your best, but don’t worry if you can’t complete problems of it. When you get to school, you’ll get your math placement (if you place into 320 or some others - not sure exactly what) or take another placement test (this will narrow down exactly what class you end up taking). As long as you respond with what you know and not what the Internet says, you’ll be placed somewhere near your skill level. Most people I know were/are pretty happy with their placements. There’s always room to move up or down in the sequence, though, so don’t worry about that.</p>
<p>There are placement tests for all or most of the languages offered (Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Latin, Greek, not certain about Japanese or Russian). If you don’t take any, you’ll start off in the 100 level course of whatever language you want to take. If you take one, they’ll place you depending on how well you did on the test. The written portion is mainly testing writing skills. If I recall correctly, it’s a lot of short response questions and possibly a short essay. The prompts are in whatever language it’s testing for, I think. I’m not sure about reading comprehension. I think there’s a portion of it that’s online, and that might include listening (no speaking, if I remember correctly). </p>
<p>Housing form comes on a little white card. They’ll give you a choice between single or double. If you choose double and you’re a girl going into 9th grade, you’re pretty much guaranteed a double. Not sure about guys, because there’s a lot more singles available for freshmen guys, I think. The school likes giving new uppers/seniors singles in big dorms. Not sure about new lowers. They also ask you if you’re an early sleeper or night owl, if you keep your room messy or tidy, and I think if you listen to music out loud. Not certain about the last question. Those are just for pairing you up with a roommate. Be warned that saying you like a neat room does not guarantee a neat roommate – I’m not the only one who lied about being neat. They’ll also give you a few lines to specify what you want in a roommate, if you’ve got anything else to say. Roommates tend to be a hit-or-miss situation – I got along fabulously with my freshman year roommate, but there were many others who did not.</p>
<p>If you don’t mind, I’ll add onto what Tester said (I took these tests a little more recently). </p>
<p>The general test covers kids who have taken up to a proof-based geometry, and there are more specialized tests for those who have taken precalculus, calculus, and even higher levels. As Tester said, answer without help from Google, or your placement will be screwed up.</p>
<p>There is a placement test to determine what music level you will be placed into (225, 235, or the AP sequence). It’s simply some reading, composition, and trivia about composers.</p>
<p>The housing form consists of what Tester said, as well as your hobbies/interests and the hobbies/interests you desire your roommate to have. I am a very organized person, and a clean room is an absolute necessity for me. Unfortunately, my roommate is extremely messy, and we don’t get along in general. There are people I know with far worse roommates, though. The people with singles seem pretty content. </p>
<p>@TheTester @DocScratch Thank you guys so much for your informative answers! I was also wondering if it was possible for me to request a roommate. My cousin has also just been accepted to Andover, and our families would be more comfortable if we were able to room together. Would this be possible?</p>
<p>One of the best things about boarding school is the chance the meet new and interesting people. Not only will the housing office not assign you and your cousin to the same room, they will probably strive to assign you to different dorms.</p>
<p>@26postcards You can definitely ask for the same dorm; I know siblings who have done that, and they’ll probably allow it for cousins as well. However, as skieurope said, they probably won’t let you guys room together.</p>
<p>@TheTester Yeah, that’s what I thought. Thanks for all the help, I’m super excited to be coming to PA in the fall! </p>
<p>Thank you, everyone! This was super helpful! I keep seeing people talking about getting accepted… is it too late to apply to Andover? </p>
<p>@itsabigailslife Application deadline was January 15th</p>
<p>@skieurope So if I’m a freshman now, that means I would have to wait and apply for my junior year?</p>