Hey! So I was admitted to Phillips Academy Andover and was wondering what life there was really like, such as dorm life, courses, and so on. If anyone just had some information about life there, it would be great! Looking forward to school next year! (As hard as that may be to believe)
Hi! I’m going to be a junior next year, and in addition to @Gracie110100 's post, this would be very helpful. I know that there’s a similar thread on this topic, but no one has responded for a few weeks. Any information would be awesome. Thanks!
Hey guys, I am a senior at Andover, and can answer any questions you may have about life here, both in and out of the classroom. Ask away!
Am I allowed to start a new language junior(freshman) year? I’ve taken French for the past two years, but I really want to take Russian. Would they allow me to do that?
Also, is it true we need to have a trimester each of music and visual arts by the end of Lower year? I signed up for P.E. and theater for (at least) the fall…
Languages: Yes. You can start a completely new language. In fact, during the first few days of orientation, you will get to sit in on a quick intro class to each of the less commonly taught languages(Russian, German, Japanese), and then will get to decide whether you want to take one of them. Many people choose to take Russian or German.
Yes, you need to have a trimester of music/art by the end of lower year. This means there will be a couple of terms where you may have to take 6 courses. Do you 6 course terms during junior year, as you really only want to have 5 courses for Upper/Senior year. Almost everyone does an art/music course in junior year. Most do P.E. lower year I honestly would suggest getting all of your art/music requirements out of the way during junior/lower year, as they can be a real pain to take during Upper/Senior year.
Do you advise taking 5 or 6 courses the fall term? Also do you know many people who had a single their first year? Because I can’t decide if I should request a single or a double.
I strongly advise taking 6 fall term. Mainly because it will save you from an extra course load when the rest of your courses actually get hard during Lower and Upper year. Frankly, I would take 6 courses for all of freshman year. You will thank yourself later on in your Andover career. I know a few people who had singles during their first year, however unless you are so vehemently against the concept of living with another person, I would suggest requesting a double. It will give you more chance to make fun memories that only happen with roommates as well as to help immediately make friends and get to know more people. Plus, if it is one of the days where your alarm doesn’t go off, there is someone else there to wake you up and prevent you from getting a cut.
@MABlue Thank you so much for the advice! My concern with taking 6 courses the fall term is that it would be a hard transition, and I will “crash and burn” like other users mentioned on previous threads I read. Do you feel that happened with many who took 6 courses their fall term? Also which dorm would you recommend for a freshman girl? Another question is would you recommend taking PE junior or lower year?
6 Courses Fall Term- You won’t crash and burn. You will anyway have two pass/fail courses(English and History) I* took 6 courses during freshman fall. While the transition to Andover was difficult, It is much easier to take 6 courses as a junior. Plus, if grades is what you’re worried about, I frankly do not think that colleges will care all that much about freshman fall. Honestly, I don’t know many that crashed and burned with 6 courses. To be blunt, regardless of 5 or 6, the people who crashed and burned simply did not have the necessary maturity or study skills to succeed at Andover.
Dorms- I am a guy, so I don’t really know what girl dorms are good. Do some research to see if you want a small house or a big dorm. I suggest a big dorm, as it gives more chance of finding people to be friends with.
PE- Taking PE lower year was one of the best decisions I ever made. I took PE as a 5th course during Lower Winter, so essentially, I only had four “real” courses. To this day, my single best academic term was this one. Save a super easy course like PE for lower year.
I’m one who has mentioned “crash and burn” in the past, but that was said with me not knowing the student and/or the student not mentioning the school s/he’ll be attending. Again, it also depends on the individual. However, when the 6th course is art or music, the increase in coursework is not that overwhelming. Also note, that you will have advisors on campus who can help you through this. As @MABlue mentioned, English and History are P/F in the fall. And the workload only gets harder after 9th grade.
Again, personal preference. I took it as a lower because I wanted to knock out some of the arts requirement as a freshman, which worked out well.
@Gracie110100 I think it is probably best to defer to your advisor on this topic once you get to Andover. All of the advice that @skieurope and I have given is based on the traditional trimester schedule, and this will change to the new 4X5 schedule in 2017(your lower year), and I actually just heard this afternoon from my academic adviser that the way courses will be chosen after next year will change, so just keep that in mind.
By any chance do you know how they will be chosen in 2017?
Not exactly, and from what I’ve heard, this administration is yet to even finalize how courses will be organized and chosen. There is a lot of talk going on about how to structure year long courses and such matters. Safe to say none of it will be in your own control(or your advisor’s for that matter), so I would just focus on next year
Does anyone know the numbers of how many girls are in each of the junior dormitories?
It’s not an even split by any means. Certain dorms like Nathan Hale are what you imagine as a “regular” dorm with a bunch of people living in the hall, however other dorms are converted houses, where there are usually 8-12 people.
Are we allowed to hang up poster, tapestries, pictures, etc.? If so, with what?
Also, are we allowed to bring a mini-fridge for our dorm room(for medicine) or is there one big one for the overall dorm?
Yes, with wall putty.
The only students allowed a mini fridge are proctors and prefects., or those that get approval for medical or religious reasons. There is a common refrigerator.
Is it true that the school provides the wall putty? If not, where do you recommend getting it?
Hey! I’m currently a ninth grader at University of Chicago Lab, but I feel strongly about getting into Andover for 11th grade. My grades and ECs are strong but I’m not an athlete, and I feel like it is even more competitive to get in for junior year. Advice on SSAT, and the interview/admissions process for incoming juniors especially?
@acoolperson I do not remember if they provide it, but i’m sure you could go to CVS downtown and get some if you needed it.
@daniela1 It is not more competitive for 11th grade. It is generally just as competitive as for 9th and 10th grade admission. As far as SSAT goes, you just want the highest score possible. It also could be beneficial to take the SAT/ACT and send the scores in if they are good. Interview: Just be confident but not cocky, make eye contact, and be able to hold the conversation. Make sure it doesn’t turn into list of questions made by the interviewer, but rather a conversation between you two. Also, be able to articulate why you want to go to Andover. The interview should not be intimidating. All of the admissions officers are very nice people and are not actively trying to weed you out by catching you off guard. PM me or post here if you have any other questions about Andover.