<p>A retention rate of 98% means that over 4 years, roughly 8% of the class leaves (assuming that students leave during senior year also, and it’s not unreasonable to think that about 6 seniors need to go for involuntary or voluntary reasons). So 10% overall attrition seems plausible and consistent. </p>
<p>Having seen my daughter through her first year, it’s not surprising to me that some students choose to go elsewhere—as Tapper7 said, it’s not for everyone even though for the right students it’s extraordinary.</p>
<p>Even if all the stats I quoted are accurate and my interpretation of the data is correct, which I myself still have doubt, I’d be surprised in the sense that this is new knowledge to me, but I wouldn’t be overly concerned. Academic rigor and challenges, and a place with clear and functioning policies about drug and alcho, are what we send our kids to PA for, and I wouldn’t want the school to compromise either just to “look good”. As a new PA parent, I’ve been following every bit of news about the school closely. I’ve been impressed by the remarkable openness and transparency the school shows about its operation. The school website and PANet are great resources, with all kinds of information readily available. The Phillipian, school newspaper published online, which is so dynamic and full of free spirits, and is often criticizing the school administration, is so refreshing and inspiring. With this kind of “setup”, I wouldn’t worry that there is something serete going without school community’s knowledge.</p>
<p>Watertester, I agree. At first I found the Phillipian a little worrying as some of the writers seem to complain so much (and some of the humor is not that funny to me) but now I appreciate the freedom of the press and youthful spirit, and look forward to reading my paper version every week (well, I skip some of the humor pieces, for which a 50-something is obviously not the target audience anyway!).</p>
<p>When I received the Phillipian, I often would skim headlines and then read the humor section (or whatever it’s called now). Sometimes it’s the best way to get info about the school, but often the articles seemed irrelevant to me. There was an article in January I found interesting about grade inflation and students with 6.0s, but that was only of interest because I was considering my own school, which has rampant grade inflation, in my opinion. The Phillipian is very hit or miss, but I can appreciate all the effort that goes into it.</p>
<p>Andover should be more concerned about over-enrollment, in my opinion, since it makes the housing lottery The. Worst. Time. Of. The. Year. Also, they always seem to over-enroll girls. Why is that? </p>
<p>And ah. The Phillipian. We complain because we’re bored, and we’ve forgotten what our old schools were like. And we complain because we tend to start feeling like college students, growing out of this childish prep school environment, ready to crusade, unfettered, through the hallowed halls of another institution. We complain because rebellion against privilege is what you do when you’re seventeen. Oh. The reason for the Commentary section of the Phillipian is not that Andover students have so much to complain about…rather, we complain because there’s an entire section of the newspaper devoted to it.</p>
<p>And people leaving? One of two reasons. (1) They have no concept of what rules are. (2) Televisions and novels and friends from home can make the idea of “a normal high school life” seem so overwhelmingly unmissable that the lure of high school and not boarding school is impossible to resist. All of a sudden, I miss everyone. We can feel very Holden Caulfield sometimes, which is appropriate, since he hated Andover. Phonies. :)</p>
<p>Could the current and former students and parents share some information on what kind of sports clothes to prepare? I know a few pairs of sneakers is a must. What about other sports clothes? I know if on a team you may be provided uniform for matches (?). How about for the daily exercises, intramural and instructional sports? Any input is appreciated!</p>
<p>Most kids just wear athletic shorts and a t-shirt. Anything that will be comfortable for the sport is fine. Any equipment specific to a sport should be brought if you have it.</p>
<p>Then I guess I need to prepare many pairs of athletic shorts, at least more than a week’s supply. That’s not a problem, but I’ve read that some school would let the students leave their sports clothes after training, have them washed and returned the next day. Is there a similar process in PA?</p>
<p>How is applying for Andover to go as a sophmore? More or less difficult? Do people “accept” you even if you weren’t a freshman there?</p>
<p>What’s the environment like? It’s big, but does it feel close-knit in some ways? Is the competition extremely overwhelming, or do people help you along?</p>
<p>People accept you quite readily. As far as difficulty, I’m not sure; I’m tempted to say it’s a bit harder, but I have no proof.</p>
<p>The environment is very stressful, but overall nice. People find their sorts of people with whom they become very close-knit, and Andover really isn’t <em>that</em> big. The competition is more everyone trying to do their best rather than trying to beat the other person. Students sign up to tutor others, will help you along even if you’re in their class, and so on.</p>
<p>I wasn’t a varsity athlete, so I’m not sure about washing. I think you could get a clean towel everyday. You might get your uniform washed, but I doubt your own clothes. You should ask the school or an athlete on these boards to be sure.</p>
<p>I’ve heard applying for lower (sophomore) year is harder, but only by a small amount. Lots of private schools end in 9th grade, so BSs are very used to having those students apply. Andover leaves space for more kids (I think 60 or so) to enter lower year. I was a new lower, and I felt I fit right in. At the beginning new lowers tended to hang out together because they go through orientation together. After the first couple weeks everyone was blended together. By the end of the first term no one really notices and when you graduate no one will really remember. </p>
<p>At first the school seems big, but by the end it began to feel too small to me. You will know everyone’s name in your grade even if you don’t know them personally. My dorm was very close. I felt that sports teams, dorms, classes, and clubs really brought people together and gave the school a community feel. One of the lessons Andover teaches is to compete against yourself and not others. This can be a painful lesson depending on your personality. By the end everyone was just trying to do their best instead of trying to be the top. Almost everyone was willing to help if needed. They weren’t willing to give out answers, but were happy to help teach how to do the problems. It was common to trade help with math for help with history or another subject. Before tests and especially finals group studying was very popular. I would say Andover was cooperative and competitive at the same time.</p>
<p>I can confirm that one could get a clean towel each day. One just had to bring the dirty one to be washed and pick up a new one.</p>
<p>In addition, a few of the new lowers, particularly local ones, hang out with the new 9th grades (again, typically the local ones) at first, because there’s a sense of community there.</p>
<p>
I envy you there - I knew about half of my graduating class. However, I spent a lot of my time making friendships outside of my year. So it is different for everyone.</p>
<p>Physics, Music, and Social Sciences are particularly strong at Andover, while, relatively speaking, mathematics and languages are weak. However, even those weak subjects possess some great teachers and are often stronger than the equivalent program at the “average” public school. If you’re applying solely for mathematics, there are stronger schools, and you may want to think twice about Andover if you would place into multivariable calculus, since the options are more limited at Andover than at Exeter after that course.</p>
<p>@ Urgoola, I’m applying mainly for math/science (I’m applying to Exeter, too), but also for sports such as soccer, tennis, dance and swimming and maybe music (choir, drama, etc.)</p>
<p>I think Uroogla might have lost sight of the skill level of most schools in this country. While the math department doesn’t match Exeter’s (arguably the strongest in the country) and may be weaker than some of the others at PA (a debatable point), stating that it is “often stronger than the equivalent program at an ‘average’ public school” is damning with far too faint praise. The program is well beyond anything available at an “average” public school - or one far above average for that matter. It is also far beyond all but a few private schools. It’s my understanding that the average score on the BC Calc exam is approximately a 4.8. Admittedly they have a very talented group of students to work with, but that’s not the performance of an average program of any type. Furthermore, most public and private schools don’t even follow-up with multivariable calculus, much less get into a discussion regarding the number of offerings beyond that level.</p>
<p>The strong finish of PA’s first ever team at the ARML national math competition (behind Exeter and TJ among the small number of schools that send their own teams, but in the top 20% overall against teams that mostly represent large metropolitan areas or entire states) and the first place winner at the 2009 USA Math Olympiad also speak highly of the program. Once again, much of the credit must go to the skill and dedication of the students, but it should indicate to prospective students that they will be surrounded by talented peers and continue to be developed by a strong faculty.</p>