Questions for Current Exeter Students

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hello I am currently a 9th grader and I am reapplying to Exeter for 10th grade. After reading a few threads about Exeter online I knew Exeter is my first choice and I have some questions for current students about the Academics and life out of school.</p>

<p>1) Is it true that students at Exeter usually only get B's because the academic course load and it is very rare to get an A?</p>

<p>2) How many hours of free time do you usually get each day and on the weekend to hang out with friends and do other stuff other than sports, clubs, homework, etc?</p>

<p>3) Does Exeter do class rank and gpa? </p>

<p>4) Is it true that everyone is really nice and almost everyone is friends with each other?</p>

<p>5) How is dorm life?</p>

<p>6) I heard that the internet gets shut off after 11 o'clock, what if you need to use the computer for homework?</p>

<p>7) When does school start and end?</p>

<p>8) How did you adapt to academic rigor as a new prep?</p>

<p>9) Is every student at Exeter a genius and score well on every test? or do some students sometimes screw up and get a C?</p>

<p>10) How does Exeter compare to Andover and why is it a better choice to go to Exeter (Answer Seriously)</p>

<h1>10 is meant for me because a few months ago Andover was my first choice, but after i thought and looked it over Exeter became my first choice and I am 99% sure that I would like to go there. I just want to make that 99% a 100%. Thank you!</h1>

2

<p>

</p>

<p>Neither school is “better” than the other, and only you and your family can determine which school (among many) is best for you. I would strongly encourage you to use other selection criteria than “reading a few threads about Exeter online.” That may be one way to start adding schools to your initial list, but it is about the worst way I can think of to actually select a school. Many here have stories of how the school they thought was their first choice dropped off their list entirely after visits, even top-ranked schools. Do your online research, including reading here and scouring websites, but also plan to visit as many schools on your list as you can. You’d be surprised how the reality of a school can differ from what you’ve imagined based on what you’ve read.</p>

3

<p>After I reread my question, I realized that I had worded it incorrectly and also stated facts that were not true. I did not only look up these schools but I have visited Exeter and Andover when I applied last year. What I meant to say was after my visits Andover was my first choice. But after a few days I realized that I loved Exeter and the campus and everything that goes with it. I think I also should have verified my interests such as Math, Science, and Cross country and I also should have asked what are the pro’s and con’s of going to Exeter instead of why it is a better choice than Andover. Of course both schools are great. Please excuse question number 10 and @Choatiemom thank you for the advice of visiting both schools. I think I need to refresh my mind and be 100% Exeter is the school for me. But please current Exeter students, answer questions!!!</p>

4

<p>P’15 (parent of an Exonian class of 2015) here but I can answer a few.</p>

<p>7) The internet is 24/7 now
3) There is no class rank. GPA is cumulative, but first term prep year grades are not placed on transcript or included in GPA (That also addressed Q 8, how to adapt to workload).</p>

<p>2) Free time is very student specific. Kids on sports teams have less free time. Kids taking intensive/advanced level classes have less free time. Kids who do more demanding clubs have less free time. Time management is important. There are free periods every day, if used wisely they can help finish homework on time. There are very, very few Saturday classes left, so weekends are up to you to structure as you would like.</p>

5

<p>For Q1 and Q9, it seems Exeter is not publishing this data anymore, but in the School Profile of 2013, there’s a GPA distribution chart (for students that completed the upper year) as follows:

About 16.5% of the returning seniors had a GPA below 7.99, with 8 being B/Honors. It obviously will fluctuate from year to year, but you get the idea.</p>

6

<p>@Benley, thank you so much for the statistics and also, I recognize that a lot of Exeter grads go to top tier colleges like the Ivy’s, Stanford, etc. Do these Colleges understand the rigor of Exeter and would they consider an applicant from Exeter that has B’s over an applicant with straight A’s at a public school system? Is it only the grads with 10.00 to 11.00 that get into these schools or is can it also be kids with 8.0 and 9.0 also. I know that grades aren’t the deciding factor, but they do have a great impact.</p>

7

<p>^^To save some re-typing, read post 13 of this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1558439-some-thoughts-highly-selective-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1558439-some-thoughts-highly-selective-schools.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>Benley,
It’s an interesting stat, so I ran a quick analysis and here’s what I found.</p>

<p>10.00 to 11.00
4y sr: 22%
3y sr: 12%
2y sr: 12%</p>

<p>9.00 to 9.99
4y sr: 36%
3y sr: 38%
2y sr: 42%</p>

<p>8.00 to 8.99
4y sr: 28%
3y sr: 29%
2y sr: 23%</p>

<p>Below 7.99
4y sr: 14%
3y sr: 21%
2y sr: 23%</p>

<p>My take is, 3 yr and 2 yr seniors are at disadvantage when it comes to GPA because they are not given any break for the first marking period of their first year at Exeter. I guess this may be true for other schools as well.</p>

9

<p>The prep year pass fail term did not take effect until 3 or maybe two years ago so that won’t have any effect on these figures until next year or the year after.</p>

10

<p>^^^Mmm… if so, could it mean prep year classes are easier to get good grades?</p>

11

<p>Pas fail went into effect this fall. F’13</p>

12

<p>@SharingGift: I don’t think one can generalize. Our (now-graduated) child received her worst marks by far during fall term, prep year. The pass/fail fall term change would have been a nice gift for her had it been in effect.</p>

<p>@BHADES: A good number of Exeter grads (and grads from plenty of other B schools) clearly head to all sorts of wonderful colleges/universities each year, including the ones you mention. Something many lose sight of, however, is that it can be even MORE difficult – truly – to stand out in your already-competitive student pool and gain admission to the most selective colleges. So many of one’s talented classmates are applying to the same schools, after all. If you look at it percentage-wise, a single college ultimately isn’t taking all that many kids – check the matriculation stats and you’ll get a sense. When, say, 110 of your classmates apply to the same Ivy and 6 are admitted, that’s still strong but it isn’t as slam-dunk as some folks like to assume. I believe last year was a very strong year for Exeter kids at Harvard, especially EA (I’m too lazy to hunt down precise stats), but, again, something like nearly half the class applied to Harvard. So, while 18 kids (or whatever the final matriculation # was) is indeed amazing, it reads a bit different with the complete stats. </p>

<p>It’s a common mistake to believe that one’s Ivy League or elite liberal arts school dream will follow simply by virtue of attending Exeter, et al – I’ve seen those parents/kids in action. It’s why the CCO has to work so hard to manage expectations, mine included. Admissions at the most selective schools is simply crazy-competitive for most everyone these days. Look to your B school time for the amazing foundation and opportunities, not so much the end result, i.e., a mystical side door into HYP, Stanford or MIT, and I suspect you won’t be disappointed.</p>

13

<p>@sharing gift - interesting observation that the 4 year seniors have the highest percentage of highest honors students (GPA 10 or above)</p>

<p>I don’t think the prep year classes are easier….the only required class all preps take is English (which is famously difficult to get an flat A in). Students are placed in math and language according to placement tests, and choose other classes like science, history, art, music, religion and computer science from a large range of choices. So other than English, prep students are very likely to be in classes that are a mix of 9th, 10th, even 11th graders. </p>

<p>I do think a year of Exeter education as a 9th grader is an advantage going in to 10th grade, and it is harder still as a new 11th grader to compete with students who have been at Exeter one or two years already. Not only do longer-standing students have the academic preparation, they are also adjusted to the workload, time-management and social demands of a boarding school.</p>

14

<p>@SharingGift: I don’t think one can generalize. Our (now-graduated) child received her worst marks by far during fall term, prep year. The pass/fail fall term change would have been a nice gift for her had it been in effect.</p>

<p>@BHADES: A good number of Exeter grads (and grads from plenty of other B schools) clearly head to all sorts of wonderful colleges/universities each year, including the ones you mention. Something many lose sight of, however, is that it can be even MORE difficult – truly – to stand out in your already-competitive student pool and gain admission to the most selective colleges. So many of one’s talented classmates are applying to the same schools, after all. If you look at it percentage-wise, a single college ultimately isn’t taking all that many kids – check the matriculation stats and you’ll get a sense. When, say, 110 of your classmates apply to the same Ivy and 6 are admitted, that’s still strong but it isn’t as slam-dunk as some folks like to assume. I believe last year was a very strong year for Exeter kids at Harvard, especially EA (I’m too lazy to hunt down precise stats), but, again, something like nearly half the class applied to Harvard. So, while 18 kids (or whatever the final matriculation # was) is indeed amazing, it reads a bit different with the complete stats. </p>

<p>It’s a common mistake to believe that one’s Ivy League or elite liberal arts school dream will follow simply by virtue of attending Exeter, et al – I’ve seen those parents/kids in action. It’s why the CCO has to work so hard to manage expectations, mine included. Admissions at the most selective schools is simply crazy-competitive for most everyone these days. Look to your B school time for the amazing foundation and opportunities, not so much the end result, i.e., a mystical side door into HYP, Stanford or MIT, and I suspect you won’t be disappointed.</p>

15

<p>

</p>

<p>Exactly! A sample of one cannot generalize. With due respect, your case is just one episode and has a poorer statistical power than multiple dozens of students.</p>

<p>When I stated that prep year might be easier, it was entirely an exercise of speculation that could have helped explain what had been observed. Now that seems unlikely, other speculations include, as 2prepMom suggested, the advantage of returning students over new comers, and/or new 10th graders simply being less capable of returning 10th graders.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>This is actually a pretty interesting point that I haven’t thought before. It does suggest though that college “counselors” at the implied school don’t know how to counsel, or just pander to the demand by student/parents.</p>

16

<p>Ideally, we should have the grades distribution charts of the same type for multiple years to look at so we can determine if this is a long term trend. That said, since the differences between the sub-groups of interest are significant shown in this recent school profile, I’d speculate that it may be true that in general the 4 year seniors do have some advantage (the extent may vary from year to year) in grades. And I agree the reason suggested by 2prepmom is more likely. And, this could be something unique to Exeter, or true in many other schools. There’s no way to know since not many school have this sort of breakdown data available (or they are and I am not aware of?). </p>

<p>As for the college application process, up to 1/3 or a little more of the class applying to the same college is not rare but not that often either. Besides, at a certain point, more applicants from the same school won’t make it more competitive any more since there are only those many who are truly competitive for the said college. And for the most selective colleges, the admit rates in the top schools are often two to three times higher than their admit rates in the general population even with the very big number of applicants from the same school, which is expected considering what a self-selecting group this crowd is.</p>

17

<p>We looked at Andover and Exeter last year (along with other schools). Both are amazing schools, and for the right student can provide a variety of experiences. Both have required sports, but a few different programs at each school, so look at these if this is important to you. Time in sports depends on a variety of factors, but there will be sports almost every term at both schools. The campus feel is a little different - i.e. Exeter has a dress code, Andover does not. Academics are great at both places - not sure if the languages are all the same, but both have a number of languages. Math club has a different feel at both schools. Math classes are run a little differently, but both schools offer a great number of classes (many past Calculus).</p>

<p>If you are fortunate enough to have a choice of schools in March, revisit them and see how they feel to you in the spring.</p>

<p>Good luck with the applications.</p>

18

<p>@BHADES Good luck. Hopefully you’ll hear from more current students (vs., say, anxious parents of applicants speculating about stuff) on this board. Happy to answer any questions via PM as a former PEA parent should you want that.</p>

<p>@SharingGift I lent one (informed, real-life) example to illustrate how speculating or generalizing about Prep year grades and overall GPA “advantage” might not make sense. It in no way constituted an attempt to claim statistical power and can’t reasonably be read as such. Thankfully, neatoburrito and liddyb4 already corrected the baseless speculation re advantage by pointing out the simple, well-publicized fact that the pass/fail change only recently went into effect. </p>

<p>BHADES asked for facts and insights from “current students” about specific aspects of Exeter life. I’m sure s/he appreciates knowledgeable parent info, too, but it is plain that you don’t have that personal knowledge. I think the wild speculation, much of it based on partial or outright invalid data, has now served to hijack this applicant’s well-intentioned thread so I’m out. FWIW, though, 2- and 3-year seniors DO have their advantages. For example, they qualify for Cum Laude Society with their overall GPA having only been in the Exeter pool and tested by its unique brand of rigor for a short time. Not all view this as fair. As for college counseling, the knee-jerk suggestion that counselors at Exeter (or peer schools) “don’t know how to counsel” based on ## of acceptances/applications to our country’s most selective schools is absurd. I am guessing you aren’t a boarding parent yet, haven’t been through the college admissions process yet, and, hence, don’t appreciate just how competitive things truly are these days or what these highly seasoned professionals are dealing with. It’s worth repeating: not everything is numbers driven. You’ll see.</p>

19

<p>

</p>

<p>Your premise is off here: counselors counsel; they cannot control the process. This exact issue was addressed beautifully at a recent meeting between Exeter parents of juniors and the counseling staff. A parent asked if the counseling office evaluated itself based on its college matriculation results, and the director of admissions said, politely but pointedly, “No we do not, because students and parents do not always choose to take our advice.”</p>

20

<p>Back to the OP. I’m a parent of a current student.</p>

<p>1) Is it true that students at Exeter usually only get B’s because the academic course load and it is very rare to get an A?</p>

<p>No–I think it would be rare for a student (even one with a B cum) to get no A’s or A minuses. Some students tend to get most of their A’s in particular disciplines. </p>

<p>2) How many hours of free time do you usually get each day and on the weekend to hang out with friends and do other stuff other than sports, clubs, homework, etc?</p>

<p>My kid has varying amounts of free time, mostly depending on whether he’s participating in a varsity sport. He always seems to have some time to hang out with friends, but rarely a full day. Still, when you’re with your friends 24/7, that’s not as big a deal–friend time can include things like 10 p.m. study breaks</p>

<p>3) Does Exeter do class rank and gpa? </p>

<p>No class rank. Yes GPA, on an 11 pt. scale (11 is A, 10 is A-, etc.)</p>

<p>4) Is it true that everyone is really nice and almost everyone is friends with each other?</p>

<p>I’d say Exeter has lots of kids who are too busy and smart to engage in a lot of the cliquey stuff you’ll see at a typical high school. But there are nice and mean people everywhere, and I doubt everyone is friends. I do like that my kid has friends from so many different places–the dorm, sports, classes, etc.–and they all seem very different from each other. </p>

<p>5) How is dorm life?</p>

<p>Dorms are mixed grades. Dorm mates help each other with homework, hang out, do dorm events like teas and gym nights.</p>

<p>6) I heard that the internet gets shut off after 11 o’clock, what if you need to use the computer for homework?</p>

<p>Already answered. Wifi and 24 hour internet in the dorms now.
7) When does school start and end?</p>

<p>Scroll down. The final two blocks are often used for sports, and some of those blocks (the ones with the later letter in the alphabet) will be free periods, with more frees as you get older. <a href=“https://www.exeter.edu/documents/Daily_Schedule.pdf[/url]”>https://www.exeter.edu/documents/Daily_Schedule.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>8) How did you adapt to academic rigor as a new prep?</p>

<p>It’s all about asking for help from dorm mates and your teacher and managing your time well so that you can get your work done without rush. Also accepting the school’s placement process, even if you think you’ve been placed too low in math or foreign language. </p>

<p>9) Is every student at Exeter a genius and score well on every test? or do some students sometimes screw up and get a C?</p>

<p>The second one</p>

<p>10) How does Exeter compare to Andover and why is it a better choice to go to Exeter (Answer Seriously)</p>

<p>Hard to say if you’ve only gone to one of the schools, eh?</p>