<p>I have spent three years of my life at Exeter. The school has an incredibly impressive learning environment, and holds an extraordinary name for itself around the world. We have won in Football, Hockey, Basketball, and Lacrosse (boys' varsity) against Andover this year. I feel honored to merely sit at the same table as some of my teachers and peers. We have a flagrant 3 minute endorsement during a scene in Angels and Demons. Exeter is Exeter. It is extraordinary, and any attempt to denigrate the school with slander, is simply drivel. I ask of you to read onward.</p>
<p>All of the former incontrovertible, and the following:</p>
<p>Exeter is Alcatraz</p>
<p>Exeter is Azkaban</p>
<p>Exeter is Auschwitz</p>
<p>We do not sleep. Do not put your children through this. I beg of you. They will enjoy their lives and their moments to savor the fruits of existence -- at another school. I speak with you as a friend.</p>
<p>Thank you for your priceless perspective, ultima. It is true of all schools that some students will find the elusive “fit” and reach some measure of happiness, while others will not. Thank you for your reminder that despite all the enthusiasm about certain schools in this community, all such institutions have a dark side. Through your courage and candor, you have introduced some reality into our conversation.</p>
<p>How is Azkaban not as bad as Auschwitz, sefago? Haha, Harry Potter nerd here. I’m pretty sure Auschwitz did not have guards who forcibly sucked the hope and happiness out of you without any chance of mercy.</p>
<p>This is why I did not choose Exeter. I received identical aid packages to both Exeter and Choate, and since I’m a perfectionist, I knew Exeter would burn me out in NO time.</p>
<p>How is Azkaban not as bad as Auschwitz, sefago? Haha, Harry Potter nerd here. I’m pretty sure Auschwitz did not have guards who forcibly sucked the hope and happiness out of you without any chance of mercy.</p>
<p>Yes, they did! </p>
<p>Oh come on Saer, you’re smarter than that? Real.</p>
<p>Ergh. I was being a NERD, come on, comparing Harry Potter to real life tragedies? Calm yourselves. I’m kidding. I’m not stupid, either.
I read Night by Elie Weisel, and Number the Stars, and the Diary of Anne Frank, and numerous other books. It was one of my favorite subjects when I was younger. I’m not an idiot. I know a prep school, and Azkaban, is nothing as bad as Auschwitz or the other numerous concentration camps such as Berkenhau and the like.</p>
<p>I thought maybe some of you would see the humor in comparing dementors to the SS? It’s been over 60 years and some. Harry Potter is fictional and a lot of the series can be compared to real life tragedies. Whatever.</p>
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<p>Really, I am. I don’t even try to be smart on an internet forum, because honestly, who cares? It’s CC. It’s for being stupid and asking stupid questions and be slightly off topic.</p>
<p>Let’s have some substantive discussion about ultima’s comments. Is it healthy that we aspire to put young people through such hell? When all is said and done and in the last reckoning, is it worth it? Are we so blinded that we relentlessly lower the grade level at which getting ahead of others is the priority?</p>
<p>Yipes! My son is on the waitlist at Exeter. Because he applied for admission to the 10th grade and Exeter has suffered a low yield for that grade this fall, my son has a fair chance (better than 1 out of 3 according to my calculations) of Exeter taking him off the waitlist. Based upon the testimony on this thread, it sounds like my son and I should run, not walk, to withdraw my son’s name from that waitlist, especially in light of the fact that he has already received an offer to attend another HADES school. (I am now inclined to pull the plug on Exeter completely for a number of reasons, including growing investment in time, excitement and energy in another HADES school and these scary remarks from Exeter students.)</p>
<p>Why is it that the grim reports on any BS I read on CC are almost always from Exeter students? Are they the only ones bold enough to tell the truth about their school, or is Exeter truly the only BS that crushes the life and spirit out of too many of their children?</p>
<p>I think that even if Exeter was so demanding of its students, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.</p>
<p>The Chinese people have a saying of “eating bitter”, which is to say, experiencing hardship, often for a ‘gain’ in the future. I feel that part of going to a ‘top-tiered’ boarding school like Exeter is learning how to manage time and to persevere in the face of adversity, thereby gaining the ability to “eat bitter” (determination). </p>
<p>While I am a bit daunted by everything I hear, I look forward to this challenge, and I hope I will be able to persevere. After all, one will eventually experience hardship in his/her life. Depending on how early one experiences it, the rest of one’s life will either be difficult or hard, and I’d rather learn how to deal with hardship earlier than later.</p>
<p>Saer: I know you’re way smart, it’s so obvious even if you’re not trying. You tend to have the pulse of situations that are pretty accurate.
Just visited the holocaust museum and I was just sick about it all. </p>
<p>Toombs: Go Bearcats! Excellent academics with more good vibes.</p>
<p>I sure don’t need four grueling years and I like sleep too much! Never wanted to apply to Exeter anyway, it has absolutely no appeal to me.</p>
Whatever.</p>