<p>I think exeter gets a lot of resentment for it’s prestige, some of which is merited while the rest is not. It seems to be part of exeters culture, to complain about their workload but I think most of it is talk. I’m really excited about going there in the fall.</p>
<p>Also, as a side note, a lot of the exeter bashing seemed to start AFTER march 10th. Semi-joking but also seriously, I think a lot of people are bitter.</p>
<p>"Also, as a side note, a lot of the exeter bashing seemed to start AFTER march 10th. Semi-joking but also seriously, I think a lot of people are bitter. "</p>
<p>Doesn’t make sense. People got rejected everywhere (Deerfield, Anodover etc. had lower acceptance rates). It can’t be the only reason for all the bashing. Not saying Exeter deserves the bashing, but “bitter factor” can’t be the explaination.</p>
<p>The OPs sentiment about no-rest at Exeter is likely true for some students (but not all) at any HADES school. No question, some kids will make themselves crazy with the workload, intensity and competition. And a boarding environment will undoubtably intensify the stress for some. I think each parent needs to dig deep and know their own kids. And toombs, don’t kid yourself about E vs. HK. Hotchkiss has a reputation for being a pressure cooker. We know at least 5 students there, all of whom say the pressure is intense. And on our tour, more than any other school, we saw students who looked exhausted and some sleeping on the floors at 11 am.</p>
<p>i agree with erlanger. it is not exclusive to Exeter. As a student at SPS told me, “we have classes 6 days a week and Sunday is for homework”</p>
<p>Exeter enjoys its reputation, both good and bad. The good makes it more desirable to applicants and families, while the bad makes them seem a little edgier and hardcore. That’s a teenager’s 5-second interpretation, don’t take my word for it.</p>
<p>I feel like Exeter would have crushed me. “My best isn’t good enough”, etc. I like winning on occasion. In fact, I’d love to win all the time! I know going to BS will take a lot of victories away from me, but in fact, that’s GOOD. And yet, I don’t want my self esteem crushed on a daily basis because everyone is so much better than I am.</p>
<p>erlanger, I’m sure that Hotchkiss can be as demanding as Exeter, if not more so at times. In some ways, I would be surprised and disappointed, as a potential Hotchkiss parent, if it weren’t. All parents expect BS to be exacting and demanding in certain areas of academic endeavors. The difference I have discerned, however, between the two schools, as to the matter of demands imposed on kids by schools, is that, at least on CC, it appears to me that the yelps are louder, longer and more often from Exeter kids than from Hotchkiss kids or from the kids at any other BS, for that matter. </p>
<p>Somehow Exeter students seem to display more pain at their school, while students from other schools seem to bite their lips, smile through the pain or enjoy more sweetness and support from the school or students there to balance out the harsh demands stemming from the school. Maybe I just haven’t read enough CC threads to glean a fair sampling of the pangs of anguish from BS kids, but the shrilling calls for help or of dispair that keep swirling up, more often than not, seem to come from the Exeter corner. For better or worse, a parent tends to hear such cries and listens.</p>
<p>Saer, I think you made the right choice. My children who are at Choate find it hard, stimulating, fascinating- they love being surrounded by other very smart and talented kids- but they are not completely overwhelmed. In fact, they actually have a lot of fun there too. One of them is a perfectionist and could have gone over the edge, but somehow doesn’t. It’s a really good school, and I think you will love it there.</p>
<p>I’m kindof tired of defending exeter. The arguments against it are pretty unreasonable. I don’t feel like arguing against them is going to lead to any progress.</p>
<p>I know several kids that loved exeter. I also know the school has been trying to “soften” it’s reputation the last few years. I believe it will be as intense as you chooses to make it.</p>
<p>istoleyournose: I can tell you that my friend’s daughter is a lower at Exeter and has had the most fabulous two years so far! She loves it! Yes she is tired when she comes home for breaks but she would never think of leaving Exeter!</p>
<p>Love to hear it. Thanks PA-C! =D</p>
<p>baystateresident: Thank you! It’s always great hearing that people are having great times at Choate. I’ve been Facebooking my future classmates and such, and from their pictures and wall posts, they have great friends and a lot of fun. I can’t wait!!</p>
<p>You can’t really defend what’s not being attacked. Fact of the matter is all the complaining comes from Exeter students (bad thing? I wouldn’t say so)…it’s just how it is. If you take everything someone says about exeter that isn’t “Oh yea thats the best school ever” as criticism you’re going to be in for a long one.</p>
<p>Now in MY opinion, there are definitely two types of students (well more, but I’m going to state two). I know for a fact since I already attend a pretty hard private day school, that you have the kids who constantly want to talk about how hard out school is. Do they do this because they don’t like it or are not having fun? No. They do this to show off how hard the school is, or just for their own pleasure. It seems like the Exeter kids that have come on here just like to do a lot of whining about the work to make Exeter seem so much more demanding than every other school, but truly do love the school.</p>
<p>Then you have the kids who will absolutely study there ass off all night and sleep a few hours for a test. Wake up, drink some coffee, then tell everyone you didn’t study at all or try and downplay how much work you put in (me). I just think that kids from the other demanding schools would much rather deal with work when they need to deal with it and not become overwhelmed with it (coming on an message board to post how hard your school is).</p>
<p>I could be wrong, I don’t know, that’s just my impression. I feel like everyone loves the school there at including exonians…they just express it in different ways.</p>
<p>I think the complaining is cultural. While they have other strong programs, Exeter is arguably the strongest math and science prep school (they’d get some debate from Andover and others, but I did say “arguably”). A few years ago they won ARML - essentially the math team national championship - against state or regional all-star teams from across the country. It’s almost traditional to complain at schools that emphasize the meat-grinder that is the hard sciences, mathematics and engineering. </p>
<p>When I went to engineering school our unofficial symbol was a screw (as in “I got screwed”). We might have complained loudly and often about the academic demands, but we also took survival as a badge of honor. My daughter will be going from Andover to MIT - where the unofficial school motto is “I hate this f***in’ place.” You can buy IHTFP banners (in the school colors, of course) in the bookstore. We were driving up I-93 a few weeks ago and saw a license plate that read IHTFP95. My daughter burst out laughing and an immediate, if unspoken, bond was formed. </p>
<p>As a math/science kid, my daughter was initially enamored with Exeter until Andover won her heart. It’s worked out great and I know she’d do it again. She’s so Big Blue that she wouldn’t even buy PA school gear that had red in it. But there’s definitely respect for the quality of Exeter’s programs and students and the griping is looked upon as part of the Exeter brand.</p>
<p>Though I think it is commonly accepted, arguably and very likely correctly, that Exeter has the best Math program I would beg to differ on their science program. </p>
<p>Out of prep schools only Exeter and Hotchkiss have DNA sequencers. </p>
<p>Most other schools have all the other equipment commonly used.</p>
<p>Hotchkiss however wins the Yale Physics Olympiad and other science based competitions very often. I have not heard of any similar competitions that Exeter has won but perhaps they have please provide the information if there. Hotchkiss also has produced Noble Prize winning and Albert Lasker medal winning scientists. exeter has no noble winning scientists. Furthermore opportunities for internships are abound particularly considering that The founders of Stanford Research Institute, the Director of the national cancer institute, and other science related alumni have achieved prominence in their fields.</p>
<p>Furthermore Hotchkiss has had a number of scientists such as Watson of Watson and Kirk come to speak at the school. Furthermore some of them have offered internships for Hotchkiss students - I know a guy for instance who was invited to work with Abbey Kirumira the inventor of the first rapid HIV detection kit. He won an award at the World economic forum and was named bio-engineer of teh year by The Economist. Such opportunities are extremely rare - but I assume other schools will have similar programs (as in inviting notable scientists to speak) but again I have not heard of them. Internships however are more of a rarity normally the scientists that do agree to do so have some connection to the school through their relations with the schools alumni etc. </p>
<p>Hotchkiss, in my estimation has arguably one of if not the best science programs among prep schools though Deerfield has the nicest building. I do realize that you said “arguably” but still i could not resist …</p>
<p>In no way am I saying that exeter is not “arguably” one of the best schools at science, I am sure it is. I was just providing an example of another school that would “argue” with exeter being the lone school at the top. I personally think that among schools in general if you are REALLLY into science then your best shot is Bronx High school of science. Now that institution is second to none world wide, out of any schools public or private. It has produced more Noble prize winners in science than all the HADES schools combined.</p>
<p>I know a family with two generations who attended the school. The older reflects fondly – but a few photographs and review of not-yet-thrown-away report cards do awaken otherwise forgotten bad memories. It was not eden in that person’s teens.</p>
<p>The child disliked the school in one respect: not enough freedom. Academically it was a great challenge and a great environment.</p>
<p>I have written many times to many people: this school is very unique. Neither a jail, nor a wizard fortress, it is still a forbidding environment. Especially to the young.</p>
<p>As 99% enter as the top 5% of their class, over 90% must succumb to accept that they are no longer the cream of the class. Not easy for egos previously satiated with constant acclaim and success. Made even more difficult when the bad grades or anything (not the star athlete anymore, not the star musician any more . . .) cannot be placated in the comforts of one’s own home or near the everpresent and complimentary parents. </p>
<p>Boarding schools are hard on most early teens’ psyches. That is why boarding school is not for everyone. Exeter is harder than most other boarding schools. That is why Exeter should be stricter in deciding who attends. And, to their credit, they are very thorough at the admissions – just to avoid an embarrassing admission where a young person could emotionally roller-coaster and potentially crater.</p>
<p>Having said that, if you are strong enough, mature enough and academic enough to enter a place like Exeter – hurray. It is an unbelievable academic institution. Many of its departments meet or surpass those found in liberal arts colleges – even those which CC has created hot keys for in the lists of colleges. It is A-1. </p>
<p>And, I am sure that if the person who started this thread printed out the message and put it in a time capsule, and opened the memorandum on the decade anniversary, he or she would discover that fonder memories will exist as many of today’s “bitter” lessons should prove to be important lessons which may be greatly appreciated in the future. </p>
<p>Just do not look at those report cards.</p>
<p><em>Gulp</em>… It can’t be that bad. Can it? …Will I have time for friends? Basketball? NAPS? This thread has me freaking out!!! (not really but still, I hope it’s not that bad.)</p>
<p>As Mpicz says, complaining is really part of the culture. Not because there’s so much to complain about, but to show everyone just how hard they work. It sounds like mpicz and me’s schools are the same in that respect.</p>
<p>only a few Exonians complain about how hard Exeter is ,mpicz, and every bs has those types of ppl. The ppl who do that on here do not necessarily represent the school. Exeter is generally viewed as a demanding and difficult school (well on this site atleast). but i have noticed on here quite often that it is rival school students, such as Andover students, who do this to put down Exeter. But ofcourse, like i said b4, these students dont always represent the entire school( and yes i know andover and exeter have a major rivalry thing that’s been going on for, ya know, a while.</p>