What are some Characteristics for schools like ...

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Andover, Choate, and Groton? </p>

<li>What are the students like? (liberall, preppy, snobby, etc.)</li>
<li>What are the classes like/what are the strengths? (looking for strong writing intensive program)</li>
<li>Which has the best dorm life conductive to a good atmosphere? </li>
<li>How would you describe the school?</li>
</ol>

<p>Those answers and any other you can think of. Feel free to add schools you think I should apply to which have about the same stats as Andover, Choate, and Groton.</p>

2

<p>Didn't you already visit these schools yourself?</p>

3

<p>Yes, I just want to see others' persepectives. I have not visited Groton.</p>

4

<p>Being a student at Andover I can answer for here, but not for Choate or Groton.
I feel the school in general and many of the students are pretty liberal. There is some preppiness and snootiness, but definitely not like what I've seen at other schools. Overall the students are friendly and welcoming.</p>

<p>The classes are amazing. Andover and many other schools focus heavily on writing. Writing at Andover is important in every subject (you will be counted off for grammar on lab reports, etc.) It is typically know as having a strong humanities department, but I feel that it is strong in every subject.</p>

<p>Dorm life is very varied at Andover. You can live with anywhere from 3-40 other people. It's very nice because one type of dorm isn't right for everyone. You can even "stack" a dorm and live with 4 or 5 of your closest friends. The house counsellors are generally fun. The counsellors have kids help them make munches (snacks) at least once a week to share with the dorm.</p>

<p>It's hard to describe a school after living there for a couple years, but I'll give it a shot. Andover is a pretty liberal and has a laid back atmosphere. Students work hard and play hard too. The teachers are great and the campus is beautiful. I know that wasn't a very good description, it's all I can think of at the moment.</p>

5

<p>I found Choate to be a lot more artsy than Andover and Groton a lot more stuffy. It's an odd list, you've got one of the largest, a medium sized school and the smallest of the top schools. What are you looking for?</p>

6

<p>I'm looking for a pretty large school (anywhere from 600-1000, but nearer the larger) that has a good sense of community and of dorm life. I want to be challenged in academics and to find a school which will do so in the writing department.</p>

7

<p>Just ... basic assumptions about each one. What people have heard, what current students think, what alumni have noticed, etc. I want a good community.</p>

8

<p>olivia567, have you looked at middlesex? They have a very strong/intensive writing program.</p>

9

<p>By all sorts of objective measures, Exeter is not at all #1.</p>

10

<p>No, I haven't looked at Middlesex, prepparent. But thank you!! I might go check it out. :) ... after I finish my homework.</p>

11

<p>The Phillipian is the best (and oldest) high school newspaper in America... we have the awards to back it up, trust me. </p>

<p>Other student publications receive acclaim as well. Our yearbook, the Pot Pourri, received an award last year for having the best Editor in America. In 1996, our Literature magazine, The Courant, was ranked as the best Student publication in America, narrowly beating out Backtracks...another Andover publication. </p>

<p>The department? </p>

<p><a href="http://www.andover.edu/english/courses.htm#%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.andover.edu/english/courses.htm#&lt;/a>
<a href="http://www.andover.edu/faculty_profiles/english/eng_faculty.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.andover.edu/faculty_profiles/english/eng_faculty.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>What is left to desire?</p>

12

<p>I love the courses, but I'm wondering what kind of energy there is on the campus. Do the kids at Andover like learning, or do they see it as an obligation?</p>

13

<p>You have to love what you do or else you'll never get through it... especially in the upper level courses. Take the Lowers in History 340 for example, there's pictures on facebook of them staying up till the wee hours of morning with the company of seemingly hundreds of caffinated beverages, but every single one of them is absolutely in love with the course.</p>

14

<p>Okay, thank you. :) I like learning, but I want to be in an energizing place. </p>

<p>You go to Andover, right? How long have you been there?</p>

15

<p>olivia, you'll find that many of the students at top schools will have great energy and desire to learn. Sure, we complain about all the homework, but part of us loves all the work too. Not every kid loves every class, but when they love one particular class the energy they bring to class discussions is amazing.</p>

16

<p>xGod not oldest continuous!!1 omg bla bla bla</p>

<p>The petty debate over what newspaper is "oldest" is so absurd, I find it really funny. If we fiddle with the numbers the Exonian comes out oldest in some fashions, but it's all so silly. Some people at the Exonian get really flustered if you bring up the phillipian's age, though.</p>

<p>by the way: I was the exonian in the stands at the games wearing blue, maybe you saw me?</p>

17

<p>Actually, I was running tech so I didn't spend much time in the stands. It was a good day to be wearing blue however...though I question your choice of location.</p>

<p>And I'm not sure what you mean by "debate"? I wasn't aware Exeter had any claim at all to the "oldest" newspaper in the country.</p>

18

<p>It does, apparently. Andover began earlier than Exeter, but was then discontinued, or something. The Exonian started while the Andover was discontinued, but then the Andover paper started up again, so The Exonian is the longest continuous school newspaper, not that it really matters.</p>

19

<p>What is your source?</p>