Okay, the question is pretty self explanatory. If you answer, please try to be objective, I understand that due to the school’s intense rivalry with each other, school pride seems to be abundant when questions like this are asked. I already know about location differences, and that Andover doesn’t use Harkness for science and math while Exeter does. Since I am applying to both this year, and am unable to visit either campus due to the pandemic, I’m trying to get a feel for their cultures as much as I can. From the research I’ve done, I like Exeter more, however, the subjects I’m interested in are all humanities and I know Andover has a better humanities reputation while Exeter seems to be more science focused (if this is wrong PLEASE tell me). Also, as a side note, I couldn’t find any information on either website about weekend classes. I read some stuff online that they both have classes on Saturdays, but the forums I was reading were fairly old, and I’m not sure if they got rid of that, so if you have an answer for this please lmk. Thanks!
I’m a fellow applicant so take what i say with a grain of salt…in my experience, I have found little difference between the two. It’s honestly just down to which one you vibe with. For me, the interviews helped me form a preference. You’re gonna have to get to know the school on a personal level to understand the difference. Good luck! PS: If I were you, I would attend virtual events, they could really help you out!
Andover has no weekend classes.
There are more similarities than differences. Exeter might be ever-so-slightly stronger in math, but only the most super advanced kid with perceive the microscopic difference. Overall both have excellent advanced STEM and advanced humanities options.
It will really come down to personal preference if - and this is a big if - you get accepted ro both. One or the other may make the decision for you.
I can only share our perspective from last year as a mom of an applicant, touring both.
Exeter felt lower energy, more “serious,” and perhaps less friendly to us. Enough so that DD ended up not applying at all. (We toured 12 schools last fall and removed 4 due to fit.)
Andover felt friendlier, higher energy, and “less nerdy” to my DD. (She ended up going to Andover.)
That said, I’ve heard the exact opposite from folks who found Exeter friendly and warm and Andover less so.
I want to say that in another post, you mentioned that you want to be at a rigorous school, but still have time for ECs. Of course, ECs are baked into schools’ schedules (in that sports or other activity is required). But keep in mind that you may well have 4 or 5 hours of homework a night at some of the highest rigor schools. That may sound like a dream come true to you, in which case – awesome! But we were still a little taken aback by it all frankly.
And, as someone said upthread, you won’t likely have a choice to make here anyway, TBH. So if you know you like the schools enough to apply, then do it and worry about splitting the hairs later if needed.
Thank you all for the reply’s!
@skieurope and @Calliemomofgirls, I totally get your point about the low odds of getting into both, and am kinda relying on the choice being made for me because of this. I know that getting into even one of them could be incredible. I’m just trying to get as much information as I can.
@lilyesh First of all, good luck! And funny enough I attended an Exeter virtual event tonight lol. I haven’t done my interviews yet, so it’s good to hear that those will provide more insight.
Happy to help anytime!
And know that just because admission numbers are low does NOT mean you aren’t wise to look into a school to determine if it’s a good fit for you. You are interviewing them too.
I go to Andover (senior) and, though this might be biased, I definitely feel like Andover is the better school. I admit, Exeter is a great an amazing school also, but I (like another poster on this thread) noticed the higher energy and friendliness in Andover.
Some more objective differences:
- in the same state as Boston, which makes it really easy to commute whenever you need to (its literally 25 min by train/Uber)
- no Saturday classes (this is something we at Andover often remind kids at Exeter of during Andover/Exeter weekend)
- not sure if this is still a thing up there, but we have no dress code
- We have two museums which are AMAZING (one of art and one of ancient artefacts)
- the town is MUCH nicer, and the restaurants are actually really good (all I found in the proximity of Exeter was a McDonalds).
Good luck!
@applier1 this is actually very helpful. Having never visited, I have no idea of what the towns are like, or the ‘spirit’ (for lack of a better word) of the schools, so your reply helps with that. Thanks for your insight!
I disagree about the towns. Exeter in an adorable town and has some yummy places to eat. (We are there for games once or twice a year - except in covid times - and my husband and I always eat out in town after our kids’ games).
I agree with skieurope - there’s very little that’s different.
One recommendation I have is to read past issues of each school newspaper. A and E have the most significant and expansive schools papers. You can learn a lot about the school cultures by reading the past issues over recent years.
@CMKDad That’s a really great idea, which I will definitely do. Thank you for the suggestion!
Thank you CMKDad! I just read A’s newspaper - it’s so well done and comprehensive, gives a good glimpse of the campus life. And thank you Calliemomofgirls for the great info on Andover -those are extremely helpful! I’m doing research on A and E as well.
As a side question: Do any of you know whether Andover’s interview has a parent section? It seems that some schools have some time left for parents while other schools just interview students. My interview is scheduled on a weekday so just want to plan ahead if it requires parents. Many thanks!
@Jane90 During my Andover Interview, they wanted to speak with my parents.
IME it is typical for BSs to talk to the parents and applicants separately. When we were doing this a few years ago we were told that it is to make sure that everybody knows what they are signing up for and to give both parents and students to speak more freely. Informally (from the Admissions head at my BS reunion) there is also some scouting for possible problems (unrealistic expectations / family dynamic problems that may affect the student / student who doesn’t want to be there / etc).
thank you v much!
I’m PA all the way - believe me…I have two kids here, and live here. And love it. BUT! I have to take issue with the comments about the town of Exeter, in particular the restaurants. For a remote, compact little business district - which is even closer to Exeter’s campus than Andover is to PA’s - Exeter has a surprising number of places to eat, many of them good. And, I’d add that Otis - a farm to table restaurant right on the little Exeter town green and attached to the Inn at the Bandstand - is a better restaurant by far than anything in or anywhere especially close to Andover.
I second @droidslookingfor on the town of Exeter.
We had an interview with Andover this week. I asked what the expected homework level was and was shocked, shocked I was told an hour. Is this correct? Was the interviewer wrong? Was I tol the wrong thing? I mean I conceive of a great education where that is true. I just didn’t expect that it was Andover’s model. And Exeter said 4.
For PA, homework is definitely more than 1 hr per day. It can vary and won’t be an exact amount per day, but likely will range on average 2-4 hrs a day.
@SweetBoy1 An hour per class or per class-hour I’m thinking. (that’s also a fairly common way to express the metric because not every class is every day in some schools). I can assure you as a mom of an Andover freshman, it is definitely NOT an hour a day total of homework.
And FWIW, I think it’s an excellent question. Believe a school when they say 4 hours a day, and give that some real thought. Not 4 hours every now and again. but today and tomorrow and the next day and every day. How much space does that leave for discovery and exploration and just thinking? (and I mean both time and emotional space.). My daughter applying now for next year is a kid who will need exploration time and energy, so all the 4-hour/day schools were knocked off her list early in the process. I see what my current Andover kiddo is doing as a freshman and it is no joke. (and word on the street is that it’s easier this year than normal because of Covid.). I’m sure there are kids who were better prepared than my public-school-can-phone-it-in kiddo, and are thus speedier than she is, but still: it’s more time than I imagined.