My S went to Exeter my D to Andover. I would say that there is more social pressure at Andover which made Exeter a better fit for my son. I guess it depends on the personality of the person going there. I will say that Exeter’s admission office, in my experience, not helpful at all.
@andchex What do you mean by social pressure? Can you give some examples? Thanks!
The “social pressure”, if it means that one is expected to “measure up” in ways of behaving (for example, how one is dresssd or talk etc), is often times more for girls than for boys in most BS. Could it be a reason for the differences you’ve observed between the two schools? @andchex
I have a child at Peddie, @momof3swimmers , but have couple of friends whose kids go to Exeter and have heard a lot about it.
I’m going from experience with two different classes and two different genders as @panpacific points out. However, I was at a sporting event recently I would say that I saw more status conscience dressing on the Andover side. I know that exists at both schools, I just haven’t seen it at Exeter as much.
@andchex With so many students drawn from private schools and otherwise from upper/upper middle class families, there bound to be a group of students who are “more dress conscious” in every BS. But compared with other BS, neither A nor E is particularly preppy IMO. There may be some differences between the two schools, but I’ve seen differences between genders to be more pronounced.
Apologies to Exeter for my previous post. The admissions office was incredibly kind and helpful. I meant to say that the college counseling office at Exeter is very unhelpful.
I found the admissions person at Exeter to be a bit guarded during the interview but she was super nice when we revisited. My DD did not end up attending so I can’t comment beyond that.
I have found the most amazing friends at Exeter. People who I know I will call friends for life. This community makes me feel so warm and I am happy here. Some students (a minority) don’t try to have fun. I think of every day here as a gift and Exeter has something special that I don’t think even Andover can offer. The value of discussion, opinion, speech. Harkness is more than just a table, for me it is a way of life. A way to share expierences for a deeper understanding of the world and people around you and I don’t know if I could get that at other schools.
When I was applying I preferred Andover to Exeter because I saw Andover kids as having more fun but after having been at Exeter for two years I know that Exeter kids have fun too.
I find fun in the lunch conversations with a group of intellectual peers, laughing with and challenging each other, having a good time and sharing ideas.
I find fun in the clubs where students come together to make the world a better place, through advocacy, activism, service, or the arts.
I find fun in my dorm, where the community is family.
I find fun in the classroom, where I listen and learn and share to reach a greater understanding than is possible through any other medium.
I find fun in theatre, expressing myself with a community of fun loving people.
I think Exeter can be a ton of fun. But, if you’re someone who doesn’t know how to create your own fun or cherish the little things, maybe Exeter is not your speed or forte.
You have to be willing to look for the right classes, clubs, friends, and dorm.
^^ You used “fun” 11 times in this one post! :))
@GryffinHunter I realize that you find PEA to be fun, but OP asked why did you choose Exeter over Andover.
I’m aware. Someone asked if students at Exeter have fun. @panpacific @BigBlueSwim
I don’t think anyone on this forum thinks that students at Exeter have less fun than students at Andover or most other schools for that matter. I am just asking you to share what made you or your child choose Exeter over Andover? I think hearing everyone’s feedback who was admitted to both schools is what the OP is looking for and they might not be alone.
I chose Andover just because I felt the environment(student body, teachers, etc) was a better fit for my personality. Ultimately, the quality of education of one versus the other did not even play a part. Both will provide an equally outstanding education, however the best way to decisde is to spend a day at both and pick the one which just “feels better”
Maybe a totally different perspective will help OP. I find that the 2016 student survey of Andover and Exeter freshman illuminating because it reveals how current students perceive their school and that of their traditional rival. In other words, these perceptions are not the result of a short revisit day nor are they the product of third party observers. It is interesting that freshmen at BOTH schools agree that students at Exeter are more academically oriented.
In the survey, Andover comes across as relatively more social. At Andover, 8 percent of freshmen thought that Exeter students were “very socially-oriented,” while 41 percent of Andover freshmen responded that Exeter students were “not very socially-oriented.” Conversely, only 11 percent of Exeter freshmen responded that they thought Andover students were “not very socially-oriented.”
@happarent6 Did you choose one school over the other taking this survey into consideration? I hope you didn’t. This is not a survey scientifically designed with a hypothesis that’s meant to test whether there’re statistically significant differences between the student bodies of two schools on one or more traits. As a matter of fact, I don’t think there was a hypothesis to begin with. Do not take it seriously.
There was a lively discussion of A vs E on another online prep forum. Many parents of both E and A students thought that there is a perception that Exeter is much more academically challenging. FWIW and that is something to consider.
Which other forum?
The schools have a very different vibe: Andover seems very peppy and rah rah–happy happy. Exeter students seems more reserved, quiet, not unfriendly but its definitely more intense and we know kids from both schools --went to both places on multiple occasions. Just as an aside–SPS seemed somewhere in the middle.
I don’t believe Exeter is “much more academically challenging” than Andover, but even if it is, let’s remember that there’s not a linear relationship between academic challengingness of one’s high school and one’s future success, not for everyone anyway. If academic rigor is all you are looking for, then based on your belief maybe you should choose Exeter. I just don’t think you are helping the school in that way. Exeter doesn’t necessarily want to be perceived as “much more academically challenging than Andover” because they don’t want to attract nerds only and scare off those who want a more balanced high school life with academic rigor as one component of it.