bsroxmysox

Regarding your answer to booksandlax, what do you mean by "pretty crazy". Like if I sent you a link to a party from a tv show how would it be in comparison? Like this: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj...c6jgo1_500.gif, is this (maybe a bit wilder) version of parties you or your friends have been to? And are there really no relationships (Andover exclusively, or other bs's if you know) but hookups? Is there a lot of gossip at Andover? I hope these questions aren't too superficial, but I'm curious in not just the academic but the "fun" aspect, even though that won't be the reason why I attend a boarding school, especially Andover, if accepted.

ijustgetbored

Definitely not too superficial- the climate of a school is really important! I think it does vary based on the party/dance, but that depiction's pretty spot-on. Obviously, people aren't open about drug/alcohol use, but it definitely happens. The parties are too chaotic for me, but some people do enjoy themselves.
There are some people in relationships, but it does seem relatively rare to me. Of course, the boarding school lifestyle makes going on dates rather difficult, so there probably are committed couples that just don't go out together.
There's not too much negative gossip, but when there is, it travels fast since everyone lives together. However, people at Andover are overall really nice, so that's not too much of an issue.

swimdude006

hey ijustgetbored, mind if I chirp in?

The parties here are pretty solid. Lots of music and fun, and just a good place to hang out. If those get too wild for you (there are MOSH PITS so be warned.), you can always chill in the den with a couple of friends, or watch a movie in the dorm, etc. ijustgetbored was right about the alcohol and drugs. If you are looking for the stuff, you will find it. If you aren't, you probably won't ever see it unless you stumble upon some crazy night. It's really like any other high school. There will be that group that makes bad choices, but are still good people. And yes there are MANY relationships. A solid 10 couples in in my grade alone. Mostly hook ups though due to BS nature of constant contact. Even though the couples don't "go out", they find time to sit in the dorm and watch movies, hang with friends, go down town together, go to the movies on the weekends, study together, etc. Gossip is sometimes an issue, so my advice is to keep your secrets to yourself to avoid any hassle. it's, again, like most high schools where gossip is like an infectious disease and will spread within the week.

and bsroxmysox: deff not like those parties. These are usually monitored by faculty, and are generally pretty mellow. parties at PA= dances, get togethers in dorm, or dj sessions in rooms.

bsroxmysox

Haha, hey swimdude006 thanks for answering ALL my questions You too ijustgetbored, now I'm not only excited to maybe be surrounded by people genuinely excited and good at school but who can party hard too :P

ijustgetbored

Glad to help

kdhindes

Hi I'm thinking about applying for andover. Please be 100% honest, do you like it? I want to go to a school I love and with people I love. This is an awkward question, but are there cute guys? Hahaha. About 10 questions are coming for you! How's the social life? How are the dorms? Do you like the teachers? Are the people there mean? Please answer!

kdhindes

Hi! I have like 100 questions and it would be amazing if you could answer them! Please be honest on this one, do you like going to this school? This one's awkward, but are there cute guys? How's the social life? What are the dorms like? Are the teachers nice? Do you like the way the classes are taught? Please tell me about how much free time there is an what you do during it. Last one, if you could go back, would you go to this school or not?

ijustgetbored

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like!
I honestly do love it here. Applying was the best decision I've ever made. It's a fantastic school academically, and people are really welcoming. I've already made so many great friends And yes, there are tons of cute guys, especially compared to my old school! Most people have active social lives, though there are a few kids who seem to only focus on academics. But there are a lot of extracurricular options and dances/parties, and people go into town a lot. There are all sorts of dorms, and they can have anywhere from 4-40+ kids. If you start as a freshman, you'll live in a dorm just with other freshmen, but grades 10-12 all live together. I live in a small dorm (11 girls), which I love, but there are also options for medium or large dorms. Dorms are divided into clusters, so you have a sort of mini-community (like a neighborhood) within the larger school.
I love all my teachers! Of course, I'm sure there are teachers who are either very strict or somewhat incompetent, just as there would be in other schools, but I think overall the teachers are great. I haven't had any experiences with bad teachers. The classes are very discussion-based, which I love, and the teachers are very casual with the students. I'm naturally shy, but I feel comfortable participating.
How much free time you have really varies based on what activities you do and what classes you take. I only play intramural sports, so I don't have long practices like other kids do. But I am involved in Model UN, community service, and the Phillipian, which take up more time. I generally have a couple of hours of free time in the afternoon, which I use to practice guitar, go into town, find new music, or talk to my friends.
I would absolutely choose Andover again! Feel free to ask any more questions you might have.

kdhindes

Thank you! I was also looking into Phillips exeter and I know you guys are rivals but which school do you think I should go to?

ijustgetbored

I don't want to badmouth any other school- obviously, no one school is perfect for everyone, and all the distinguished schools have good reputations for a reason. However, I chose Andover over Exeter because of the community. At Exeter, kids seem to be a lot more focused on solely academics, while I think Andover students live much more balanced lives. Exeter also seems like a more cutthroat environment academically. Of course, I'm biased towards Andover, and these are only my perceptions, but a lot of my friends have said they chose Andover for similar reasons.

phillipshopeful

Great advice..I'm applying for 9th grade, and my question is: what's your best advice for applying? I have a 91% ssat, not very proud..will that hurt my chances?

ijustgetbored

You should be proud of your 91%! That's a great score- there will be kids with higher scores, but you will certainly be strong in another area of your application that others will be weak in. The biggest thing you should focus on when applying is letting your passion show. Make sure you're involved in extracurriculars that relate to things you're interested in, and act passionate in your interview and especially in your essay. Almost all applicants are great students, so you need other things that will help you stand out. That's a good thing, though. If you're able to show true passion, that'll put you ahead of other applicants, regardless of your grades or scores. (Of course, academics are still important, but since you're ambitious enough to be applying, I'm assuming you do well in school.)

PrepQWill

When did you submit your application? (on the deadline or before?) How often are the Exeter vs. Andover games?

How many electives are you allowed to take? (My cousin went to Andover and told me all about the history ones he took) And what electives do you take?

ijustgetbored

I submitted my application about a week before the deadline, but I don't think it makes much of a difference. There's an Andover-Exeter Day every term (so 3 times a day), but the fall one is the most important one.
Electives really depend on what year you're in, so I'll explain it by grade:
Ninth grade: (I began as a tenth grader, so I'm not entirely sure about this.) You take standard, required classes in English, history, and biology and are placed in math and foreign language based on your ability. You are allowed to take 6 courses total, giving you 1 empty space per term to take electives such as PE, art, music, or theater. Most electives in history, English, science, or philosophy are not avalible until 11th grade.
Tenth grade: You take standard English, chemistry, and are placed in foreign language and math. You are also required to take history and philosophy for one trimester each. You can generally only take 5 courses, so you're left with 1 opportunity overall for electives.
Eleventh grade: Required classes are standard English, physics, history, and math and foreign language based on placement. (Once you reach the 300 level in a language, you no longer have to take it, so if you began at a higher level than most people, you'll have extra opportunity for electives. However, lots of kids continue further or start a second language.) You're also eligible to take harder electives in science, history, and philosophy.
Twelfth grade: Don't have to take math if you've already finished calculus, but lots of kids still do. Science isn't required, but most people take electives in it. English is required, but there is no standard course, only electives. There are also electives in history, philosophy/religion, arts, music, theater, and more.

This year, I'm taking art and music as electives (as well as PE and philosophy, which are required.)

John48

What would you say are some of the biggest differences between Andover and Exeter? I was wondering how they compare in math, science, and latin departments.