PEAteacher

Ehphant, many parents who have no personal experience with boarding school tend to have a negative reaction to it when they first hear about it, which is understandable. As they learn more about these schools, they will probably soften their views; in fact, many become enthusiastic supporters. The first step is certainly to educate yourself and your parents about boarding school and help them understand some of the opportunities that such schools offer (and that it's not about them being bad parents!). I'm sure your parents would also benefit from speaking with other parents who have kids in boarding school (or just visiting the "parents" section of this forum and asking some questions).

neatoburrito

It IS very sad to let your child leave. I remember another parent writing that she was not "sending" her child to boarding school; but rather, "tearfully allowing him to go." I thought that was a good way of putting it. There was a thread a few years ago in the parents forum titled "Why are we doing this?" I searched for it but the search function excluded ALL of the words because they were too common or short. I'll try a google search for her.

I have to admit though, that I laughed about your mom cleaning and whether that was normal or not. Yes, some moms obsessively clean when upset. It's a nesting instinct.

Parents' Cafe: Why Are We Doing This?

God bless google. First hit.

pea2014

My lionlinks was reformatted so a lot of the buttons are missing...am I the only one? The "Grades" link is no longer there. Does this have anything to do with the fact that we found out our advisers from it?

urbanflop

Your not the only one. Mine was removed too. It probably does have to do with them switching up our advisors, but any day now information about our dorms and roommates should be coming in the mail.

@PEAteacher: Is there a required dress code for orientation and the day after orientation before school starts on Friday?

PEAteacher

No, there's absolutely no dress code for orientation. Most kids wear T-shirts, shorts, and sandals/flip-flops/sneakers. Very informal. The first appointment for which dress code is required is the opening assembly on the Friday of opening week.

Gabiiwoz

Hey PEAteacher, i have yet another question!
the required calculator, or the calculator that exeter likes students to use, is the ti-89 so my question is: is you are on financial aid, does the calculator get covered? and is it available to buy anywhere on campus or are students expected to have it before they arrive on campus?

PEAteacher

I'm quite sure you can get it on campus. Financial aid might cover it depending on what kind of aid you get; you need to inquire with the Financial Aid office about that.

tuesdays

Is the TI-89 used in non-calculus classes? And would it be fine for us to use the TI-89 instead of the TI-89 Titanium?

classicalmama

Gabii: Check ebay--if you're patient and keep bidding, you can get a great deal--I just bought a used Titanium there for $68.

PEAteacher

I don't know the details about calculators. You may want to double-check with the Chair of the Math Department, Mr. Hardej.

doubleohseven

It'll be REALLY helpful to have a TI-89 from the beginning. Some teachers, even for algebra and geometry, like using some of the functions that are only offered on the TI-89. Some students have a TI-84, but it causes issues when teachers demonstrate graph functions and things like that. It's a huge investment, but if you're careful not to lose it you'll use it every day at Exeter and probably through college, too!

I'm on financial aid and part of my package is a term-by-term budget for the bookstore. With all the textbooks that I have to purchase in the fall, I wasn't able to buy a TI-89 while staying within the budget Exeter offers. Luckily, I have a birthday in the summer and my parents were able to buy the calculator for me (dorky, I know), but make sure you look on Ebay and Craigslist for used calcs. Your middle school teachers may have a few, too.

brazilianboarder

i know that i shoudn't be asking this for now (due to the fact that i not even applied yet) but, just for curiosity: if i have insomnia and somnambulism problems, can the school arrange a single room for me?

PEAteacher

There are always new students who get singles for no particular reason other than expressing a preference; if you have documented health issues that would make it necessary for you to be in a single, I'm quite sure you'd be able to get one.

brazilianboarder

thank you i have no documents yet, but i can get it from my doctor.
how do teachers lead with racism/sexism/any kind of personal offence in exeter? my parents are a bit worried about it, because americans have the fame of racists here (comparing to brazil, you, unfortunately, are), so it would be interesting to say something to make them less worried about it.

neatoburrito

Tell them not to believe the stereotypes they hear about Americans.