Anything that you wish you had known before committing to prep schools?

Prep School Admissions
1

Hello all!

I plan to apply for 9th grade at Exeter, Andover, and a couple of other schools. I am still researching on the schools with competitive math teams. Anything that you wish you had known before committing to these schools?

Some clarity that I am looking for is below -

  1. I did not find many USAJMO/USAMO kids too from prep schools which could be because of the extreme workload they have. Have you observed this at your prep schools or is my observation incorrect? After Dr. Zuming Feng(specific to Exeter) left, do they now have a strong math team?
  2. My local school cannot support me beyond Calculus and the local university is not in the top 100 colleges. I am unsure of whether the credits there will be transferable but the knowledge will. Some prep school students take courses at the top 10 universities. Is this feasible for Exeter and Andover students(not thinking about online courses)?
  3. Other than high-level math courses(Calculus and beyond), what opportunities do the prep schools have for math kids? Have you seen any pattern of what the prep school kids pursue - like PRIMES USA research and such?

Thank you!

2

Both Andover and Exeter have math courses (and courses in other subjects) far, far beyond AP. It is highly unlikely that you’d exhaust the curriculum. If you do, well, worry about that after getting accepted.

They won’t be. But that’s not a reason to not take a course.

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Thats right! I have seen their course catalog and they do have many courses. I have completed my Calculus so just trying to plan ahead. There are many kids at SOHS who do not take Math courses there though they are advanced university-level courses, because there is no college credit. No harm in knowing the options right? Especially if it is going to cost so much!
There is also the factor of getting admission, however, I would like to know what I am getting into and plan accordingly.
I agree that’s not the reason to take courses, just trying to understand if there is a way they can get college credits.

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That’s going to vary by university. In most cases, no, you won’t get credit. In some cases, you might get course waivers.

But really, that’s soooooooooooo far down the road. Get into high school before worrying about what college to attend.

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What can I say, I am a planner!

6

As the Yiddish saying goes, “Man Plans, and God Laughs.”

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Oh, I am demotivated now.

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I was just here looking for some help. Now you made me feel as if I am doing something wrong by planning.

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This wasn’t necessary. Especially as a moderator.

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I’m not the moderator of this thread. Feel free to review the Forum Rules for further details.

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Whether or not you are a moderator, there was no reason to make such a comment when a student was only trying to seek help.

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There was nothing insulting about it. You asked for feedback and I gave my opinion; you’re over planning. As I said, get into HS before planning for college.

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This is kind of an impossible question to answer. You would have to look at a specific college/university to know whether there is a way to get college credits for high school coursework.

You’re kind of putting the cart before the horse here.

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So Lawrenceville kids take courses at Princeton, and, they get credits. Similarly, I was looking if PEA/Andover kids have some similar options.

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Back and forth needs to be taken to PM. If there is something that is violating forum rules, please flag for moderation. Thus far nothing that has been flagged has met that standard.

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The perfect question to ask when you have your interview with them.

My info is dated since I graduated almost a decade ago, but I took BC in 9th grade, had math every year, and didn’t run out of math classes. And no, I received no college credit beyond BC, but I had stellar preparation for math in college.

Princeton credits work if they matriculate at Princeton. If they go elsewhere, the credits may not transfer. It depends on the university they ultimately enroll in.

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But if they don’t matriculate at Princeton, they may not necessarily get credit towards college graduation for those courses.

Example: Dartmouth will only give you up to 4 credits. You might be able to use coursework from high school to place into a higher level course, but you won’t receive credits towards graduation. https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/glossary-question/i-have-taken-college-courses-will-those-credits-be-transferable

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@sars12 – because you want to plan, think of your plan as this.

Find a BS that you like, both academically and socially. In your interviews, ask about the math track for students who are where you are now. There will likely be classes and perhaps tutorials later on. Also ask about math teams/competitions if that interests you. You can also explore how you can expand beyond math.

Junior year, figure out whether you want credit for your math in college or placement. You can graduate from college faster with the former. Yes, it saves money, but many students who are this advanced are rabid learners who have no interest in shortening their college stay. In that case, figure out where with placement, the offerings for the next 4 years excite you.

PEA is known for its math, but there are lots of BS that can probably meet your needs, so don’t get too hung up on just one school. Think about everything that a BS offers and plan to get as much from the experience as you can. Frankly, if all you want is math curriculum, you might be happier with an online option. Not saying that’s the case, but something you should think about seriously - the BS will expect you to engage in more ways than just academics.

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