Hello~ I had a couple of questions about PEA.
-Does financial aid really cover everything that is needed as a student?
If not, what sort of stuff do students have to pay for out of pocket?
-How do the classes and class schedule work? (I saw what Exeter’s website had, but it wasn’t too clear.
-I’m currently taking these classes. What classes would I then be able to take next year based on what my plan was for next year at my school?
Integrated Math 3+ → AP Calculus AB
AP Biology → AP chemistry or Journalism I haven’t decided yet
Honors World History → APUSH
Honors Speech and International Relations (1 sem each) → Honors Philosophy and AP Econ
Spanish 3 → AP Spanish
Honors English 2 → AP Lit
-Would I be able to take an equivalent of all these classes, plus hopefully, a religion class?
-For the Exonian, do most who work in the newspaper have previous experience?
-Is the Exonian competitive?
-How much do you receive for the FA stipend towards a laptop?
-If I can’t make it to campus for an interview, how would I get that done off campus? In a city near me? Through a city? Also, who interviews you? An alumnus or someone who works at Exeter?
Also, would it look like I am brown-nosing if I emailed some Exeter teachers? I have genuine questions for them
-At Andover, the Phillipian is quite competitive, with a very businesslike culture. Especially as a freshman, you are expected to just write your article, and leave it to the editors. However, as you get older, from what I understand, you become more involved with the newspaper, rising to Associate, then perhaps a board member, or even an Associate editor or Executive editor. Some people, including myself, do not have a problem with this culture, however some people dislike the (initial; people do get to know one another as years pass) lack of community, which a lot of sports teams embrace. I would assume the Exonian is similar, given the similarity of the schools.
-Many schools, especially Andover, go very far to make sure students on FA feel comfortable. Something like 50% of Andover is under FA. This leads me to believe that Exeter would also be welcoming, and likely provide you with a computer.
-If you can’t make an interview on campus, you usually have two options. (1) If you live in an urban area, there could be an alumnus who would be willing to interview you in person. The second option will usually be a skype interview. An advantage of this is that you get to talk to one of the people on the admissions team, however it is a lot harder to come across as genuine if you’re not talking to them in person.
-Financial aid usually depends on your family’s income, combined with your merit. Your honors classes should help your application a lot.
Does financial aid really cover everything that is needed as a student?
Depends on the amount of financial aid - it ranges from a partial grant for tuition to a full grant covering tuition, room and board, book stipend, computer stipend, heavily discounted music lessons, health insurance, etc.
If not, what sort of stuff do students have to pay for out of pocket?
Some musical instruments/books, eating out, toiletries. The book stipend only covers books and school supplies - if you wanted a sweatshirt from the bookstore, you would need to pay out of pocket.
-How do the classes and class schedule work? (I saw what Exeter’s website had, but it wasn’t too clear.
Don’t worry about the schedule at this point, which is sort of convoluted, but somehow works. Students generally take 5 classes each term (3 terms/year), plus health in 9th and 12th grade, and a sport/gym class. Many students also take music lessons and participate in musical ensembles.
-Would I be able to take an equivalent of all these classes, plus hopefully, a religion class?
What classes you can or have to take depends on what year you’re entering and placement exams. The course book is pretty clear about requirements.
-For the Exonian, do most who work in the newspaper have previous experience?
It’s a mix
-Is the Exonian competitive?
Doesn’t seem to be
-How much do you receive for the FA stipend towards a laptop?
We were granted $1200.
-If I can’t make it to campus for an interview, how would I get that done off campus? In a city near me? Through a city? Also, who interviews you? An alumnus or someone who works at Exeter?
Depends - some students interview with admissions reps if they’re in the area for visits, some interview with alumni, some schools offer Skype interviews with an admissions rep.
Emailing teachers:
It wouldn’t be considered brown nosing, because the likelihood of the teachers talking to the admissions reps is low.
Although I would not email teachers out of the blue. That’s spamming in my book. Your “genuine questions” should be directed to admissions. You can certainly ask them to put you in contact with someone in the specific department.
Thanks to everyone who replied. It was really helpful. Question I just thought of: for the application, I saw I’m able to get a fee waiver for the app. It’s a little pricey so I was going to ask for one, but does that at all affect how the admission office looks at me? Also, how much do the standarized tests weigh in terms of my overall application?
@bsk03 Exeter, especially, has lots of aid. The only thing I would discourage is asking for a fee waiver if you are not going to apply for FA. The only thing that will happen, is that admissions will know you are a Financial Aid applicant, which they will know anyway.
Standardized tests are like this (at least in my experience and general knowledge):
- You need great scores to have a chance at Exeter.
- Great scores won’t get you in, though. They are almost a pre-requisite.
Of course, this can all be overcome through things like legacies, but are generally useful.
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