Of course I will!
hi~ current exonian here. your stats and more specifically your ecs are impressive but if there is one thing id give you advice on it would be to narrow down at most three of you main interests and be able to express that as a common theme throughout the app process (interviews essays ec section.) exeter wants people that can add nuance to the community so think about what you could offer if you come here. what are your genuine interests? and how have you expressed that through your ecs? how would you continue your interests at exeter?
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Serendipity offers good advice. It is a common strategy for successful college applications. Other info that you want them to have (but donât want to include in your extra curricular list as it might dilute it) can be referenced in your school principal/counselor recommendation. There is no need to be shy about asking them politely in person for the rec, and then letting them know that you would like to follow up in an email with information that would be helpful to include.
I would also look carefully at language. For example, changing âcarriedâ to âanchoredâ sounds more collaborative while expressing that you are a leader who acknowledges the contributions of others. This is certainly a quality that schools would find appealing.
Good luck!
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Cheerfulmom and Serendipity, thank you all for the advice. My main interest is most probably STEM, debate, and community which I would like to highlight to my fullest and have definitely worked all my life to just be able to project those âconsâ. If I were accepted I would work to the best of my ability to create more opportunities to serve to the community and put my 100% into impacting Exeter by also creating more clubs, sparking much more interest into other STEM related factors by seeking other competitions and chances to express the school in a positive manner. I believe I have expressed my true goals through my Extra curricular activities by accomplishing and gaining lots of money for charity and by attending math conferences, and winning awards for mathematics and by doing community service work (i think i forgot to mention in my chance me that I also placed the highest in my school for the state mathworks competition). I would most definitely continue my interests at Exeter by continuing community service and will also keep on maturing and becoming a better person. Cheerfulmom, I also wanted to just inform you that i have specially changed what I wrote in my about me thread to more appropriate language in the profile candidate so that nothing to worry about. Thank you guys once again for guiding me during this grueling process all the help is appreciated and not in vain.
OP, I wish you luck. Exeter is a special place. Iâve read all of the things you find attractive about it, and yet Iâm still stuck on the âWhy Exeterâ part. You can do and get all of the experiences youâve outlined at pretty much any of the Andovers, Deerfields, Choates, Lawrencecilles of the world.
Have you soent much time researching these alternatives? The answer canât be âBecause itâs Exeter.â And if after that you still feel Exeter is your Everest, youâd be wise to clearly articulate how the Harkness approach both suits and benefits your way of learning and contributing to class discourse. Itâs the most Exeter thing there is and would speak to both cultural fit and âgetting it.â
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Well to be honest my teachers at my school use methods similar to Harkness, and my school system is pretty much getting what I got used to. I have also been extremely passionate and mind blown by their stem facilities which is what I have deduced my majors to be. I also think I could bring another decent soccer player which I have heard is really good (another reason I have chose Exeter). So to be honest my answer to âWhy Exeter?â would most likely be because of their stem facilities, their extremely good college counseling (which I got to know about personally from some friends), their sports team, their academic opportunities which my school doesnât provide, and overall just because how GREAT I have heard their community is by alum and current exonian.
OK.
All of that is true. It is also true at many other places.
I appreciate the fact that you have had interactions with Exonians, but it seems to have influenced your thinking perhaps a bit more than it should.
Again I ask, have you done the same research on other schools? Exeter is awesome. Andover is awesome. Deerfield is awesome. Groton is awesome. Many places are awesome, but the awesome places are awfully hard to get accepted to, even for someone with your outstanding background (and it is outstanding).
Your chances of getting into the awesome places improves greatly if you can craft an argument for why them specifically. All the awesome places have great STEM.
By the way, this is me trying to be helpful, not discouraging. You have a good shot.
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Yes, I have done research on many of these schools you have listed but the main reason for wanting to attend exeter is because it is a magical school, this is mainly for the reason because it aligns with how I have been taught and what I want to be taught, and I believe that if I am accepted I can make a great impact, truthfully I believe that Exeter will not only make me a better person, I also believe that I could also bring many things to the table which i may not be able to do at a school like andover because they are good at others things non-stem related, but it is a known fact that Exeter produces the best stem related prep in the entire united states, and because I have ties with people who attend exeter I will be able to fit in easier.
And of course this is not discouraging this is honestly great advice that I will take with me while doing my applications.
Have you taken the SSAT and received a score ?
Not sure where youâre getting this âknown factâ from. Niche would disagree (not that theyâre more expert than any other ârankingsâ organization):
https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-schools-for-stem/
Have you heard of Thomas Jefferson High? Bronx Science? (Pick your) BASIS?
I appreciate that you are sold on Exeter, but you canât really say that. As you said, itâs a magical place, but donât get it twisted. Itâs not the be-all of STEM. Or anything else. If you spend any time at any of the other places I mentioned, youâd find them similarly magical if you were being objective.
Again. not to sound overly critical, Iâm rooting for you, but you need a better answer or you wonât get in.
What I mean is that exeter has one of the best stem programs in the United States, and I am aware about Thomas Jefferson High, but if I also want to make a change and perhaps not do stem in the future I could change up extremely easily because like again for a subjective perspective Exeter is also good for business, and biology (have concluded this after many hours of research)
Well, I mean, if, as you say, Andover is better at non-STEM stuff and, as Niche says. itâs better at STEM, sounds to me like you need to consider the Blue Place.
Iâm having fun with you, Yuvi. Iâm betting your friends wouldnât allow you to apply to Andover. Theyâd lose you forever 
iâll try to offer some more perspective based on my time at PA, my experience absolutely trouncing exeter last year on AE day, and my time in the classroom here.
like indySceptic said, every boarding school on your list is strong. point blank. they all have top-tier facilities, smart students, unique programs, and their own quirks. iâm big into STEM, and while i donât know what level youâve reached in math or other STEM subjects (would help to know), both PA and PEA offer the full suite: AB, BC, multivariable, linear algebra, discrete, etc. youâll get the classes you need at any of the top schools.
what iâm trying to get at is this: even if youâre a perfect applicant, your admit chance is realistically ~50% at any one of these places. short of having your last name on a building, itâs just not smart to put all your eggs in one basket. these schools all have the resources to support what youâre looking for. itâs much better to get into multiple and choose between them than to be all-in on one and get shut out.
your reasoning for favoring PEA seems to come down to: (a) some interactions with students (which surprises me⊠PEA kids are misanthropic cretins), and (b) a love for the harkness method, which is just an overhyped selling point. PA has 8â14 kids per class. the learning is always going to be personal and discussion-driven. trust me, you wonât feel like you missed out on anything pedagogically.
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A/E Day?
Pathway Scholar apparently didnât attend the football game last season. Or has erased it from their mind from the trauma.
But I appreciate them illustrating the depths of the rivalry. This ainât Harvard/Yale. The hate is real.But so is the respect, the lack of which seems to be what has PS triggered.
We get it, Yuvi; youâre sold (PS would say brainwashed), and thatâs fine. Iâm just hoping it actually works out for you because Iâd hate to see you disappointed. Itâs like youâre proposing to your first girlfriend/boyfriend after the first date.
I appreciate that you feel youâve done your research, but no research on this topic is complete if you havenât walked the campuses.
Exeter is magical, but thatâs a term Iâve heard applied more to PSâ school. Thereâs a reason why more kids who get into both go there.
No not true, I mean I have friends who attend to groton, andover and all that its nothing personal PEA just aligns with how I learn and WHAT I want to learn.
I live 1820 miles away from New Hampshire so realistically I canât exactly go because school is about to start, and trust what I say online is not what I actually think exactly Iâve been thinking about Groton too I just havenât expressed it as much online, PA is also an amazing school and if I was to get in I wouldnât decline the offer just because Iâm completely sold out because theoretically I donât mind if I get into PEA rival school, the reason I am saying all of this about PEA is just because I actually have more of a reason than any other school but it doesnât define me rejecting any other school just because PEA is my top school.
It sounded a lot like you were only applying to Exeter; thus PSâ âeggs in one basketâ comment. So where else are you applying again?
Did you not go to Summer at Exeter? I re-read your original post and thought that may be at the core of your conviction.
I originally was going to because my LPS is honestly not bad at all, but my current list is a few of the GLADCHEMMS: Groton, Andover, Exeter, Choate, and potentially Militon. I was accepted into Exeter summer but I didnât attend because I had a major math conference around the same time (I didnât list it on my chance me). But in conclusion Iâm not 100% dead on Exeter I am taking consideration into many other schools, but visiting may not be possible as of now.
Also does anyone know if any of the SSAT books are good?