Difference Between Loomis Chaffee, Phillips Exeter, and St. Paul's

ajadedidealist
Sat, 21 Dec 2013 19:21:32 +0000

Exeter alum here. I’d argue Exeter is very, VERY distinct. People are (were?) wonderful, proudly “different”, intense, quirky, incredibly intellectually engaged, socially aware, highly verbal, ambitious…there was (with the exception of the requisite prep posse, which did indeed exist when I was there almost a decade ago) a real pride in being the weird/intellectual school. People were highly intellectual to the point of neurosis (myself included), and we all definitely suffered from a slight mismatch between our intellectual and emotional intelligence (which is to say we all thought we were WAY more mature than we were, which is probably true of most teenagers but exacerbated by the Exeter ethos – the Harkness mentality extended to the social interaction, and we all overthought eerything). The teachers were wonderful – really incredible – both academically and in providing pastoral care.

Exeter’s a special place. I loved it and continue to love it, and continue to be close both to Exeter friends I made there, and to alumns I didn’t really know in high school but became close to after. But it’s also a distinct place, which means being a “good fit” really is important. I certainly hope that “distinct” quality has remained…I’d hate for it to become just another posh boarding school.