<p>Regarding the posts about Andover’s matriculation: one or two colleges will be particularly fashionable for a few years, then another college will become popular. When I was there, besides the perennial favorites Harvard and Yale, it seemed that everyone wanted to go to Georgetown or Brown. For example, very few students went to Johns Hopkins but it seems that JHU has been quite popular during the past decade or so.</p>
<p>As far as LACs go, many students do feel that they are very similar to PA. In some cases that makes them more attractive, while in others it’s a turn-off. In my case, while Andover was the best experience of my lfe, I wanted a different experience, and wss therefore more interested in looking at larger universities. Ironically, I ended up at an LAC (Barnard), even though its connection to Columbia and its location in NYC gives it more of a university feel.</p>
<p>While Andover does send the majority of its students to top tier colleges and universities, it is by no means guaranteed that a student will get in to one of these schooks. Just as is the case anywhere else, one has to have top grades, excellent SAT scores and a strong list of extracurricular activities in order to get in to HYPMS. On the other hand, not all students WANT to go to one of these schools. The college counseling office is very good at introducing students to alternative choices, which is how I found out about Barnard.</p>