Phillips Exeter Academy - Experiences & Questions

intrinsically
Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:48:32 +0000

Dorm life is really exciting here-- there are about 30-50ish students in each dorm (every dorm includes students of all 4 grades) and 10-20ish students (besides incoming preps, who are not placed there) in each house.

Dorm placement is random, for the most part. South side is a bit more athletic, certain dorms have slightly more people than others with interests in a certain field (for example in the arts), but for the most part it’s a mixed bag. I think they do a fairly good job with dorm placement–the vast majority of the time people are happy where they are, even though a few who aren’t can choose to move.

There’s a lot of good parts about dorm life-- you really get to know the people in your dorm well and form relationships with them, including the upperclassmen. A lot of late night talks, some dorms have dorm grill which involves people just eating food and socializing in the common room after check-in. A lot of dorms will do fun activities together to bond, such as sports, going to nearby cities at 12:00 on a friday night (yes midnight!) to eat at restaurants. It’s really easy to stop by a friend’s room and just talk-- you really get to know all kinds of people and have lots of great experiences. I think what’s really great is that people from all years form bonds with one another, it’s not just people in your grade.

I’m not sure what you mean by the question–Exeter’s personal in the sense that you get to form really close friendships just because you’re interacting with people almost 24/7, some people also form really close relationships with faculty members. Oftentimes, however, you are left on your own–there’s only so much advisors will know–but if you ask for help you’ll get it. Exeter’s definitely not cold and there’s so much opportunity to learn more about others and share what’s important to you. There’s student listeners, dorm proctors, etc. Since coming here I’ve really learned how multi-dimensional people here can be–it’s rare that someone you meet is exactly as what they seem like at first.

Sorry if this wasn’t what you meant–if you could clarify that would be great.