What material are your schools using? (BOARDING SCHOOL ATTENDANTS PLEASE ANSWER)

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hello,
I, like most of you, am an overachiever applying to all of the HADES. My older sister agrees with this idea, so I decided to give it a try.</p>

<p>Well, I want to prepare myself for the courses that I plan to face, if I am accepted. I know my chances are low, but I figure either way I can benefit from this. I have this wacky ability to learn course material like in the matter of a week (even if my brain does die in the process, ha ha ;-).</p>

<p>So, what I am hoping is that current boarding school attendants for the GLADCHEMMS would provide us, nerdy-overachieving-students (Just trying to be funny, not to be taken literally), with what their course material is for whatever course they are taking and past courses (if they can remember). For me, I am specifically wanting Andover (mainly Andover) and Exeter, but I know that there are plenty of other kids on here that want the other schools too. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>P.S. Sorry if the title is a little bit commanding and forward. I didn’t expect it took turn out like it did lol :-)</p>

2

<p>i know at some schools, (Im thinking Episcopal High School), post what books are required for each class on their website on the courses page, Andover may as well but im not sure. I think you may have a hard time finding info on Exeter because they generally don’t use a lot of textbooks, but rather do other things.
Also, Im not 100% sure of the reasons of this thread. I don’t really understand why if you attend boarding school you can’t learn along with the rest of the students.</p>

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<p>It’s an overachiever thing, Ehphant. Which one of us isn’t used to being ahead at everything? I must say, though, that I don’t think the entire “getting ahead” idea will work for much longer than maybe the first few weeks of school, if the storied rigour of the HADES is true. Still, it’s not ill-intentioned.</p>

4

<p>I think you can contact the Andover Book Store and find out what books are used for what courses.</p>

5

<p>Okay, really?</p>

<p>You want to know every book assigned for every one of the hundreds of courses offered at Andover? And, just for fun, also Exeter and every other well known school in New England? Because then you’ll have some light reading to do while you’re waiting for your decisions???</p>

<p>I would be amazed if anyone on this forum would want to take the time to compile and provide a list for you - even if they just started school this year - especially when it is information you can get yourself! You really want book lists? Then check each school’s website - carefully. Then contact school registrars, libraries, departments and teachers and ask them for their assigned reading lists for each of their courses. Seems a bit much? Then trim your list - and figure out which course(s) you’re actually interested in. Get it down to two or three and it might almost be a manageable task.</p>

<p>And I’m going to ask the question that’s been asked in this forum many times before . . . if you can’t take the initiative to do even this much research on your own, what in the world makes you think you’re a candidate for boarding school? Congratulations that you can memorize almost anything you read . . . but, at most boarding schools, spoon feeding is not one of the included services. If you actually have an interest in studying a specific subject, then get yourself in gear and do it!</p>

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<p>@Ehphant Yeah, this is an overachiever thing. I really have always been one to take course material, learn it, so I can go into more advance classes. That way, when by the time I graduate, I have more advance classes under my belt than my peers (even though, at the HADES I expect it to be hard). Thanks for the information!</p>

<p>@CherryRose I now that it might now last long, but I’m just trying to get into a more advance course. If I get to the school already knowing the courses, then I can maybe get myself moved up a class then leveled out among the students in there.</p>

<p>@Busterdad Thanks! I found the store, and I’m going to contact them to see if I can get some of the textbook names.</p>

<p>@dodgersmom Yes, really. I want Andover’s textbooks (as stated), but I decided to welcome any information, so other kids could have the opportunity to study. And yes, I do enjoy the light reading while waiting for my decisions. I believe that it is better to be productive during the summer instead of just wasting my time.</p>

<p>I know that someone might not want to record their whole history of textbooks, but I have noticed that a lot of boarding school students (alumni or not) are kind-hearted enough to drop a textbook name or two. Also, I have checked the website, but I have been unable to find anything I can access without a code. Another thing, before the school decisions are made, I really do not want to be bothering the school. </p>

<p>The one thing I like about this forum is that it is a place where passionate students who want to continue their education can come and support each other, so that everyone can reach their goal. I didn’t believe that posting such an innocent thread could upset someone so much that it would cause them to say that I am not a worthy boarding school candidate when you do not even now who I am. In fact, I do not think that I would want to go to a HADES school if they do not support me trying to gain knowledge in order to prepare myself, but I don’t really believe that these schools would be of that nature. Now, I do not think that researching courses is considered being a “spoon feeding service” when most kids, in general, do not even think about trying to do extra. Also, I do study quite extensively, but I have learned through experience that one textbook on a subject, such as chemistry, might be quite different from what the school’s textbook is. I thought that I could maybe get the name of the textbook and save myself some hassle.</p>

<p>I overall appreciate that you took the time to reply, but I would appreciate if you please do not type rashly and state impolite comments.</p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

7

<p>

</p>

<p>That’s a good point. And of course, you’re right . . . this is not the time to be pestering the admissions office.</p>

<p>But that’s where you need to be creative and figure out how you can get this information from the school without inconveniencing anyone. BusterDad proposed contacting the bookstore. I suggested asking the library. And, if you are willing to make a very short list of courses you’re interested in, you can also contact the registrar simply to ask who teaches those courses. Easy question and not likely to be an imposition. (You can even do it by phone, if you prefer - then no one even has to know your name!) And then you can send a short email to each of those two or three teachers, introduce yourself as a prospective student, and ask, politely, if the teacher wouldn’t mind telling you what books he or she uses for “Class X.” None of these contacts, if handled tactfully, would be likely to put you on anyone’s radar as a “problem” applicant.</p>

<p>I understand that it’s less daunting to come to CC and ask for the information here. But this is a project you should be able to do yourself . . . and probably quite a bit more easily than you imagine. But you won’t know unless you try. :)</p>

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<p>[Phillips</a> Exeter Academy Official Bookstore | Textbooks, Rentals, College Apparel](<a href=“http://exeter.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/BNCBHomePage?storeId=42565&catalogId=10001&langId=-1]Phillips”>http://exeter.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/BNCBHomePage?storeId=42565&catalogId=10001&langId=-1)</p>

<p>Exeter has also put some problem sets online:</p>

<p>[Phillips</a> Exeter Academy | Courses and Materials](<a href=“http://www.exeter.edu/summer_programs/7327_7401.aspx]Phillips”>Math Teaching Materials | Phillips Exeter Academy)</p>

<p>I agree with Dodgersmom, if you’re interested in such information, you can read course descriptions.</p>

<p>I don’t think it will help you, though. Instruction in the better schools has been moving away from relying solely on textbooks in many courses. You’ll note that Exeter has developed its own materials. Students may be expected to read original materials, and to read a variety of texts. If there is a current textbook, it might change next year if the teacher finds a better text, or if the teacher changes. </p>

<p>More to the point, there’s a great deal you can do to prepare yourself for further study, if you are intellectually ambitious. Reading the textbooks before you even know if you’re accepted is ludicrous. If you’re interested in history, read some history books. There are quite a few accessible, interesting books which will broaden your knowledge of the subject. If you’re interested in languages, watch some foreign language films, and tackle a novel in your particular foreign language. Invest time in reading the college board’s list of 101 great books: [great</a> books - book search, top 100 books](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Stay Motivated – BigFuture | College Board). Here’s another list (more challenging): [great</a> books list](<a href=“http://thegreatbookslist.com/otherlistssmith.html]great”>http://thegreatbookslist.com/otherlistssmith.html). A biology list: [AP</a> Central - AP Biology “Great Books” List](<a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>AP Biology Classroom Resources – AP Central | College Board).</p>

<p>More than any of the above, read a national newspaper every day. Find things you like to do, and do them. Spend time doing anything other than reading textbooks.</p>

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<p>I am going to be so crass as to suggest this is putting the cart waaay before the horse. It’s like planning what you’ll wear to revisits before you even get admitted. My fatherly advice: Chill. </p>

<p>Also, despite my daughter being a fairly high achieving student, I would not have suggested this strategy to her. Why not just enjoy being in the same boat as all the other new students?</p>

10

<p>@theprepgirl - I’ll chime in here and join the others urging you to relax.</p>

<p>If I have learned anything in my life, it is that the best moments, the most learning, the times that really matter the most - they all seem to happen when I am NOT striving, pushing, DOING. They happen when I allow myself to stop, reflect, think, BE.</p>

<p>In my late 20s, a friend gave me a book titled “We Are Driven - The Compulsive Behaviors America Applauds.” I expect it’s out of print now, but it changed my life. It could have been written especially for me - Type A, never satisfied with what I had achieved, always setting another goal, never feeling like I was “enough.” The biggest takeaway from the book: that it is much more important in the long run to be a human “being,” not a human “doing.”</p>

<p>I’m not suggesting that you become a slacker, or try to ignore the obvious fire you have inside yourself to learn and grow and discover new things, new knowledge. But balance is not only good - it is essential to becoming the “whole” person you are meant to be. Good luck to you on your journey - and don’t forget to ENJOY the journey, every step - not just rush through on your way to wherever you think you want to go.</p>

<p>Namaste. (I honor the place within you of love, of light, of truth, of peace.)</p>

11

<p>I admire the diligence of the OP. My son is striving to make up the Xbox time he lost during the application. Someone mentioned that at PEA, it is an violation of honor code to study after 10PM. Not sure whether it applies to this case, studying way ahead peers.</p>

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<p>Where on earth did you hear that studying after 10 PM is a violation of Honor Code at PEA? My son is an upper and there are many nights he is up well past 2 AM studying. There are other nights that he is asleep by 10. Workload ebbs and flows in three week cycles, the third week being the most difficult.</p>