Why would someone choose Exeter over Andover, or vice-versa

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Can’t really go wrong either way. One is an idyllic scholarly community tucked away in the NH countryside, with world class facilities, acres of pristine nature, and the most elite HS minds from all over the world. The other is among the best of the suburban Boston high schools.

What a silly thing to say. Not every brilliant child in the world applies to boarding school.

No, but the kids at Exeter and Andover are mostly exceptionally smart. As in, kids who can test out of BC calc in 9th grade.

No they are not all like this....

I didn’t say all; I said most.

I went to one of those schools, so I know from personal experience.

um... I went to one too and this was NOT my experience. in fact I took BC calculus in upper (junior) year and there were no lowerclassmen.

Ok, you didn’t need to explain what upper year is.

I knew several kids in my year who tested out of BC calc as juniors or lowers. YMMV, but it definitely happened.

OK, your previous post says “most.” Very different from “several.”

I said most are exceptionally smart and gave the BC calc thing as an example. It was not meant to imply that most kids test out of BC calc as lowerclassmen.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can’t really go wrong either way. One is an idyllic scholarly community tucked away in the NH countryside, with world class facilities, acres of pristine nature, and the most elite HS minds from all over the world. The other is among the best of the suburban Boston high schools.

What a silly thing to say. Not every brilliant child in the world applies to boarding school.

No, but the kids at Exeter and Andover are mostly exceptionally smart. As in, kids who can test out of BC calc in 9th grade.

No they are not all like this....

I didn’t say all; I said most.

I went to one of those schools, so I know from personal experience.

um... I went to one too and this was NOT my experience. in fact I took BC calculus in upper (junior) year and there were no lowerclassmen.

Ok, you didn’t need to explain what upper year is.

I knew several kids in my year who tested out of BC calc as juniors or lowers. YMMV, but it definitely happened.

OK, your previous post says “most.” Very different from “several.”

I said most are exceptionally smart and gave the BC calc thing as an example. It was not meant to imply that most kids test out of BC calc as lowerclassmen.

NP also went to one of these schools. Absolutely not the case. We all knew of the handful of people in our dorms that did, but it was not normal. The schools are large. There are many well rounded, independent kids and I’d say about 10% of the class was exceptional in math/sciences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - 99.9% of people do not get to go to boarding school. Tone deaf question

Many people do not *want* to go to boarding school. Fixed that for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - 99.9% of people do not get to go to boarding school. Tone deaf question

Many people do not *want* to go to boarding school. Fixed that for you.

Yeah, so what? Different strokes.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can’t really go wrong either way. One is an idyllic scholarly community tucked away in the NH countryside, with world class facilities, acres of pristine nature, and the most elite HS minds from all over the world. The other is among the best of the suburban Boston high schools.

What a silly thing to say. Not every brilliant child in the world applies to boarding school.

No, but the kids at Exeter and Andover are mostly exceptionally smart. As in, kids who can test out of BC calc in 9th grade.

No they are not all like this....

I didn’t say all; I said most.

I went to one of those schools, so I know from personal experience.

um... I went to one too and this was NOT my experience. in fact I took BC calculus in upper (junior) year and there were no lowerclassmen.

Ok, you didn’t need to explain what upper year is.

I knew several kids in my year who tested out of BC calc as juniors or lowers. YMMV, but it definitely happened.

OK, your previous post says “most.” Very different from “several.”

I said most are exceptionally smart and gave the BC calc thing as an example. It was not meant to imply that most kids test out of BC calc as lowerclassmen.

NP also went to one of these schools. Absolutely not the case. We all knew of the handful of people in our dorms that did, but it was not normal. The schools are large. There are many well rounded, independent kids and I’d say about 10% of the class was exceptional in math/sciences.

This is 16:07. My DC is a current student. Based on the students we've encountered and also ones we know who did not get admitted to A/E I think most students today are exceptional at something. The baseline is that you must be an excellent student. Some are exceptional in an academic area, some in the arts, some in athletics, etc. There are no average classes so if a child isn't coming in as a strong student they would struggle even taking the minimum course load.

[Anonymous]

Chose Andover over Exeter. Just felt happier to me. Students were humble but incredibly talented - still some of my best friends. Winters were marginally less harsh. Campus layout was wonderful. Felt the history. Town nearby. Tons of trust between faculty and student body. Great support systems. Turned out I was right to. Some of the happiest years of my life.

[Anonymous]

Andover over Exeter these days. No joy at Exeter and the college advantage is no more.

[Anonymous]

Either is a blessing OP

[Anonymous]

Exeter follows Harkness discussion as its main pedagogical modality. This can be a fabulous way to learn-- it forces the student to drive their own progress. Beyond that they are very similar in size, facilities and attitudes and philosophy. While Andover is closer to Boston, Exeter draws students from much further afield.
With either pick, however, get ready to be an observer from a distance. Neither school invites parents to offer feedback. They know what they are doing and they are confident in their value proposition.