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Alumni
Review #4, Class of 2001 |
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| College
Enrolled |
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Brown |
| Home
Town, State (Country) |
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Philadelphia,PA |
| Years
Attended Boarding School |
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3 |
| Activities
During Boarding School |
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Varisty Lacrosse and Field Hockey, Pot Pourrit (Yearbook), ARC and Breadloaf (Community Service) |
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| 1.) What do you think makes your school unique relative
to other boarding schools?
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| Andover offers over 200 courses ranging from genetic engineering to six modern languages, in addition to Latin and Greek. I think that's an impressive array of course offerings for a high school. Andover also requires that students give back to the school community in the form of "work duty," which I found to be a particularly rewarding experience. The idea is that every student must contribute to Andover whether it is by giving tours for the Admissions Office or washing dishes in the dining hall. I think this is very valuable because it emphasizes the importance of reciprocity. |
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| 2.) What was the best thing that happened to you in boarding school? |
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| I was able to study abroad during the winter term of my senior year at Andover, and I can honestly say that it was one of the most valuable experiences in my life thus far. I lived in the southern part of France for 4 months while living with a French family and attending a local high school. I enjoyed my time there immensely, and learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. I think being able to spend time alone, away from school and other familiar parts of my life, I was able to reflect on who I was and who I wanted to be. Without being given this opportunity, I am not sure I would be the person I am today. |
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| 3.) What would you have done differently during your boarding school experience? |
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| During my experience, I think I would have liked to have spent more time involved in student organizations. The reason I felt like I couldn't, was because I felt very pressured academically. If I could do it again, I wouldn't spend so much time worrying about grades and academics, and instead think more about my personal growth. In light of that, I would've spent more time working with organizations that I think embody precious ideologies. |
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| 4.) What would you never want to change about your school? |
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| I don't know. |
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| 5.) What things could be improved about your school? |
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| I felt like some kids really flourished at Andover and truly found themselves. At the same time, I also felt like many kids slipped through the cracks and often slipped unnoticed. My friends and I used to joke that "sink or swim" was Andover's unofficial motto. I think Andover could perhaps do a better job of addressing students' issues and problems. |
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| 6.) Do you have any final words of wisdom for visiting or incoming students
to your school? |
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| Visit in the fall so you can see the famous New England foliage. And if you eat downtown for lunch, try the Blue Cow for great sandwiches. |
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| 1.)
What did you like best about your school’s academics? |
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| As previously stated, I liked the large number of courses offered, and the diversity and breadth of subjects. Also, I had a few teachers at Andover that are truly remarkable people that I admire and respect to this day. I was both enlightened and deeply influenced by these people, and wouldn't trade those relationships for anything. |
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| 2.)
What did you like least about the academics in your school? |
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| I often felt that Andover put a lot of pressure on its students, and that academics were far too competitive and stressful. While I got very good grades throughout my experience, I frequently felt like there were other more important aspects of a high school experience. Because of the emphasis on academic performance, I often felt like I was missing out on a "normal" life in which I could pursure interests that weren't necessarily related to school/academics. |
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| 1.)
What did you like best about your school’s athletics? |
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| Andover was very competitive athletically which encouraged me to work hard. I enjoyed being part of a team that was both talented and dedicated, and often extremely successful against its opponents. |
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| 2.)
What did you like least about the athletics in your school? |
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| I sometimes wish Andover could have offered more alternative sports like rock climbing or snowboarding, but I realize it would probably be difficult and costly to include such activities. |
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| 1.)
What did you like best about your school’s art program? |
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| I only took two classes, but I enjoyed both very much and thought both teachers were helpful and instructive. |
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| 2.)
What did you like least about your school’s art program? |
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| I wish art classes weren't so hard to get in to, because I would've liked to have taken more. |
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| 1.)
What did you like most about the extracurricular activities offered
at your school? |
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| I think there was a club for just about anything you could imagine, which is definitely a good thing. However, it felt like it was hard to be really involved in many things because of the heavy workload. |
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| 2.)
What did you like least about the extracurricular activities offered
at your school? |
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| I can't think of any complaints. |
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| 1.)
What was the best thing about dorm life in your school? |
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| The rooms were really nice and big- sort of spoils students. College dorm rooms are definitely a step down. |
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| 2.)
What did you like least about dorm life? |
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| I wanted to order food after sign-in! |
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| 1.)
What was the best thing about your dining arrangements? |
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| There were a pretty good selection of vegetarian foods. I could always find something to eat. It was also nice that the dining hall was open all day consistently. |
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| 2.)
What did you like least about your dining arrangements? |
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| I hated how the dining hall was divided into four different rooms because it felt sort of divided. |
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| 1.) How welcome did you feel by the other students when you first
arrived at the school? |
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| Even though I came as a sophomore, I had little difficulty "fitting in." I felt like people were extremely open and accepting, and it was easy to find people that shared the same interests. |
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| 2.)
Describe the level of diversity and integration of students in your
school: |
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| At the time I don't know if I realized it, but in retrospect, Andover was a very diverse place. I think students were also really interested in meeting people who were different from them which is a valuable characteristic that isn't always the case in other places in this world. |
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| 3.)
Describe typical fun activities you did on a weekend: |
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| I often watched sporting events and went out to dinner/movies with friends. I also spent a lot of time visiting day student's homes off campus as a way of "escaping" from school. |
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| 4.)
What was the town like? |
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| Students spent a pretty good amount of time in downtown Andover. It has everything any town has, like CVS, Starbucks, a bank, a video store, restaurants, a bookstore, shops, etc. |
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| 7:15 AM | Wake up | | 8:00 AM | AP Statistics | | 9:00 AM | AP Biology | | 10:00 AM | snack | | 11:00 AM | English | | 1:00 PM | lunch | | 2:00 PM | AP Art History | | 3:00 PM | practice | | 5:00 PM | dinner | | 6:00 PM | shower/relax | | 8:00 PM | library to do work | | 10:00 PM | sign-in | | 11:00 PM | more work | | 2:00 AM | go to sleep | | 12:00 AM | French | |
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| 10:00 AM | wake up | | 10:30 AM | breakfast | | 12:00 AM | game | | 3:00 PM | shower/relax | | 6:00 PM | dinner | | 8:00 PM | hang out with friends | | 11:30 PM | sign-in | | 12:00 PM | hang out with dormmates | | 3:00 AM | go to sleep | |
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