Phillips Exeter Academy - Review #14

Overall pace, rigor, and intensity set Exeter apart from other schools. The caliber and "seriousness of purpose" among the students and teachers also make Exeter extremely unique. The Harkness method in all the classrooms, of course, makes Exeter the institution that it is.

I made my closest friends and connections at Exeter. I learned to work hard and to manage my personal values. I learned to always fight for justice. Exeter made me see that injustice prevails and so I have to always fight for what is right.

I would warn myself about the specific difficulties of the math/science curriculum. I would tell myself that most teachers and administrators are there to do their jobs and not there to truly be supportive and kind.

The caliber and seriousness of student and social life as seen in how different clubs and student organizations work. The English program teaches students great ways to write and communicate.

Have some purpose. Make purposeful decisions. Don't just take a class or join a club for no concrete reasons. Your friends and supporters are your peers and classmates (it is unlikely that teachers or administrators are truly there to support you beyond the basics).

Overall, the academics are very challenging, rigorous, and demanding. This is good in terms of practicing overall life skills like time management and managing stress. I thought the best department was the English department because the teachers and set-up of the classes allowed for one to truly practice and refine their writing.There are several downsides to the academics at Exeter. If a student is not inclined to excel in mathematics and the sciences, then there can be serious issues and periods of struggle. To a far lesser extent, the same can be true for a student who is better at the humanities than the STEM subjects.

It resembles the facilities of most big colleges or universities. The facilities and resources are extensive.The degree of competitiveness among the sports teams is high. There should be more options for gym time for non-seniors to fulfil the gym requirement each term; this was not the case during my years there and I'm not sure if it has changed.There should also be more ways to bolster school spirit without involving sports.

During my years there, the music, visual arts program, and theater programs were not as strong because the new buildings for these programs were only starting to be built after I would graduate. The theater and dance performances could not fulfill their full potential because the theater was old and small.There were certainly very talented and dedicated artists at the school who pursued their passions regardless of how limited the facilities were at the time. I did enjoy the arts courses that were in the curriculum because they were more relaxed than most of the other courses.

It's very unique and special for the extracurriculars at Exeter to exist and thrive on such a big scale. The students are really committed to developing leadership skills and gaining leadership positions through trying hard with the various clubs and student organizations.Exeter should do a better job with guiding the different clubs so that the students could compete and join with other student clubs on a more national scale. For example, they should have encouraged Exeter's debate, model UN, and other organizations to truly join in the national competitions.

Dorm life was great in the sense that the dorms fostered intimate friendships and strong memories.The teachers interfered too much with the life of students in the dorms. Sometimes, the teachers did not give students enough space to be themselves. The teachers were nosy at some points. I don't think teachers should live in the same dorm room buildings as the students.There was not enough late night food access.

The dining was just so-so. The quality of the food was so-so and the cafeteria hours were quite limited.Exeter's food plan should model those of many colleges where students can using "dining points" to go and have meals at nearby restaurants in the town.

The town is a very average small town in America. There are some restaurants and that is all in terms of places to go and enjoy.Boston is 65 minutes away by car or train. The school should do more to encourage students to venture into Boston even if it's once a month.

The social life was great in the sense that I could be myself. I made a lot of lifelong friends and learned the importance of great friendships. The social life is high in quality and that is due to students having similar values and interests.