#JustExeterThings
Regardless of whether you have attended Exeter for one year or four, you have participated in the chaos that brands itself a prep school. The conventional definition of a prep school is a high school that fully prepares a student for the academic rigors of a university, but by bending the rules and struggling to survive, students at Exeter have been prepped for much more:
Appearing Professional: As it turns out, the ties weren’t covering up the hoodies or boy’s ability to wear non-fingertip length shorts. Yeah, some days you probably showed up to class looking like you just got out of bed (because that’s exactly what happened). But that doesn’t matter. What matters is seeming as if you stepped out of an Old Spice commercial in front of the teachers who actually care. Furthermore, from all the official and unofficial “debating” in History and English, you have most likely grasped the art of nicely saying, “It seems like you’re trying to make a point, but all I hear is nonsense spewing from your mouth hole.” Even during Experience Exeter, you have somehow managed to write an articulate soliloquy about how avocados relate to Buddhism and not sound like a complete wack job. Overall, you are able to hide the confusion, anxiety and Exeter bars that make up your insides.
Living with Minimal Sleep: Sometimes sleepless nights result from unnecessary homework and sometimes they are caused by other distractions. Maybe it was Buzzfeed videos. Maybe you mend the fatigue with a manmade sleep-in. Having acquired a diet of sugar, cane sugar and glucose, you have reached the top level in the wide-eyed, maniacally laughing axe murderer persona and managed to get a decent grade on the math test at the same time. You basically blend in with all of the other zombies.
Being Open: Being a prep and seeing a nearly naked senior was probably terrifying in the moment, but now it’s just a silly memory. Hopefully. Close living, sports changes, existential crises and five a.m. “workouts” allow you to acknowledge that most of us are human, and that’s simply how we look beneath the jeans and t-shirts. Even more, because it is practically impossible to be alone, you have no option but to tell everyone your highs and lows and they have no option but to listen because they’re waiting to talk about themselves. You probably don’t want to hear about your friend’s weird rash, but you’re going to hear it anyways. When it comes to you and dorm life, there is no such thing as TMI.
Cooking: Okay, not really. You can’t make a microwave meal without setting off the fire alarm and you don’t know how to make stir fry taste like anything more than cooked vegetables, but your peanut butter and banana sandwiches are absolutely divine. And let’s not forget about that perfect spiral on the top of your ice cream cone. When confronted with a full, functioning kitchen waiting for your use, you might break down and cry, but cheer up! You are well versed in the art of scavenging and storing various bits of food-like material. Congrats on becoming a squirrel.
Not Caring: At some point, you just have to stop caring. You realize that your life does not depend upon one grade. You realize that it’s two in the morning and you really should not be crying over the lack of potato skins in the world. And maybe, just maybe, your idea for replacing hot chocolate with hot vanilla is something you should set aside for now. Unless you think it’s your life purpose. In that case, YOLO.
Caring Too Much: You have a paper, a test, and impending suffering, but your friend’s DRAMAT play is going up and not attending is not an option. And although it may seem like this occurs every week, sometimes you just need a timeout to take someone for a much needed Stillwell’s run. Further, Exeter is supposed to be the place where you discover your passions. Who cares if you’re really into medieval hymns? Forget the haters and rock out.
You could leave PEA and end up two blocks or two continents away. You could say goodbye and end up awkwardly walking in the same direction. Still, no matter when or where, you will be connected to all Exonians through #justExeterthings.