Preps Weigh In as Students Prepare for First Pass or Fail Term
As the community anticipates a multitude of changes this term, perhaps no change stands as hard a pill to swallow as the transition to a pass or fail curriculum. For many Exonians, the prospect of a term without grades is a completely new frontier. However, for others who have spent the bulk of their Exeter careers building strong work ethics in the name of one number on a screen, these changes have blown our campus apart. Fortunately, a few experts in the prep class have agreed to be The Exonian’s guiding lights on this matter.
Indeed, only our preps could boast cultivated credentials on pass/fail. Webster prep Brooks McKinley is an exceptional case—so unadulterated by the Exeter environment, in fact, that he wasn’t aware of a school newspaper until The Exonian reached out for this interview. Among his many accomplishments, McKinley can count attending both of his weekly health classes, on top of his already trivial workload. McKinley reflected, “Well, I was in the Health Center—fatiguing—I wouldn’t want to take all the credit where credit isn’t due.”
When probed on the qualities which made his class so uniquely informed, McKinley cited an unparalleled collection of experiences. “After passing all my fall term classes, it’s almost like we haven’t even been here. I also took ceramics last winter, so you could almost say I’m doubly qualified,” he said.
So what pieces of advice should we take from these eagle-eyed veterans? While it might be tempting to fall down the YouTube rabbit hole for hours at time, “Don’t!” former Grill attendee Ainsley Frowe advised. When asked about any tips to meet this goal, Frowe loosened her stance, “Of course, you can cheat a little, say four or five a day, but don’t be excessive.”
Among other things, the panel reminded us to be in full dress code, show not tell and “do your homework each night, even if you don’t want to.”
Of course, some preps took the opportunity of an unmarked term to let loose and experiment with what they could get away with. “Don’t tell my mom, but sometimes I’d like to indulge a bit and stay up an extra hour reading my favorite books. I felt like this rebel staying up past ten.” Willie Bee ’23 asked to remain anonymous.
Some students, however, challenged conventional reason. Prep Rep Harlie Weston ’21 was one of those students. “I don’t know, I really just tried to enjoy the little things in life, put myself out there and learn who I really am—you know, try new things?” Clearly, our little experts weren't well-versed in everything.
Regardless of the words these preps might use to console us, many students can’t help but worry about how our school will manage. Fee Fee Youn ’21 voiced such sentiments: “It was like my work no longer had a purpose. Sure, I could work on bettering myself and committing myself to a love of learning, but what’s the point if colleges don’t have a number to quantify it?”