· DORM REVIEWS · abbot hall (est. 1855)
Sean Ricard / The Exonian
By DRONA GADDAM, CRANE LEE, and MARVIN SHIM
For more than a thousand students attending Phillips Exeter, each Exonian has a place to call their home away from home. Every dorm on campus is a place of deep pride and each harbor a rich culture and character. It is where Exonians meet their first friends on the first day of school, and where younger students will look for guidance and advice. However, for its first near-century of operation after John and Elizabeth Philips signed the charter establishing Phillips Exeter Academy, students never lived in dormitories, instead living in the Exeter town. To reduce cost and offer equal opportunity to all students, the Trustees voted to erect a permanent building of brick on the Academy grounds. Containing rooms for fifty students, a dining hall, and a common room, the first dormitory of Phillips Exeter was named Abbot Hall, in honor of the Academy’s second principal, Benjamin Abbot, who taught Latin and Greek for 44 years to students such as Daniel Webster.
Today, Abbot is one of the few “mid-size” dorms on campus. Although due to its age, the dorm may be lacking in its amenities, Abbot remains a symbol of a wholesome community and creates a small and tight-knit group of students of all grades. Lower Max Liu explained, “For me, the facilities don’t really matter. What really makes Abbot stand out is a community bursting with love. The dorm boasts a diversity of experiences and perspectives while simultaneously fostering deep bonds between Abboteers.”
“Abbot is 100% made up with our community. We don’t have that many people, probably around 30 people, but it’s a tight-knit community. Everyone likes each other and we all get along,” Lucas Samson agreed.
“We have a culture and a good mix of people from different backgrounds. Yet we are still very connected,” senior Isaiah Reese said.
“Everyone knows each other because it’s such a small dorm, which I think is just the way to do it. In bigger dorms, it’s almost like you meet someone new every day, or at least from what I’ve heard and seen,” prep Max Kothari stated. “In Abbot, everyone is good friends after the first day, and I think that’s a great thing to have in the dorm.
“You can be comfortable with anyone,” senior Xavier Chang said. “The carpeted floors of the dorm are very home-y and we have such very good people.
“The dorm is not too big or not too small for you to know everyone in the dorm and bond with them,” prep Jayden Oh reflected.
“I feel so inspired and grateful for my dormmates and upperclassmen every day. When I’m struggling, the dorm and faculty are there to support me. When I make mistakes (very often), my mentors challenge me and encourage me to grow. And when a success finally happens, we celebrate together and share the joy. The kindness, humility, and wisdom in Abbot is truly remarkable,” Liu said.
Members of Abbot take pride in their community and their ability to reach out to a diverse group of individuals. Although Abbot’s hallways lack the luxurious qualities that other dorms offer, it makes up for in location; the residents can often be seen walking out no more than five minutes before class.
“Abbot’s location is nestled within the academic buildings yet also a short walk away form the athletic facilities,” senior Byran Huang shared. “Picking up materials for classes or heading back to the dormitory for some work takes very little time. Even the fact the building has stood since 1855 in the same location holds testament to the central positioning of Abbot.”
“The location is perfect because it is right next to the Academy Building,” Kothari said, “We spend more time in the Academic Quad than the Athletic Quad in our day, so it is a bit more useful to be in this place.”
“[Abbot’s] right in the middle of everything, so I can roll out of bed and have a half-minute walk to class or Grill. The walk to the athletic complex isn’t the best, but certainly better than what other dorms may have to do going to class everyday,” Reese agreed.
Even though Abbot doesn’t immediately stand out on campus due to its size and age, its history, ambience, and the people who live inside counteract Abbot’s outward appearance. Abbot’s location next to the Academy Building and in the middle of campus makes it a very convenient place to live, and the members of Abbot argue that their dorm sets the standard for what a good community is and to never judge a book by its cover.
