PEA Braces For a Large Prep Class
An unexpectedly high prep yield—237 members in the class of 2017—along with an additional 83 new lowers, uppers and seniors—will push up the numbers of Exeter’s enrollment next year, and force a housing squeeze across campus.
The prep yield this admissions season was 74 percent, up seven percent from last year, according to Admissions Operations Manager Christopher Glidden. The yields for other classes, Director of Admissions Michael Gary said, were close to target.
"It’s definitely unusual," Glidden said. "I wouldn’t be able to form a serious opinion about why yet, but it’s something we’ll be looking into and discussing during the summer."
The Academy will address this unexpected spike in the yield through a number of different methods. "The school will be able to absorb the overage by ‘flipping houses’, off-campus programing, and summer attrition," Director of Admissions Michael Gary said.
The prep yield was roughly ten percent above expected, according to math instructor Joe Wolfson, who reads prep admission folders.
Wolfson said he was not sure of the cause of the prep yield, but speculated the admission trends of other boarding schools may have been a factor. "Andover accepted far fewer than they usually do, but of course, I don’t know for sure if this was a factor. Usually we lose kids to Andover, for financial reasons, or simply because they stay at home," he said.
Overall, 71 percent of admitted applicants accepted their admissions offer, representing a yield increase of two percent from last year’s 69 percent.
A total of 352 students accepted their offers of admission. 144 out of the 352 new students will receive financial aid, or roughly 41 percent, Gary said.
The new students come from 19 countries and 34 states, plus Washington D.C.
Among the rising preps, 104 male boarders and 88 female boarders have enrolled, resulting in a sharp gender imbalance.
Dean of Residential Life AJ Cosgrove said that all dorms would be full next year due to the change. In addition, Browning will be converted to a boys’ dorm to accommodate for the imbalance in male boarders. "Boys are overenrolled, and Browning's size allows us to come up with a plan to house everyone next year," he said.
Dunbar dorm faculty Eimer Page said that residential life at Exeter would be impacted by the influx. "Like all other dorms, we will have to look closely at our spaces to see if we have room to include another girl or two in our community," she said.
"We have made a commitment to a particular class size, so any additional students will necessitate opening additional class sections and should not lead to overly-full sections. I think most students agree that a class of twelve flows more easily than a class under ten, so I don’t see it as a major problem," Page said. "Since this is the reality, I think the best approach is to see it positively and to find creative solutions."
Wolfson said that the new students were diverse in their interests and accomplishments.
"Of the thirteen people I wrote [letters] to, one was a phenomenal cellist, one is a brilliant pianist, and another is a strong female mathematician. I also wrote to a top chess player, a terrific writer, and a high-level fencer," Wolfson said.
Enrolled students come to Exeter from geographically underrepresented places as a far away as Australia and Nepal.
This year 70 students were cross-admits to Andover as well, down from last year’s 87. Andover’s yield this year was approximately 79 percent.
Students are excited to arrive on campus in the fall.
Rising prep Evan Xiang, who has represented America in world youth chess championships, said she was looking forward to the opportunity to play chess and to participate in academic programs at Exeter.
"I choose Exeter over other schools because PEA has a myriad of opportunities to offer its students, and I look forward to all the challenges I'll have to face here," Xiang said.