Students Twice as Likely to Choose Andover Over Exeter

The Andover:Exeter admissions yield rate was nearly 2:1 last spring—when confronted with a choice between Exeter and Andover, accepted students chose Andover twice as often as Exeter. Director of Admissions Michael Gary informed PEA faculty earlier this month that, in spite of a normal 71.3 percent yield rate, the shift in admitted students’ choice of Andover over Exeter is a reality.“Michael Gary announced the E/A yield when he talked to us about general yield and who’s coming this year,” science instructor Michele Chapman said. “He announced it as something the trustees are concerned about, and said that he has been given the task of looking into it further.”Though yield rates between Exeter and Andover have always been competitive, they usually remain around 1:1. For this reason, numerous students and faculty have questioned why the rate has recently changed so drastically.Chapman speculated that each school’s level of difficulty in relation to college matriculation might be a contributing factor.“I can only say what I’ve heard, because I’ve never talked with students thinking about going to Andover. Apparently, Andover is more fun, more relaxed, yet has similar matriculation rates if not better matriculation rates than Exeter, so possibly students feel that they’ll get an equally good education in a more relaxed atmosphere,” she said.Senior Philip Chang agreed, adding that Exeter has a reputation for being a “pressure cooker.”“Under first impressions, Exeter’s atmosphere is significantly more overwhelming than Andover's,” he said. “The harsh regulations set out in the E-Book, endless hours of schoolwork and the vague and secretive disciplinary process.”

“To a prospective student, these misconceptions are far from appealing,” Chang added.Chang, however, also wondered if Principal Thomas Hassan and the direction of the school may have affected matriculation. “While Mr. Hassan’s 25 years of dedication to PEA is more than deserving of respect, I feel that he has not served his role as head of school as well as he could have.”Chang believed the problem may lie in Hassan’s long term relationship with the school. “Someone who has been raised at an institution for 25 years won’t be able to see what changes need to be made—they have been too immersed in the system and become too comfortable to realize the problems they are facing. Simply put, Exeter has stagnated.”On the other hand, while Andover has a new principal with little experience in education, which Chang also thought was risky, he believes Andover has succeeded in now appearing “newer” than Exeter.Some students believed that the matriculation has nothing to do with difficulty or leadership, but rather, is a matter of course selection.For example, some Exonians selected Exeter over Andover because of the school’s stronger math and science departments.“I went to a geometry class at Andover. The teacher wrote a proof on the board and the students had worksheets where they had to use the proof to prove numerous examples, which was boring. Later on, I went to Mr. Hassan’s 130 class—they were learning the same thing as I was learning in eighth grade—it was really cool, I was able to participate. It was infinitely more interesting,” upper Lily Friedberg, who was accepted to both Exeter and Andover, said.

The math department, however, has also been a detractor to some prospective students because of its competitive nature. “Exeter had too many strong math students, and I felt I would be buried under them,” Kevin Sun, a freshman and mathematician at Andover, said.Similar to Exeter’s strength in math and science, Andover is known to have a stronger arts department.“I think the biggest difference between Exeter and Andover is the arts programs. I know that music people are more likely to pick Andover than Exeter. And I think overall their arts program is more diverse,” upperAngela Song said.Sometimes, the choice between each school is not one of resources or education, but one of a student’s internal instinct. “Exeter has a sense of community I can feel, and everything feels more together. I didn’t feel as at home when I visited Andover, it was just, I can’t really describe it,” prep Christopher Luke, who was accepted to both schools, said.According to Gary, in the end, applicants who are informed and decisive about attending Exeter, such as Luke, are the students that Exeter seeks.“Our job is to help students and families make the most informed decision. If we are helping in this regard, we are being the educators we should be. We want students who want Exeter,” Gary said.