PEA Class of 2017 Receives College Decisions, Reacts

Exeter’s Class of 2017 received big news earlier this month as colleges began to release their admissions decisions for the year. These results left seniors in the community with mixed emotions.

“Exeter has made me really well prepared for college. Don’t stress, everyone goes to college.”

Director of College Admissions Elizabeth Dolan commended the Class of 2017 for their hard work throughout the past four years while also emphasizing that students should remember that there is no formula for success. “This year’s class was exceptional. The percentage of the class with 10.0 or higher cumulative GPA’s was significant,” she said. “The mistake some students made was to think a 10.0 GPA equals an acceptance into a selective university like an Ivy.”Dolan also explained that many colleges are geared towards meeting their “institutional agendas:” Every college has unique needs that must be satisfied; applicant decisions are often based on how students do, or do not, meet those needs.Dolan recognized that Exonians are subject to significant amounts of pressure to soar at Exeter and then to attend “brand name” universities. “There is enormous pressure on Exonians to get into certain colleges, which stems from both themselves, their parents and Exeter’s history,” she said. “Many students feel an obligation to achieve, and for them, achievement means admission to a selective college.”According to Dolan, the most competitive fields of study that this senior class applied to were engineering, business, economics, biology (pre-med) and computer science. “There has always been competition in these applicant pools; but this year, there was both quantity and quality for each, making the selection process very difficult,” she said.Senior Cory Mengden acknowledged that college admission results can be a sensitive and difficult topic for some students to talk about. “Obviously there is going to be sadness, and there are going to be (people who are) depressed if they don’t get accepted to their top choice,” he said.According to senior Matt Hambacher, many Exeter students feel that there is a stigma surrounding asking other seniors about where they were or were not accepted. “The prevalent mindset is you don’t want to ask people about their college decisions because you don’t want to remind them of what colleges they didn’t get into, so a lot of people say nothing about it,” he said.Senior Tony Zhu agreed with Hambacher about the tangible anxiety on campus during the time when college  results are being released. “The day when they got released, the campus was really tense. It wasn’t a toxic thing, but people were hyper aware,” he said.However, Mengden himself has not personally seen many students who were heartbroken by the outcome of the application process. “I have seen more of the happiness of where they want to go instead of people broadcasting their laments of the negative aspects of that,” he said.Likewise, senior Henrietta Reily felt that despite the Class of 2017’s reputation as aggressively competitive, most students have been empathetic toward one another. “A characteristic of the Class of 2017 is competitiveness, which isn’t a weakness but has made this process very serious for some people,” she said. “At this point, now that all decisions are out, I think people have calmed down a lot and are coming to terms with wherever they or their friends are likely to end up.”Senior Connie Cai agreed with Reily. “Our grade has been handling it surprisingly well; I think our grade has the stigma of being the overly competitive grade [or] try-hard grade, but for the most part, people have been supportive of people’s college decisions,” she said.Though most students treat the college matter with earnestness, Hambacher said that students should not put so much pressure on themselves. “To the upcoming seniors, I’d say don’t stress out too much,” he said. “It’s going to be okay no matter what happens. For current seniors, don’t worry too much. Have fun.”Senior Juni Terry echoed Hambacher’s sentiments. “Exeter has made me really well prepared for college. Don’t stress, everyone goes to college,” she said.Similarly, Zhu said that the college to which you are accepted does not determine the kind of person you are. “I know that in the end, you’re still going to be the same person, your friends are still going to love you, [and] people will still care about you,” he said.Dolan also reflected on the development that students undergo throughout the college application process. “My hope, along with the rest of my colleagues, is that students who go through the admissions process with us learn that the best college—the best fit for them— is not necessarily one of the ‘brand name’ schools,” she said. “My colleagues and I wish the Class of 2017 well, and we hope that their legacy is one of gratitude.”