Academy Hosts Experience Exeter Students, Garnering an Exceptional 79% Yield

By CARLY CANSECO, JINMIN LEE, and FORREST ZENG

      The Academy recently hosted its annual four days of Experience Exeter, a revisit day for newly accepted Exonians. Following a successful Experience Exeter, the Academy’s accepted class of 2028 had a remarkable yield of 79 percent, an increase from last year’s 72 percent.

      Current students signed up to host prospective students and were matched with students with similar interests and backgrounds. The responsibilities entailed greeting prospective students, taking them to classes, and generally presenting life at Exeter to them. Prospective parents were also given the opportunity to participate in informational and panelist events that included current students and faculty. Because students and parents often have questions about coming to Exeter, it is important for the current students to engage with prospective students. “These visit days are extremely important to new families as they allow them to fully understand the uniqueness of Exeter and help them to make an informed decision about their school choice for next year,” said Director of Admissions William Leahy.

      Associate Director of Admissions Julia McPhee agreed: “Being able to create a program that celebrates the students’ acceptance and allows them to ask questions and determine if Exeter is the right match for them is incredibly rewarding.”

      The admissions team overcame logistical barriers to best accommodate prospective and current students. “The preparations for Experience Exeter started almost a year ago to manage multiple factors. We had to consider spring break and major holidays while offering a variety of dates that would be convenient for visiting families,” McPhee continued.

      Leahy emphasized the importance of selecting the best current students for each incoming student. “A lot of time goes into the revisit-host matching process with hundreds of students volunteering to serve as revisit hosts,” he recalled.

      Yet, despite the intensive preparation, the admissions staff found the process gratifying. “This year’s planning was both exciting and challenging,” recalled McPhee. “It was exciting because it’s fun and joyful to create a program for newly admitted students and their families to come to campus and become fully immersed in our community.”

      “The admission team is immensely grateful to our current students who served as revisit hosts, participated in panels, and attended in-person and special programs online,” emphasized Leahy.

      Current students eagerly volunteered to be Experience Exeter hosts. Preps, especially, were reminded of their revisit days and jumped at the chance. “I chose to host because I wanted somebody to have the same experiences that I had last year,” prep Shiloh Ffrench explained. “My revisit day was the reason that I came to Exeter, so I wanted somebody else to have that same experience.”

      Prep Han Yan felt similarly. “When I was at Experience Exeter, I found that everyone was really helpful,” he described. “My tour guide, Leonardo Chung, was really helpful in accommodating me and answering all my questions. I tried to portray that same level of helpfulness to the kid I hosted.”

      “A lot of core memories that I have of my revisit day came back,” prep Hugo Shinn said. “I really wanted to show Exeter as a community.”

      For many hosts, Experience Exeter was a great opportunity to express their passion about the school. “I really like talking about the school and getting people to be a part of it,” prep Drona Gaddam said. “I love the school, and I think it’s great that other people are interested as well.”

      Shinn reflected a similar sentiment. “I found Experience Exeter to be a really big selling point for me,” Shinn described of his own revisit day. “I really wanted to meet new kids and convince them that Exeter is the right choice.”

      Hosts formed great camaraderie with prospective students. “It was really fun showing my person around and answering all the questions. I could really sense their enthusiasm for coming and it was really fun seeing a fresh face,” Yan said.

      “One of my visitors had already committed to Exeter,” Shinn described. “So I really wanted to make him feel at home.”

      Others thought about ways to present their school in a good light. “At the beginning, I was thinking about how I could be a better host. What should I show them? What should I not show them? There’s some parts of the school that new viewers might find strange or unexpected,” Gaddam explained. “You don’t want to show them all the homework that you do, the test that you study for. But you do want to show them the fun things like going to Grill, talking to your friends, and fun Harkness classes.”

      After hosting a first student, hosts felt more prepared to host a second visitor. “There was definitely a little bit of learning during my first hosting,” Gaddam said. “Sometimes, I didn’t know what to do, but we figured it out and had a great time. By my second guest, I was pretty prepared.”

      Some hosts and visitors found certain classes awkward when visitors were unfamiliar with the contents of the class. “As soon as you get them in that classroom environment, if they don’t know the material, they’re just gonna to sit there awkwardly,” lower Ian Rigg noted. “My student didn’t feel like it was very interactive for the students, and didn’t really feel a real opportunity to ask questions that he may have had.”

      Overall, Experience Exeter was a flying success (except for perhaps the weather). “When our new Exonians arrive, they will be excited and nervous and our returning students always make them feel welcomed from their first moments on campus,” concluded Leahy.