Exonians Address Common Misconceptions

Many misconceptions persist among the Exeter community— for example, international students are ineligible to receive financial aid, but financial aid is in fact available to all students at the Academy. Students addressed misconceptions about the various organizations they are involved with at the Academy to The Exonian. 

Dorms and Day Students

Many new students were initially concerned about experiencing dorm community while living in a single, including those in McConnell Hall. “I thought that you would just be very lonely in your room all day long,” senior and McConnell proctor Alicia Coble said. “But because we're all in singles, we all make more of an effort to hang out with each other more.”

“The impact of having people of all grades being in a dorm and the sense of community here. It was definitely something that I felt here and I bet that a large part of it is because of the dorms,” upper and Exeter Inn dormitory resident Toby Chan said.

Another misconception was that all-gender dorms are limited to students who do not identify on the gender binary, when they are actually open to all. “I wish I had known earlier that anybody can apply, and it's a wonderfully safe space to grow into your identity,” upper and Williams House resident Anne Chen said.

In addition,some believe that day students cannot fully immerse themselves in school life, but day students say otherwise. “I spend so much time on campus and usually do everything with my affiliated dorm except sleep there,” senior and Dunbar Hall affiliate Caroline Luff said. “[Day students] still [have] those close friendships with everyone at Exeter, since we spend so much time together.”

Sports

Students often hesitate to try a new sport at Exeter, fearing they must have prior experience in. Sports teams and physical education programs at the Academy, however, are open to all. “Dance Company is a great environment, even for newer students, which can't always be said about dance studios,” Chen said.

The same welcoming environment for newcomers also extends to other sports like crew. “Most novices don't have any experience,” Coble, who is also a co-captain of girls’ crew said. “That's the majority of people that try out, and those are the people that tend to do best because if you do other sports, and you're good at taking corrections quickly, then you'll be great at crew.”

Upper Michelle Park addressed the crew team’s reputation for exclusivity. “It’s a very privileged sport, which I think is why a lot of people think it's very exclusive, which I think connects to the very cult-like vibe that crew gets. Because Exeter is such a privileged institution, it holds a sport like crew,” she said. “It's also the time that we spend with each other, [because] crew’s just a time-consuming sport.”

Clubs

“A common misconception of kids who do debate is that everyone is argumentative and loud-mouthed,” upper and Daniel Webster Debate Society co-head Alexandria Westray said. “I wish people knew that. Of course, we get people who love to talk, but that oftentimes doesn’t translate to any talent at actually debating. Quieter people are just as present in debate, and often have a lot of well thought-out arguments and knowledge that make them indispensable parts of the team”

M. Park acknowledged Mock Trial’s “cult-like” reputation. “I think that we spend a lot of time together and thus, we spend a lot of time talking about Mock Trial and having meetings and going to the tournaments… It’s like any club. They do it for so much of their time at Exeter, and it’s just part of who they are. I think saying something [is like] a cult is just like a funny way of saying that these people spend a lot of time together… I think that it kind of just shows the love and appreciation you have for whatever you do,” Park said.

Upper and Exeter Association of Rock (EAR) co-head Allison Kim described a common concern. “A misconception might be that EAR is a serious club, and you have to be really good at an instrument to join,” Kim said. “We are very serious about music and performing, but we try to create a chill environment where everyone can have fun.” 

The same holds true for DRAMAT, Exeter’s theater and performance club. “More people should know that you don’t have to have any experience whatsoever with theatre in order to join DRAMAT,” co-head Grace Valashinas added. “It’s such a fun club, and everybody should be involved in it in some way if they’re interested.” 

Extracurriculars outside clubs also have similarly warm communities, as Park recounted about the Academy’s orchestra program. “I was so scared because everyone seemed like they knew what they were doing, and they were really talented, and I didn’t have too much experience compared to these other people that were playing since they were little kids,” Park said. “But when I actually started playing, it was so nice to see these instruments come together and create music. I became friends with people in my section. I realize this wasn’t the toxic, badly competitive environment I thought it would be, [but] it was a place where we were all working to the same goal to create music for people to listen and enjoy.”

Lower and co-Secretary Aaron Joy made clarifications about who can contribute to Student Council (StuCo). “Exonians often think that StuCo is just an organization for elected representatives; however, this isn’t true at all! Stuco welcomes and encourages all Exonians to be active members within council, be part of change, and share their voice,” Joy said. 

Luff, who is also a co-President of the Exeter Student Service Organization (ESSO), noted that the prospect of joining ESSO outside of prep year is intimidating to some. “A lot of people are worried that [they’re] already an upper, so [they] can't join and be a big part of this organization. Or a student comes in and is afraid to apply to the board, because they’re a new upper or new lower,” Luff said. “It's never too late or too early in your Exeter career to be a part of ESSO. We’re always looking for new voices and new people in our activities.”