PEA Admissions Rate Drops to 10%

By Jett Goetz, Michael Yang, Ellie Ana Sperantas, and Arhon Strauss

Prospective students applying to the Academy received admission results on March 10. The select few from the large applicant pool of students from around the globe have until April 10 to decide if they want to join the next wave of Exonians.

This year, students were not given the chance to schedule an on-campus visit and interview due to COVID-19 health concerns. Instead, the Admissions and Communications team provided numerous online resources, ranging from Q&A webinars to virtual tours in hopes of allowing prospective students to experience all that Exeter has to offer. Since many students did not have the opportunity to take the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) or Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), Admissions waived the standardized testing requirement, allowing students to apply test-optional.

The Academy altered the admissions process to remain accessible during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We hosted close to 100 virtual events for prospective students throughout the summer and fall,” Dean of Enrollment William Leahy said. “We moved to being a test-optional admission process just for this admission year as we knew online testing and in-person test centers would be impacted by the pandemic.”

“We haven’t made any decisions yet about our process for next year but anticipate some parts of our process this year will continue into the future such as offering some virtual fall events for families unable to visit campus,” Leahy added.

Despite these challenges posed by the pandemic, Exeter saw an increased number of applicants. According to Leahy, the number of applicants increased by 23% from last year. “It is clear that COVID concerns globally played a role in the increased interest in applying to Exeter and other boarding schools.” Leahy said. However, due to the increased number of applicants, the school admission rate dropped from 15% last year to approximately 10% this year.

Students were overjoyed at the possibility of attending Exeter. “I chose to apply to Exeter for multiple different reasons, from the prospect of discussions around the Harkness table to the boarding experience to the top notch faculty and great friends that I would make,” Rui Jiang ’25 said.

Jiang explained how Exeter offered math curricula Jiang did not have at their current school. “I currently take AP Calculus BC, and the schools in my area don’t provide any courses for me to take in high school while Exeter provides years of math courses for me even with where I am now,” Jiang said.

Victoria Liu ’25 learned about Exeter through Exeter Summer. “The Exeter Summer experience also helped me understand the learning environment. Though it was online, it definitely was one of the best times I’ve had!” Liu said. “What’s really unique and attractive about Exeter is the Harkness method. Collaborating with other students always brings me new perspectives and ideas, and of course I love contributing too!”

Micaela Lopez ’25 chose Exeter for its emphasis on goodness and knowledge. “Exeter's values of thinking deeply and creatively and practicing good citizenship match up with my family’s,” Lopez said.

For Naomi Wood ’25, the Academy’s virtual tours shaped Wood’s view of Exeter along with the opportunity to visit sibling Jackie Wood ’23 during Family Day. “For me, the ‘Chat With Exeter’ was super helpful because I was able to talk with current Exeter students and get their opinions on the school, as well as ask my own questions,” N. Wood said.

“Because my older sister is currently at Exeter, I was lucky to have the chance to visit her and the campus last year on family day. So while I was visiting Exeter, I got to sit in and watch some of her classes, and that was where I got to see the Harkness method and really how everyone was just happy to be there,” Wood added.

Although in-person events were cancelled, the pandemic influenced some students to choose Exeter. “In a way, the pandemic affected my final decision by creating a big incentive to be out in the world again, to try something new by leaving the familiarity of home and to expand my community,” Lopez said.

However, due to the pandemic, many students could not consider in-person aspects of the Academy during their decision-making process. “Missing out on the chance to tour Exeter’s campus and get a feel of what the environment is like was a big loss for me and all other applicants,” Jiang said. “I couldn’t feel the environments of the schools in person.”

“I felt like I had to rely much more on research, as well as hearing the perspectives of the students; at times, it felt like I was taking a leap of faith since my idea of what Exeter was really like seemed unclear,” Rina Fujii ’25 said.

“I also loved the idea of having Harkness present at every class, since I had already had the opportunity of experiencing it when I was at Exeter Summer,” Fujii continued.

Exeter offered webinars as a replacement for in-person opportunities. “The webinars Exeter offered really helped me understand what it is like to study at Exeter,” Liu said.

“I relied a lot on the Zoom presentations, the video links on the website and my contact with administrators such as my interviewer,” Lopez added.

International students faced unique challenges brought by the pandemic. “The admissions process was vastly different for [international] students, as the SSAT was canceled. I also couldn’t fly to the U.S. for the interviews and the campus tour and had to complete all of these events online,” international student Zuzanna Szul ’25 said.

Finn Lorgen ’25, brother of current student Marcus Lorgen ’24 experienced testing difficulties while applying this year due to differences in standardized grading systems between America and Norway. “One important point of reference for academics for international students like myself is the SSAT. My brother didn’t get to take it due to COVID,” M. Lorgen said.

For some, virtual visits were not as compelling as in-person school visits. Heewoo Jung ’23, brother of admitted student Daniel Jung ’24, said, “Many institutions provided virtual experiences, but they could never replace the actual school visits.”

Despite the unique challenges applicants faced in the applications process this year, many remained optimistic. “Exeter has a lot of great things about it, and the day I saw my admission letter was one of the happiest days of my life,” said Jiang.