Prospective Families Visit the Academy for Experience Exeter
Prospective students attend a panel during Experience Exeter. Courtesy of @phillipsexeter
By PHIN GIBBS and LEO ZHANG
A myriad of unfamiliar faces took over the paths of Exeter over the course of four days as part of Experience Exeter, which allowed prospective students to get a small taste of what life at Exeter is like. Current students served as tour guides, hosts, and panelists to give prospective students a clear picture of what an Exeter student truly experiences.
Associate Director of Admissions Julia McPhee articulated the main goal behind this event. “Even for the admittees who haven’t been to campus, the biggest part is being able to experience a day in the life of being a student here. Being able to go to classes, actually meet current students, meet some of their potential classmates, and go to the dining halls. So I think the biggest thing is just to live out what a typical day would be like.”
Senior Associate Director of Admissions Matti Donker also added that fostering community was a major goal. “Finding community and finding a place that [new students] can be included in is a very important part. So as they’re following this host around, we make sure that not only is the host going to class, but they’re including that admitted student into conversations. We want them to actually introduce them to friends and truly make the experience about what life could truly be like here.”
Incoming senior Cherish Amby-Okolo definitely felt this sense of community during her Experience Exeter day. “[My host] took me to U.S. history; I was at the table and I got to interact and experience Harkness. When I got to my second class, computer science, I definitely tried to interact more, and the students let me interact in class. I felt really good because I actually felt part of the Harkness discussion. Then we went to lunch and I met all her friends, so that was also really nice. She showed me the Phelps Science Center, her dorm, and Grill. She interacted with people and showed me what it was like tobe a regular person just walking around Exeter,” she said.
To welcome prospective students, head tour guides worked closely with the Admissions Office to set up opportunities. Senior and head tour guide Tucker Gibbs describes his involvement. “I was involved with the Fly-In program, which is where the school brings in a number of first-generation students and minority students to have an extra day on campus. It’s the Sunday before the Monday of Experience Exeter, and they get a scavenger hunt. I gave the parents an in-depth tour before they went to dinner and then onto their normal Experience Exeter day.”
The immersive aspect of Experience Exeter is something the admissions office works hard to perfect. Donkor described the process, “It’s a very wonderful and thoughtful process. What we do is look at the classes that the incoming student enjoys, such as if they love Latin or if they love English. We look for that to make sure your schedule aligns that day as much as possible with their interests. We look at prospective students’ interests like if they are into robotics or hockey or whatever it may be and then we try to pair them with a host.”
Associate Director of Admissions Kathy Cheng explained why officers spend so much time pairing up students with hosts: “Exeter can feel a little intimidating, so hopefully by getting them connected to the community and getting to sit in during classes, they are hopefully able to say, ‘I can picture myself here.’”
In addition to Experience Exeter, prospective students have opportunities to learn more about what it means to be an Exonian. Gibbs explains, “We had a number of online panels about different aspects of student life. During Experience Exeter, we had students do a couple of panels about student life for the parents and students who were there. It’s all just different aspects like residential life or athletics or arts or classes so we can give people more information about what’s going on at Exeter.
McPhee commented, “I think that this year we probably hosted 11 virtual events and they focused on different aspects of Exeter, such as residential life, academics, or athletics. We also did a couple of live guided tours where we had tour guides walk around campus, showing the different spots. We did young alumni and an international student chat. We tried to hit multiple different populations that we were speaking to and hopefully answer their questions about experiences.”
Overall, prospective students received a good holistic view of Exeter through Experience Exeter. “[The experience] made me feel like a student myself rather than like somebody on a tour.[My host] told me a lot of things that they don’t tell you in the book or on the website such as customs, places to study, and the best places to get coffee or to hang out with friends,” reflected Amby-Okolo.
