Don't Sacrifice Experiences
When I think back on my time at Exeter, I’m flooded with memories of crushing anxiety and of pure bliss. For every memory I have of being swamped with work, though, I have three more of hanging out with my friends, just enjoying the moment. The closer I get to the end, the more I realize Exeter is what you make of it. If you focus on the work you have and stress about every little thing, Exeter can be a miserable place. On the other hand, you can enjoy the little things every day. In my experience, living day-to-day at Exeter is the healthiest way to survive here. If you look too far into the future, the pressure will crush you. In the end, however, Exeter is a lot like any other place, and you have to make the most of it.
The closer you get to the end of your senior year, the more you start thinking about the rest of your life and your time at Exeter in terms of success. Your upper and senior years are dominated by talk of colleges, and at the end of the day that’s what a lot of people judge your success by. If you judge my success at Exeter by the outcome of my college decisions, I’m a failure. Plain and simple. My closest friends are going to schools such as Harvard, Princeton, MIT and Stanford, while I’m left deciding between a gap year or transferring schools in a year. But I’ve realized something. That doesn’t define success at all. When I think of the reasons why I came to Exeter in the first place, I see that none of them involve college. My reasons for coming across the country to a boarding school at fourteen were solely based on the opportunities I would be afforded. And I was not disappointed.
In my time here, I have spent a term abroad in the Bahamas studying environmental sustainability. I survived a hurricane while there and learned to scuba dive, kayak, and spearfish. I learned about Bahamian culture and history, and I saw a side of the Bahamas that very few people see. I also got to travel to the Philippines with some friends in order to film a documentary about child homelessness and abuse. Above all, I was placed in Abbot Hall and made connections with people that I will undoubtedly have for a lifetime. Sure, I didn’t get into the best college in the country, but that isn’t what I came here to do. I came to Exeter to experience people, places and things that I would have never had the chance to experience if I went to public school in Las Vegas. It sounds cheesy, because people always say it, but I think it is one of the most important things to embrace while you’re here: enjoy this place.
Don’t value yourself or others based on where you or they are going to school. The value isn’t in where you’re going; it’s how you got there. When an opportunity arises to do something daring, take it. When you leave Exeter, you don’t want to be thinking about the “what if’s.” You want to be thinking “remember the time when…” It’s not just the big trips either. Some of the things I remember most vividly about my time here are just hanging out in the dorm. Memories like dorm movie nights, watching Archer every week when it came out, or just the late night conversations you have with your roommate when you can’t fall asleep. Don’t sacrifice these experiences for work. In thirty years, what’s going to be more important? The college you attended for a brief amount of time, or the people and memories that will stick with you forever? It’s corny advice, but it’s corny for a reason.