Authenticity at Exeter

By  LUCY JUNG ‘25 and GRACE YANG ‘27

Around this time of year, college counselors pay their annual visit to lowers’ health classes, intending to teach them about self-authorship as they near the halfway point of their Exeter career. Lowers are encouraged to go up to the whiteboards to detail the “why” of their passions and pursuits on campus. It is saddening to witness that “getting accepted into college” permeates the majority’s writing, in what seems to be an increasing amount year after year. The term “college” wields incredible influence at prestigious educational institutions such as our very own Phillips Exeter Academy — it is a term powerful enough to dictate individuals’ lives and their purpose. 

What, then, does this cost Exonians? 

During “Club Night” every September, various academic, cultural, and miscellaneous clubs set up booths in the Love Gym as many students wander around, seeking clubs that align with their interests. Many ambitious persons put themselves on the email list for more clubs than they can handle. As a result, when the heat of autumn melts into winter, many clubs lose a significant number of members, while others gain. Different people have different reasons for dropping out of and/or pursuing certain clubs. Some will inform the co-heads, “I didn’t find what I was looking for in this club.” The less painful excuse is, “I don’t have enough time in my schedule, sorry!” But it surely cannot be a pure coincidence that the final destination of this mass club migration is almost always one or more of the competitive clubs. 

As the “sweaty” reputation of a club arises, the contribution of Exonians increases — the clubs’ reputations for rigor and achievement make them magnets for ambitious Exonians. These clubs usually have long histories and/or universal motifs, thus they provide Exonians with competitive opportunities at the state, regional, national, and sometimes even international levels, that supposedly enhance the awesomeness of an Exonian’s résumé. Becoming part of these organizations is a fantastic way to become acquainted with new people, for they are the biggest clubs on campus, and to attain specialized skills that aren’t always taught at the Harkness table. But the sad reality is that one will only encounter a handful of truly passionate individuals in these clubs with dozens of members; one could hand-pick those who attend club meetings with sincere love and genuine curiosity for its curriculum. The drive to excel is admirable, but it often becomes transactional, posing a somewhat ethical question.

For what purpose do these individuals contribute to clubs?

For many, competitive academic clubs are not hubs of passion, but rather tools. The clubs are stepping stones to a singular goal, THE goal — college admissions. The result is a hollow kind of productivity: hours poured into debates, articles, or position papers without a spark of genuine love for the craft. The thought, “This club will make my college application look better,” is a source of extrinsic motivation and the main culprit that hinders genuine, intrinsic motivation for the great majority of its membership. Even when promoting the club at our annual club night, club leaders will often use something similar to the line, “This club’ll help you get into college!” as an elevator pitch to recruit members. 

The question is, then, the following: “Where did this purpose — college — originate?”

Perhaps it came from the fact that Phillips Exeter Academy is a preparatory school, where the institution’s main purpose is to ready its students for their elite college education. The fact that PEA is “The Best of the Best,” as Rubén A. Gaztambide-Fernandez titled his book on elite boarding schools in the United States. Considering this all-encompassing precedent true, perhaps it is only natural that Exonians are college-motivated. Perhaps the popular, oftentimes competitive and high-stakes clubs, then, were established to transform students into better college candidates, rather than to provide passionate individuals with a community in which they can interact with those who share their passion.

But it does not necessarily have to be this way.

Or rather, it should not be this way. The root of the issue is dishonesty: it is deceitful for one to frame their extracurricular activities with “authentic passion” for a college application when the true reason for their pursuit lies in being admitted to said college. Furthermore, college admissions are already aware of the generic extracurricular formulas, for they’ve seen thousands of the same on-paper applicants. What other than passion could differentiate an Exonian from another, if they both participate in the same competitive, popular clubs on campus? The bigger issue, however, lies beyond the PEA campus, beyond the Exonian’s high school career. Say a college-motivated Exonian commits to one too many competitive, résumé-enhancing clubs, and gets into college with their activities. Then what? They’ve achieved college, their life’s purpose thus far, so what is their purpose now? For what reason do they wish to live their lives? 

These questions were asked of them around two and a half years ago, in their lower health class, by a college counselor. It is rather ironic and unfortunate that, as freshmen at the colleges of their dreams, many Exonians are unable to answer this somewhat simple yet pivotal question.