Phillips Exeter Academy - Review #6

The Harkness method is one of Exeter's unique and best aspects. Teachers have very little involvement in class — homework is either reading or problem based, and nearly every class, from Math to English, is a student-led discussion thereof. The independence, analytical skills, and communicative ability developed are without parallel.The housing system is another unique and very impactful aspect of student life. All students, unless requested, stay in the same dorm for 4 years. The mingling of younger students with older and the constancy of a four-year dorm family are both things that were essential to my experience.

I feel like I have grown a lot through my clubs. Having been taught real knowledge by committed student leaders, I, as a student, worked to copy those examples and, like them, be able to teach others one day. Striving for that gave me great work ethic and other skills, and now I can see how much my own efforts have impacted the club as a whole and the people in its community.

The first year is a big adjustment to not only a new social life, but a new degree of freedom. Nevertheless, the grades you earn in your first year definitely do matter, and I wish I had done better than.

The high concentration of intelligent and interested students in the student body simply gives everything else its fundamental vibrance: poetry discussions in English, prepping cases for a debate tournament, and even conversations at D-Hall just could not happen without it.

Supreme's Pizza makes great calzones.

Classes are rigorous, rewarding, and somewhat competitive. There is also a wide array of classes from which to choose, especially for upperclassmen. Teachers are supposed to assign 50-70 minutes of homework per night, with some doing less and a few, more. The quality of classes are very good, especially in the Humanities. The school also has one of the country's top Classics departments, whose program is notoriously difficult but produces nearly incomparable results at the high school level.

Being on a sports team is not required. If you are not on a team for a given season, there are club sports as well as different fitness classes. One term a year, students are allowed to drop their sports requirement and use the free time. Games are usually poorly attended.

The arts are strong and have undergone heavy development in recent years. A new concert hall, the Bould, has been constructed for PEA's several students and professional concerts (usually open to the public). Two years later, the school constructed the Goel Center for Theatre and Dance, a new very expensive complex which allows all the non-musical performing art offerings to exist in one highly finished space.

There are so many clubs on campus. All are, for the most part, student led which comes with its own benefits-- like great community and real options to practice leadership. Especially for more competitive clubs, however, the limited faculty support requires much more student effort to bridge the gap between schools with multiple coaches, faculty-run practices, etc.

The housing system is another unique and very impactful aspect of student life. All students, unless requested, stay in the same dorm for 4 years. The mingling of younger students with older and the constancy of a four-year dorm family are both things that were essential to my experience.

There are two dining Halls. The smaller of these is not open on Weekends. The food is hit or miss. Some dishes are good, some are foreign and experimental. Sunday Brunch is good-- especially the maid to order omelets.

The town is small, though with a sizable and vibrant downtown. There is a decent selection of restaurants, but it can get boring frequenting only the same few places. There are not too many recreational activities in the area.

Friends mostly hang out in dorms, sometimes go out to eat. People also sometimes taken weekend trips to day student houses and Boston. There are dances and other community events that the school holds. Clubs are another big way students spend time together.