Phillips Academy Andover review by Dartmouth College student.
Very strong in math, sciences, humanities. Foreign language program weakest of all departments, but still quite strong in comparison to other schools. Competitive student body, but composed of generally good and decent people. I went on to the Ivy League and feel that I was very well prepared for my college education. Depending on the teacher, some classes were lecture-based and some focused on discussions. Lab science courses usually lecture based, History and humanities more discussion-based. I took classes as small as 6 people and as large as 18 students. Work load extremely heavy (1.5 hours per class, 5 classes, so feasibly 8 or 9 hours of homework.) Faculty is extremely accessible. Tutoring available, office hours 3 times per week (called Conference period) wonderful advising system.
The college counseling department is kind of touch and go. depending on who you.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Phillips Academy Andover as experienced by former pupil and Dartmouth College student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on college counseling
They have contacts at most of the major universities and feel perfectly comfortable picking up the phone and advocating for a student to get accepted somewhere they feel is a good fit for that student. However, these counselors are certainly not magic bullets. They cannot guarantee that a student will get into an Ivy League university...
For those wishing to move on to Oxford or Cambridge, the provision is second-to-none. In the months running up to application and interview, every subject faculty offers classes (often run by former Oxbridge tutors) exploring further areas of their subject as well as offering advice on personal statements, interview technique and more...
Very very selective, so be prepared for rejection. Really. You need to be.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Phillips Academy Andover by former pupil and Dartmouth College student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on admissions
For the interview, dress conservatively. Try to be very clean and put together. Also, I was a tour guide for two years and at the end of every tour, we were asked to evaluate the candidate so if you think the tour is not apart of the process, you are very wrong. Ask questions and be interested. Also, tip for the parents: the kids speak on the tour. Do not ask their questions for them...
Most younger siblings have an easy time in the admissions process. I can only think of one case of a younger sibling not being admitted. About half of the students who entered with me had come from public schools. The remainder came from private K-6 schools, or had transferred from other New York private schools The Elizabeth Morrow School and St. Bernard were two of the larger feeder schools...
Most students lived in dorms, there was one dining hall, COMMONS, athletic facilities fields and training room were great, gym complex probably needs to be redone. Students are separated into clusters, basically dorms that are close to one another. Students become quite loyal to their clusters. Diverse socio-economically and racially, but still mostly white/asian, and mostly upper-middle class to upper class. Extensive pastoral support if you want it. Always have a house counselor (faculty member living in dorms) and an advisor. I loved the school's culture. People are extremely hard working, driven, ambitious, to the point of sometimes being a bit.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Phillips Academy Andover as experienced by former pupil and Dartmouth College student — Login or Sign Up to access full review