Phillips Academy Andover review by MIT student.
Phillips Academy Andover's academics are well respected by peer institutions and the public at large. It's strengths come in English, History, World Languages, and other arts, which are required for all students. Those seeking maths and sciences will find similarly advanced offerings, although the requirement is not as strict. Recent years have seen several internationally competitive student scientists emerge. Class sizes vary from small to tiny, my smallest ever being four students. Work is abundant, as expected. There is a manifest desire to create well-educated graduates, in that each should have an impressive knowledge and be eager to exercise it. Teaching styles and elective offerings (though difficult to summarize) work towards that end.
College counseling is a very thorough process, beginning in 11th grade and continuing. Regular one-on-one.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Phillips Academy Andover as experienced by former pupil and MIT 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...
SSAT - 90 percentile at least, good grades and evidence of other interests to boot. Essay(s).... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Phillips Academy Andover by former pupil and MIT student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
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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...
Andover is suburbian to rural, a 50-minute train ride to Boston. The school is mostly self-contained, providing everything the student needs. That's obviously less stimulus than one gets in the heart of a city, but in all my time there, I never left town for want of food or entertainment. The student body is suitably diverse, organizing cultural clubs and well-attended spectacles, such as the Chinese New Year variety show. The neighborhood of Andover is fairly affluent.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Phillips Academy Andover as experienced by former pupil and MIT student — Login or Sign Up to access full review