I arrived at Exeter following a year in a small, rural public high school. A new lower (Exeter term for sophomore), I was behind my classmates in adjusting to Exeter’s unique teaching style, which is based on open discussion between students around an oval Harkness table, with the teacher as a moderator. The passion and engagement of my peers intimidated me. I was used to a public school classroom: sitting at a desk, listening to a teacher, and taking notes. Learning was doing assignments, taking tests, and listening. Success was getting A’s and doing better than my classmates. But Exeter defined learning and success differently, and adjusting to Exeter’s methods was a struggle; it was hard just fighting the impulse to raise my hand! Eventually, I adjusted to the Harkness method, gained confidence, and assumed an active role around the table. However, more important than the recognition of my efforts was the discovery that through active discussions with my peers, and even teaching them, I actually learned more. Rather than acting as a sponge, soaking up the words of my teachers and books only long enough to squeeze them out on tests and essays, I retained information. In addition, I discovered that my peers liked and respected me and listened to me when I spoke. What struck me most about my Exeter education was the support offered by both my peers and my teachers. Students at Exeter have to work hard. In general, I probably had between three and four hours of homework per night. However, I worked hard not to outpace my peers but rather to keep up with them and my peers were always there to help me do so. Exeter fosters an environment that compels students not to compete with each other but to cooperate with each other in order to reach a higher level of learning. The teachers work hard to guide their students on this journey. They are extremely helpful and understanding during class time and make themselves readily available for extra help outside of class. With that said, while the Harkness method does an excellent job of creating a positive learning environment and developing discussion and leadership skills, I'd say that it is not a good fit for all academic subjects. In science classes, for example, I sometimes found it simply annoying to have to turn around in my seat in order to see the white board. Discussions in the sciences are sometimes worthless; you really a need a teacher to simply tell you how things work. In history classes, Harkness enables students to think critically but it does not teach dates and concrete details of history as well as a class with lectures and tests would. Of all subjects, I believe that math is the best fit for Harkness teaching. There are no textbooks. Exeter teachers develop their own books of math word problems. Every night, students are assigned between 7 and 10 problems. At the beginning of class, each student chooses a problem to put up on the board. It is then their job to explain to the other students how they went about doing the problem. In this way, students first figure out how to do something on their own and then they teach it to their peers. The teacher is there to offer guidance and support when the class needs it. Now approaching the end of my first semester at Cornell, I can say that Exeter prepared my extremely well for college. I have found college a breeze compared to the academic experience Exeter put me through...