Phillips Academy Andover review by Dartmouth College student.
The academic program at Andover is amazing. The class sizes tend to be on the smaller side (around 10 students) and the faculty is amazing. The teachers genuinely care about the students and their learning. About 3 times a week there's a break between classes for "Conference period", where you can go to the classroom and the teacher is there to answer any questions you may have. It's a really un-intimating and informal way to get help from the teachers. The teachers are all really accessible and want to help the students. The work load is more than an average work load. It obviously depends on what classes you are taking but each class has at least an hour of homework each night. But Andover teaches you how to manage your time efficiently.
I didn't take as much advantage of my college counselor as I probably could have..... 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...
The school looks for generally well-rounded individuals. An admissions interview is required, I believe. Questions typically.... 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...
Andover is one of the safest towns to have a boarding school in. It is more of a high class town to live in. It's also very convenient because there's a train station in Andover which allows students to go to Boston for the weekends. The food at Andover is really good, although they are now remodeling the dining hall and it's supposedly even better. There are plenty of things to do on campus, such as going to athletic games, dances on the weekends, performances, etc. The student body is very diverse; the school's mission is "youth from every quarter" and they really.... 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