Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) is a highly selective and prestigious co-educational independent boarding school located in Exeter, New Hampshire. The school’s admissions process is known for its rigor and competitiveness, with an acceptance rate of around 15%.
This level of selectivity makes gaining admission to Exeter a challenging endeavor that requires dedication, effort, and commitment from applicants.The school considers a range of factors when making admission decisions, including academic achievement, extracurricular activities, character, and potential for leadership.
Applicants are expected to demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, a commitment to intellectual curiosity, and a rigorous course load. Additionally, the school values students who have shown leadership potential through their involvement in community service, the arts, athletics, or other areas.
The application process for Phillips Exeter Academy is comprehensive and involves multiple stages. Key dates and information for the application process include an application deadline, financial aid deadline, admissions tests, and admissions interview deadline.
Prospective students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the school’s academic program, the Harkness Method, and the diverse range of student clubs and activities available at Exeter.
In conclusion, gaining admission to Phillips Exeter Academy is a challenging and competitive process that requires careful preparation and a strong record of academic and extracurricular achievement.
The school’s commitment to academic excellence, leadership, and community engagement is reflected in its selective admissions process, making it a highly sought-after educational institution for students seeking a rigorous and enriching high school experience.
It is very difficult. I applied to PEA as a sophomore, and I didn’t get in. My application wasn’t as competitive as yours might be, but it wasn’t bad. Keep it mind that this school has a 14% acceptance rate and admit only a handful of juniors (10–20) because, that is the last point of entry. My Advice is, if you feel that your application is academically competitive (straight a’s, extracurriculars, volunteering, etc.) then you should go for it but, again, it’s going to be really difficult. You should have a few more schools lined up. You might want to try schools such as Concord Academy, Brooks, or Baylor school. They are all great schools with 100% matriculation rates and are still admitting applicants for this year.
It all depends on what you mean by “doing well.” Academics? Social Life? Extracurricular? Healthy Lifestyle? Doing well in these areas depends on who you are as a person and how you might fit in with life at Exeter. Let me break it down.
First, academics. Exeter has a world-renowned academic program.
It’s world-renowned for a reason.
Many students with 4.0’s back in their old public school come to Exeter and realize that they can’t maintain such an impressive GPA. Although most Exonians are all A students in public school, the average grades at Exeter are around B/B+. This is with 80% of students working REALLY hard every night at their studies. But, it really does depend on the classes you take.
Although most classes are hard, we have a broad selection of courses to choose from. I’ve had close friends that took relatively easy classes and managed to barely do any work all year and also maintained a high GPA. But, if you want to be competitive for college, you need to look at course selection and take that into consideration. To have a competitive course load and a high gpa is not impossible, but yes, it will take a lot of effort.
Now for social life. Exeter has almost all 50 states and over 30 countries represented in its student body. There are people from all walks of life at Exeter. So no matter who you are, you’ll be able to find your niche of friends once you get there.
You also will have meet and greets, dances, and other social gatherings that give ample opportunity to form friendships and connect with other Exonians. Even though most Exonians are working, there are very few, if any, cliques among the students. I have also never witnessed any form of physical fight my 3 years at Exeter. In general, the people are very nice and welcoming. If you manage to get accepted, the admissions office must feel like you will fit in well with the Exeter community. The admissions office hardly makes mistakes. They know what they’re doing.
In addition to this, there are music and drama programs, competitive speech clubs, language clubs, science clubs, and every other extracurricular under the sun. My definition for doing well incorporates these aspects of life as well, not just academic. If you want to succeed in your extracurricular interests, maintain a high gpa, maintain a healthy lifestyle and a balanced social life, and have fun with your friends… yes, it will be busy. It will be hard. But, in my opinion, it’s completely worth it.