As the new admits join Andover for the first revisit day today, Friday, students shared their experiences and opinions on the admissions process and acclimating to Andover. While the admission of Andover’s new class is an exciting time, the process of applying can be long and arduous for many. Students recognized the tedium of the process and offered advice for the incoming class.
Louise Leone ’24, one of the five seniors featured in the Andover Admissions video welcoming new students, provided insight and advice on entering Andover. As a student who joined as a new Upper, Leone emphasized the importance of learning to rely on the school’s various resources.
“Some [students] might have a reality check because they’re used to being the best students at their school and they come here and everyone’s so brilliant, but I would say just give things time and [allow] yourself to make mistakes. Take advantage of the things that Andover has to offer, they have so many avenues where they could get good help from especially during their first year. I myself had to rely on those resources, [and] I know that if you ask for those resources you will find help here,” said Leone.
Brandon Fu ’25 offered similar advice to the incoming students to experiment with campus offerings and push themselves outside of their comfort zone.
“I hope [new students] enjoy themselves here and find a happy and fulfilling four years on campus. There will be ups and downs but I have faith in everyone. [One] piece of advice: try things, try everything. It’s helpful to not have a set image of who and what you’re going to be. If [you] do that, [you’re] doing [yourself] a disservice; [you’re] blocking so many doors of opportunity that are available on campus,” said Fu.
Fu also mentioned the new changes that Andover has made to their admissions process. He specifically shared his opinions on the optional SSAT submission and interview.
“I think the changes are good. I think test scores, while they are indicative of a student’s cognitive ability, are not the full story. As for admissions interviews optional, I think I would be okay with that change as long as there is an opportunity to see the applicant’s personality and how they see themselves on their campus. The purpose of the admission interview is to get a full picture of who that applicant is, so with the advent of online learning and online communication, if that means the interviews become optional, that would be perfectly fine,” said Fu.
Keren Song ’26 offered a dissenting opinion on whether or not interviews should be optional. Song believed that interviews are vital for the admissions office to truly get to know the students that they’re considering.
“As a person who’s taken the SSAT, I don’t think it reflects my character well, so I’m pretty happy with the test optional policy of Andover. But I don’t think the interview should be optional because I don’t think a person can be truly represented on paper. If I were an admission officer, I would sometimes forget that the people that are represented on these sheets of papers are actual human beings, and I feel like interviews are pretty essential to that part: representing a person as a character and not achievements,” said Song.
Brandon Horne ’25 also agreed with Song’s opinion on optional interviews. As a student who did his interview online during the pandemic, he offered a different point of view.
“[Optional interviews] is a pretty big change. For me, my interview was virtual so it was in a way easier, because there’s not the pressure of having to be face-to-face with an actual person. I think that’s definitely an interesting change to the admissions process. I know for some people that can be super stressful. Personally, I feel like that’s detrimental, because the best way to get to know an incoming student or prospective student is by talking to them. That’s actually quite interesting, so we’ll have to see how it plays out,” said Horne.
Leone summarized the changes in the admissions office and their effects on the incoming class in a positive manner. He praised the capabilities and expertise of the admissions officers and restated the school’s excitement for the incoming class.
“I’m sure that the admissions office is working from an area of expertise based on what they think or what they know is best for the school. I think that there is more to a student than just their grades, and I know that the folks at Shuman [Office of Admissions] are experienced and know what they’re looking for. Regardless of the change, I remain confident in their ability to look for [the incoming class] that Andover needs,” said Leone.
