This week, Seniors sent their early applications off to colleges and with one mouse click or one sealed envelope hopefully wrapped up a process which has cost them money, time, and most importantly, sanity. As much as Seniors claim to want to avoid college as a conversation topic, it is inevitably on the tip of every tongue and in the mind of every student from the moment they apply to Andover. But after all those extracurricular boxes are filled out and you have done your best to show what a well-rounded student you are in just 500 words, you start to reflect upon the quality of your experience, instead of quantifying it in terms of activities and grades. Is an Andover education an entity unto itself? Inherent in the phrase “prep school” is the notion that the rigors of a Phillips Academy curriculum will prepare us well for a top-tier collegiate experience. However, being prepared for college no longer entitles us to a spot at such a college, and thus comes the great conundrum of Andover: is attending Andover today disadvantaging students in the college process? Here we are among a highly selective peer group; at home, many of us might have been valedictorians and one of only a handful of students applying to the ever glorified Ivy League from our respective high schools. Ultimately, however, we all chose Andover for a reason. Many of us wanted a challenge, both inside the classroom and out. We craved new opportunities and chances to explore our furthest limits. Seniors, four years later, can you say that you took advantage of all the opportunities that Andover has to offer? Or were you too focused on taking all the right courses and doing all the correct extracurriculars necessary for college? It is important to think about these questions sooner rather than later during our time at Andover. Think in terms of a bigger picture, but don’t scare yourself with the prospect of not achieving on a level that you previously thought was expected of you. Participate in extracurricular activities because you want to, not just to spill over into the margins of the important activities section of your application. This seems to be a well-touted lesson here at Andover, but one which students never seem to believe in until after the fact. To the younger classes, please heed this important lesson and try to appreciate Andover for what it is, and take advantage of the opportunites that you enjoy – not that you pretend to enjoy in college interviews. This editorial represents the views of The Phillipian.
