After a week, Exeter students have begun to settle into the ways of Summer School. They have figured out how to get from The Science Center to their dorms, and that it is wise to leave The Grill fifteen minutes early to make it to the soccer fields and avoid being late to practice. Friendships and bonds have become stronger, and it is clear that many of these friendships will be ever-lasting and carry back to everyone’s home states and countries. Time is flying as we go on our second week of Summer School. However, it is important to bring us back to a week ago when the students only just arrived, and hear their first impressions of Exeter.
“It was really big…It was gigantic,” said 16-year-old Angel Curley, from the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. “I wanted to explore the gym, and the basketball court was really nice. I loved how there were different activities and sports like swimming and squash.”
Fiona Madrid, a 14-year-old from Washington DC, said, “I thought that the community was very diverse. I felt like every time I talked to somebody they were from a different country.”
Amaal Mahamed, 17, from Somaliland responded,“The campus was so nice and on the first day, two girls from New York knocked on my dorm door and just wanted to meet me. I felt so welcome and that I belong here.”
Lam Thieu, 14, from Vietnam explained his first impression of Exeter; “I got to this school and noticed that there’s an opportunity to make new friends. There is a chance to learn about many cultures and languages. The campus is really big and nice, and there are a lot of trees and a good environment.”
“The campus is like the size of Kuwait,” 15-year-old Anwar Al-Saleh joked about his home country. “You guys have a lot of snack food — a lot of sugar and high fructose corn syrup. And there is a decent squirrel population.”
Annie Tan, 15, from China said, “I was excited on the first day, but not happy when I found out I didn’t have a roommate. It turned out okay though, and the dance teacher is amazing and really fun.”
“My first impression was that it’s a great program, and I really like that I have the chance to learn here. It’s always tough to be away from home, but being surrounded by great people and teachers really helps.”
“I liked like diversity of people and the atmosphere a lot,” explained 13-year-old old Alex Weinberg from New York. Igor Glamazdin, 15, from Russia agreed. “I liked everyone in my dorm and classes, and that people are very kind and friendly and smart here,” Igor said.
Common themes among the student responses was the appreciation of Exeter’s beautiful and large campus and the diversity of the students. There were very positive first impressions of Exeter overall, and it is clear that the students cannot wait to discover what the four more weeks of Exeter have in store for them.