Experience Exeter welcomes newest Academy families

Dozens of newly admitted students took a sneak peek at their future Thursday at the opening session of the Experience Exeter revisit program hosted by the Office of Admissions.

On two days this week and two more next week, the newest Exonians will visit classes, meet current students and faculty and tour campus. Whether the incoming students are already enrolled or still considering their options, Experience Exeter serves as a valuable resource for the Academy’s newest families.

“Congratulations. Congratulations!” Bill Leahy, Exeter’s dean of enrollment, told the families gathered in Thompson Field House. “I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are to see you.”

“As you go through your day today, I want you to take a moment to think about why you even applied to these schools,” Leahy said. “What was it that you were looking for? I want you to be looking for it all day.”

A student panel opened the day’s program by fielding questions from parents and students about how they came to choose Exeter and what their experience has been like.

“When I got accepted, the main driving factor for me was community,” said Kofi Annan-Brown ’26. “You’re becoming an individual and you want people around you to support you in that journey.”

Stacey Chen ’24, a three-year upper from Minneapolis, told the audience that because of the pandemic, she never had a chance to see campus before she arrived to begin her ninth-grade year. “My friends didn’t understand when I told them I was going. They were like ‘Are your parents sending you away to military school? Are you trouble? What did you do?’

“I wanted more. I wanted the opportunity to immerse myself in a community where students are passionate about what they do and want to meet other passionate people.”