For many Exonians, March 10 signifies accomplishment: the day in which preparatory school applicants worldwide were first informed of decisions that, ultimately, would extend out to shape the course of their high school careers. Admissions Day brought closure to months of application revisions, essay drafts, and long nights leading up to this moment. For us, as members of the Exeter student body, our acceptances into the Academy were met with a sense of triumph, pride, and relief. However, five weeks into the 2024-25 school year, and, coinciding with the release of midterm grades, our initial impressions of life here on-campus have been cemented in stone. How do the expectations of the applicant differ with the experiences we forged firsthand?

Exeter Compliments is a unique space, one of love and appreciation, one of humor and laughs. Yet at the start of this school year, a new and peculiar side of the student population has revealed itself within the Exeter Compliments Instagram space.