“At my old school, nobody really cared about drama—except me.”

Patrick - Class of 2011 Medford, Massachusetts

“I was very worried about living at a boarding school,” says Patrick. “‘Would I like my room? Would I make any friends? Would I miss my parents? Would I miss my dog?’ I wondered.

“Well, everything went fine. It’s virtually impossible not to make a friend or two Orientation Weekend—immediate bonds form between roommates and dormmates. Later, I met one of my closest friends when we were cast in a Drama Lab production together. And my house counselors turned out to be great surrogate parents.

“At my old school, nobody really cared about drama—except me. At Andover, I found a whole theatre contingency! I was encouraged not just to act, but also to direct. And the fact that Mr. Efinger is a theatre teacher and the varsity wrestling coach—that helps eliminate any stigma that theatre is girly or uncool. At Andover lots of varsity athletes perform in plays all the time.

“No matter what your interests, your teachers and peers will support you here.”