NEW INTERNATIONAL

STUDENT ORIENTATION
(NISO)

PHILLIPS ACADEMY

WELCOME
BOOKLET
 Hello and Welcome!
Are you beyond excited to start your Andover experience?
Your first few days on campus will be with International Club
(iClub), and our World Partners will help mentor you! To
familiarize yourself with Andover̶ you have this book, which
holds tons of information and guides to Andover from students
themselves! If you have any questions, talk to us. We look
forward helping make your Andover experience amazing!

Welcome to the Big Blue Family!

iClub Board
2018-2019
Jenn Lu 19, Isabella Morona 19, Piper Drew 20, Itzelt Reyes 19,
Manqoba Ncgobo 19, Sophia Gilmore 19, Shyan Koul 19, Skylar Xu 20
Table of contents!
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 services
sykes wellness center
Physical, mental, and emotional wellness̶ you name it: Sykes will take care of
you when you re sick, tired, or upset. Walk-in appointments with nurses or
therapists are always available!

paps
Also known as Phillips Academy Public Safety. If you see blue card or officers
walking around, they re most likely PAPS. They ensure campus safety, and can
also help you get into locked buildings/dorms.

central services
Everything you receive will be sent here! For packages, you ll get an email when
it arrives, and any paper mail will be simply put into your mailbox. You can also
send mail here. This is located on the bottom floor of George Washington Hall.

religious services
Phillips Academy has an interfaith ministry. Our chapel holds many services and
programs for major religious holidays such as Ramadan, Yom Kippur. To learn
more, feel free to drop by the community and Multicultural Development Office
(CAMD)!

laundry services
You can either have your laundry done by Laundry Services, which pick up and
drop off your laundry, or do your laundry yourself. All dorms have laundry facilities,
but you’ll need a laundry card to pay the machine! You can get laundry cards in the
basement of Paresky Commons, or in George Washington Hall.

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 andover!
Andover is a lot of things: educational, challenging,
sometimes frustrating, amazing, and more.
Adjusting may take time, but it will happen. We ve all
experienced homesickness, but its important to realize you
are not alone in any of your struggles.

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 weather !
Andover weather may very different from your country s weather!
Fall temperature can range from 9 C to 27 C
Winter may be -18 C to 11 C
Spring may be 5 C to 27 C
Make sure you pack up on warm/cool clothing!

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 homesickness
Homesickness may sometimes be a part of a student s adjustment
to Andover̶ domestic and international students alike. It may take
some time to pass, but there are many ways to help you pull through
it.

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 culture shock
Coming to a new country may be an exciting, confusing, and will take
some time to adjust to. People may do things differently than you re used
to. You may feel shocked and surprised, and that s okay!

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cultural competency
What is Cultural Competency? It means the ability for people to
be respectful and responsive to people of different cultures. At
Andover, we ll offer more information on how to be culturally
competent. Cultural competency is a skill everyone is constantly
working on!

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 food at andover!
Food at Andover is definitely an experience within itself. Don t worry, you
won t be eating hamburgers and fries for breakfast̶ Andover has a wide
variety of culturally diverse foods throughout the week. Watch out for
Sunday Sundaes on ... Sunday nights, weekly desserts, fruit infused water,
pancakes, crepes, and more!

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 support systems
You may be living away from your family, and sometimes, you may feel
lonely. Every student may get a bad grade once in a while, and it s normal
to feel upset. Or, if the weather is getting you down, you may feel a little
sad. Don t worry, Andover has lots of support systems for you through
anything and everything you may go through.

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 dorm life
Living away from your home may be difficult, but you dorm will quickly
become a home away from home! Here s the awesome people, structures,
and events that occur in dorms!

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classroom attitude
Andover s classrooms will challenge you in a variety of ways, including
through writing, presenting, and talking!

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 Academic Support
At Andover, you will have a variety of helpful academic sources to guide
you through any academic problems you may have!
MATH/SCIENCE/WRITING HELP
- Weeknights except Fridays from 8:00-9:15. Tutoring open for math,
writing, and science. Math is located on the second floor of Morse.
Science is open on the first floor of Gelb, and the writing is in the Writing
Center (which location may vary in light of library reconstruction).
ONE-ON-ONE STUDENT TUTORING
- You ll need to talk to your teacher about this, and depending on your
grade, they may or may not give permission for a student tutor to work
with you. Feel free to ask your teacher for more information.
CONFERENCE PERIOD
- Conference period occurs three times throughout the week for thirty
minutes each time. During this time, you can meet with any teacher you
want to go over material with.
LIBRARIANS
- No matter if you re doing a research paper or need to find a book from
the 1890s, the librarians are here to help you. They will guide you on
citation questions, ebook access, or any other books/questions you
have.
TEACHERS/FRIENDS
- Ask questions to your teachers in class! Send them emails or go over an
essay over lunch with them! Ask your friends questions. We are all here
to support you!

At Andover, it s not sink or swim,

but swim or learn how to swim.

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 pa jargon
Treat this section as an urban dictionary for Andover!

The Den - Susie s. At the bottom of Commons. You can get

snacks, watch TV, and chill with friends here.
GW - George Washington Hall
Sam Phil - Samuel Phillips Hall
Siberia - The Ice Rinks
ASM - Short for All School Meeting. Occurs every week
Wednesday, except in February.
Fourth Meal - Food/snacks that are stored within a dorm s
common Room. For students when hungry!
Cluster - A collection of dorms in one area on campus.
Includes: Abbot, West Quad North, West Quad South, Pine Knoll,
Flagstaff
Munch - Occurs every week in a cluster s dorm. Has a variety of
foods every week such as cake, ice cream, etc.
The Weekender - An email sent out every week Thursday to all
students to show what activities are occurring during the
weekend.

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How are you feeling?
Fear is normal. Excitement is normal. Impatience is normal. Your
feelings are valid, and there are so many awesome experiences
waiting you at Andover, so get hyped! In the meantime,
International Club board wants to emphasize that your world
partner, and all of International Club board, are sources of
support and resource for you!
We, the co-presidents will welcome any questions you may have:
Jenn Lu 19 (Head of Meetings, Events and Outreach) -
jlu19@andover.edu
Isabella Morona 19 (Head of NISO and World Partner
Program) -
imorona@andover.edu

Congratulations on your acceptance, enjoy your Summer,

and get hyped for the Andover experience that awaits you!

So Much Love,
iClub Board
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 With thanks
Jennifer Lu 19 - Editor and Compiler
Piper Drew 20 - An invaluable help in the making of this book
All of iClub Board - For their interviews and student insights
Mr. Peralta - Who offered great guidance throughout
Ms. Torabi - A continuous and dependable source of support
for all of iClub.
Sparky Yoo 18 - Photographer for NISO 17
Phillips Academy Smug Mug - Photo source.
And most importantly,
to all the members of iClub that existed before ours,
who made all this possible.

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 YOUR
ANDOVER
EXPERIENCE
AWAITS!