Returning and New Students Crowd Campus
Throughout campus, old friends reunite, new students don lanyards and receive Lion Cards and parents wave their final goodbyes. As with the start of every school year, most students look forward to 2016-17 with ambition and a little apprehension. However, with this new school year comes several changes as reminders that Exeter is constantly updating and improving itself.
For most returning students, the happiest part of coming back to campus is reconnecting with friends after months apart. “I can’t wait to get back to school!” said lower Hanna Pak. “I’m really looking forward to seeing my friends again, and I’m excited about moving back into my dorm.”
Senior Julia Friberg agreed. “I am thrilled to be arriving on campus, mostly to see all my friends again,” she said.
The first few days of school can also be a sentimental time, especially for seniors as they approach their last year at Exeter. “It does feel special moving into Exeter for the last time,” said Friberg. Nostalgia aside, returning to campus reminds students of their heavy workload for the fall term. “I’m not terribly excited about college stress,” Friberg added.
“I really have been living in a constant state of trepidation and excitement looking forward to beginning school at Exeter.”
Pak also explained her apprehension about the workload. “I can’t say that I look forward to the homework load or inevitable stress, but that’s all just part of the Exeter experience,” she said.
Although they are preparing for a busy fall, many upperclassmen are already wondering how to make new students feel at home. “I’m looking forward to welcoming new international students and new students in the dorm,” said upper Megi Topalli, who remembered arriving at Exeter for the first time from her home in Albania.
Dorm proctors attended information sessions about how to welcome new students and help them cope with problems like homesickness and stress, especially over the first few weeks of school. “The most important part [of proctoring] is being honest with new Exonians: sometimes dorm life and homework is miserable here, other times it’s amazing,” Friberg, who proctors in McConnell Hall, said. “It’s all about knowing you have a support system behind you.”
Senior Alison Dowski, who proctors in Langdell Hall, said that the most important part of proctoring is being available to listen or give advice when students want to talk. “As a senior, I’ve accumulated a good amount of experience, and I want to be as open as I can when helping others with their transitions,” she said.
As they arrive at campus, many new students feel the culmination of a summer of anticipation. “I really have been living in a constant state of trepidation and excitement looking forward to beginning school at Exeter,” said prep Alba Clarke. While being a little nervous, most new students are excited to experience all that Exeter has to offer. “I look forward to making friends, using the Harkness method, joining clubs and sports—well, basically everything!” Clarke said.
Prep Ginny Little said that she is excited to meet Exeter’s diverse student body. “Living with other students from different backgrounds will be a unique experience for me,” said Little, although she also mentioned that she is “a little nervous about living away from home for such a long stretch of time.”
New students are not the only change at Exeter for the 2016-17 school year. Both students and faculty are excited to utilize the new addition to the Forrestal-Bowld Music Center: a glass-enclosed concert hall seating 250 people, in addition to a Harkness classroom and more practice rooms. Instructor of music Vanessa Holroyd was enthusiastic about the new venue’s ability to showcase the “performers of the highest caliber” who come to Exeter as a part of the Gilbert Artist Series. “The 250 [person] capacity enables us to continue to provide the incredible opportunity for students to appreciate such artists in a very intimate setting,” she said.
Student musicians are also looking forward to performing and practicing in the concert hall. “The recital hall looks gorgeous and I can’t wait to test out its acoustics,” said Pak, who plays the trumpet. Clarke, a vocalist, called the addition, “a testament to Exeter’s commitment to the arts”—a commitment which she sees as the mark of a “forward-thinking community.”
With all the excitement of the new school year and the many changes taking place on campus, some students may find it hard to think about long-term goals for their remaining time at Exeter—whether it be four years, one year or any amount of time in between. However, Clarke found a few minutes to consider her larger aspirations. As she enters Exeter, she anticipates “developing the work ethic, perseverance and organization to do all the things I dream of doing.”