An Ode to Spring
Spring in NYC is my favorite time of year. After battling the blistering winter, I love to see the buds begin to bloom on the bare branches and the tulip sprouts emerge from the earth. Everything begins to look colorful again! Then again, I’ve always enjoyed spring. The first poem I wrote at age six was called ‘An Ode to spring’. Trust me, it was not a literary masterpiece; I was six. But you can see my longstanding love affair with the season.
Therefore it is fitting that I found a profession where spring brings me the most joy. When the weather starts to turn warmer and the flowers start to bloom, so begins the month of admitted student programs on campus. Throughout the winter months of Jan-March, the admissions team spends hours reading and evaluating applications and making some really tough decisions. By April 1st decisions are mailed out and we begin planning our open house programs on campus. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing the faces of excited students on campus as they make one of the most important decisions in their life thus far. And I love meeting the parents accompanying their students as they exude so much pride watching their student navigate this milestone in their life. It truly is a great time in the admissions cycle!
During our events, many students and families always comment on how smoothly our campus events are executed. Trust me, planning an on campus event is quite a huge undertaking and I’m so grateful to have a staff that is committed and passionate about our events. The planning takes weeks, from reserving spaces and catering, securing faculty and student panelists, and finding classes for students to visit. Over the weekend, it’s all hands on deck and our entire admissions team greets visitors, runs programming, moderates panels, and even does airport pickups! In fact, our entire campus gets involved –students host overnight guests in their residence halls, the Dean of the College formally greets students and families, faculty give tours of departments, and alumnae revisit their alma mater to welcome the new first years to the Barnard family.
But what makes our programs so enjoyable for me are the newly admitted students. Our admitted Class of 2021 is truly a phenomenal group of students. Chosen from the most competitive applicant pool in the history of the College with a 14.8% admit rate, this year’s admitted class hails from 47 states and 39 countries. They are youth group leaders, student council presidents, cheer captains, dancers, vocalists, painters, sculptors, researchers, athletes, poets, Editors in Chiefs, social justice advocates, and even jugglers! Some are, beekeepers, published writers, app creators, Huff Post bloggers and LA Times writers, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, US Senate pages, and one even interviewed Malala! Most importantly, they are curious, insightful, and passionate students who are ready to make a difference in the world. They are the reason I love working at Barnard as they give me so much hope for the future!
So as we take in the fresh scent of spring in the air and put the final touches on our admitted programs for the month, we look forward to meeting you and your families soon. It is truly our pleasure to host you for a couple nights on our campus, but our hope is that you will find a home here and choose to stay. Welcome to Barnard, Class of 2021!
We can't wait to welcome you to campus!
Christina
*Image is one of the Barnard B-Moji, available for free in the Apple Store or Google Play!