Many students had the thrill of finding a slip of paper in their mailboxes this past week. These sheets of paper informed the recipient that he or she would be hosting an admitted student the following day. Because there are the most new members of the Class of 2010, Junior classes were packed wih guests. Speculation and high hopes accompanied the little information that the paper supplied: a name, hometown, and possibly a common interest. The next morning, the visitor- an anxious, meticulously dressed, bright-eyed teenager – was picked up from the Underwood room and taken from class to Class by a student. Quickly, they learned the difference between Lower Left and Lower Right, marveled at the size of Andover’s campus and its unnaturally green grass, and wondered if he or she would be able to keep up with discussions in biology class. A fast-talking, well-informed PA Junior breezily explained the sign-in procedure, glossed over the choice of weekend activities, and assured their charge that the food in Commons was actually not too bad. This well-adjusted host goes by another name here at Andover: “stupid freshman.” But not for long. As prospective students tour the hallowed halls of Andover in the early weeks of spring, all juniors share a common thoughts: “I can’t believe that was me,” and “Next year, I won’t be a freshman anymore!” This time, when spring re-visits came around, we were not on the receiving end. To be on the inside looking out, for once, is a welcome and relaxing shift in perspective. Juniors at Andover may be the least respected and appreciated of all grades; we are cruelly mocked if not simply ignored, and yet now we have someone to look down on with pity and a laughing gaze: the Class of 2010. I wonder if any of us asked if there was a dress code, when a girl walked by in a mini skirt, tank top, and flip-flops? Was it that hard to figure out that Commons offers vegetarian options, when the salad bar was in plain view? Maybe freshmen really are kind of slow. Did we all really believe that “the food is pretty good most days” and “you don’t miss your friends that much” when our host students told us that a year ago? It seems hard to believe it really took us weeks to catch on to the right times to sign in, to get by without TV, and to adjust to lights out. Was it really so hard to remember which building was Morse and which was Graves during the first week? Now, everything seems almost second nature. Still, as happy as most of us are to forget the early days of trying to find someone to eat with in the dining hall and of struggling to remember the name of that girl in English class, it will be sad to leave behind junior year. The workload wasn’t bad – at least not compared to what I hear of upper year – and the thrill of everything new was intoxicating. There were new places, new peoples, and new teachers; a whole new life. Now some of that excitement has worn off. The first snowfall was beautiful and completely alien to some far-traveling students. The fifth snowfall was just cold. While I am jealous of the entering Class of 2006 for their fresh start at PA and the great experience they will have their first year here, I do not envy them the brutal shock of starting at a new school, far from home, knowing nothing but their SSAT scores. Seeing the Seniors on the lawn, sunbathing and playing Frisbee, I know that there are still long, hard years until that happy time. But it is comforting to know that next year, someone else gets to be the “stupid freshman.”
