This term flew by quicker than I thought it would, and so far, these first three months at Andover have made my life feel a bit more interesting. Taking my first step into the Big Blue community as a new Lower, meeting new people during registration day, and having to say goodbye to my parents, are without a doubt some of the biggest changes I’ve gone through out of the 16 years I’ve lived. I’m certain that other new Lowers would say the exact same thing! Regardless of my initial homesickness and anxiety, I now cannot imagine what my life would be like if I didn’t say “Yes” to Andover.
The moment I stepped foot into Snyder Center for registration day, I had so many conflicting emotions. I felt a sense of excitement now that I was able to have independence. I felt a sense of stress, especially knowing that trying to help my mother unpack my stuff and set up my dorm was going to feel like ages. I felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of new people around me, as I came from a smaller school that only had up to 16 people per grade. My mind just couldn’t shut up, and I kept questioning myself over and over. Am I going to fit in well here? Is the community at Andover really as great as people say? I wonder if my roommate and I will be chill.
The first few days at Andover, I felt miserable. I wasn’t sure if I was blending in with anyone. It felt too awkward for me to meet new people and step out of my comfort zone (which I’ll admit – I sometimes still struggle with that to this day). Andover, thankfully, set me up with a group of other new Lowers and allowed us to create a small bond with a few icebreakers. These activities at least gave me the opportunity to learn the names of new people. At that point, I felt a bit better about being in a new environment and didn’t feel as alone as I thought I was. I didn’t need to be as nervous as I did before. These first real interactions with other students really showed me how kind some of these other people are here. I did not expect the community of Andover to be this upbeat or this friendly. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t think anyone here would be rude or ill-mannered, but Andover’s sense of community was (and so far, still is) far better than any other school I’ve seen.
Recently, I talked to some friends, Amadeus Meinecke ’27, Aurelia Zhang ’27, and Felix Bret ’27 (who are also new Lowers) about how they’ve been feeling at Andover now that the fall term is closing. One thing we all agreed on is how accommodating Andover and its faculty are. For one, I can’t stress enough how much I love my teachers and the staff here at PA and how they’re some of the most understanding people I’ve met. Secondly, because of Andover’s schedule and the fact that classes only meet three times a week, everything on campus just feels way more manageable than in my old school. I feel as if I don’t have as much work on my shoulders as before (even though Andover still keeps you busy!).
Now that I’m all settled into Andover, running for cross country, trying out a few clubs, and feeling comfortable in all of my classes after scheduling with the Academic Skills Center, I’m truly grateful that I said “Yes” to Andover over the other two schools I was accepted into. I stepped foot into Andover with nervousness, thinking that all of my coursework was going to be unmanageable and I was going to have to pull all-nighters every night. I didn’t know if I was gonna fit in or not. But by seeing how friendly the community and the teachers are at PA, I feel relieved and now am a lot more comfortable meeting new people. If there’s something I could tell future new students, especially Lowers, I would say this: with proper time management and an optimistic mindset, Andover should not feel like a place where you feel like you have to lock in and cram 24/7. Also, please have grace with yourself. Don’t beat yourself up. Despite the competitive nature of Andover, please remember that you’re just a teenager, you’re still improving yourself, you’re still exploring the world around you, your brain is still developing, and you don’t have to have everything figured out right away. Always, and I cannot emphasize this enough, keep a positive mindset. Andover will naturally force you to step out of your comfort zone, allowing you to grow as a person. Join that club if your heart desires, go up to that group, go sit with them during lunch, or talk to that teacher. Put yourself out there and don’t be shy to meet new people. Believe it or not, you’ll be thankful you said “Yes” to Andover.
