Andover will welcome the incoming Class of 2030 during four revisit days this month and in April, one of which happened this past Thursday. Amid this excitement, students recalled their first impressions of the school and shared advice for the incoming class.
Elisa Lee ’26, a revisit host this year, described her thoughts on her revisit day and mentioned how having a friendly host can positively shape the experience. =
“I remember liking [my revisit day] a lot more than my St. Paul’s one; it was a very cute ‘Day In A Life’ format. I do like that you tag [along] and follow [your host] around. It really depends on the person and whether the person is a welcoming person or not. [But] my revisit day was pretty good,” said Lee.
Lee encouraged prospective students to engage with the community during their revisit despite any hesitation they might feel.
“Talk. Be open to talking even if you are nervous or intimidated. There’s really no reason to be. Hopefully, the host will help you feel less nervous or scared to walk around, but know that everyone is aware of you, but they’re aware of you in a very positive manner, in a very ‘Oh, this is going to be our future generation,’ type of manner,” said Lee.
According to Lucy Vinnakota ’29, advocating for yourself is key to making your revisit experience meaningful. Vinnakota advised students to go beyond the standard revisit schedule and request to learn more about aspects of Andover that align with their individual interests.
“Asking to go to a lot of specific places instead of what’s just on the schedule is very important. For example, I am a golfer, so I really wanted to go to the golf simulators. So [be] really specific and use your time very well, because it determines whether you want to go there or not,” said Vinnakota.
Vinnakota discussed her class’s enthusiasm and receptiveness as a positive aspect of her revisit experience.
“[Your class] wants to get to know you. Everybody at Andover is very passionate about what they do, and so even if you don’t have a similar interest, they always show some level of interest in what you’re talking about. I feel like the level of engagement from everybody was something that really stuck out to me,” said Vinnakota.
Emma Hong ’28 was motivated to become a revisit host her Junior year because of her own experience as a revisit student. She reflected on how her revisit day contributed to her decision to attend the school.
“I originally hadn’t planned to come to Andover, but coming here in person really sealed the deal for me. In comparison with the other schools I had toured or revisited at, Andover was just so… like all the schools were nice, but Andover went out of their way to make you feel comfortable and tell you as much as they possibly could about the campus and anything that might excite you,” said Hong.
Hong assured that teachers and other campus adults are open to meeting revisit students and encouraged them to branch out into unfamiliar territory.
“Teachers are always really excited to have revisit kids. So maybe [try] talking to a teacher. It’s kind of intimidating to step out of your comfort zone, and I surely didn’t do this so this is kind of hypocritical [of] me to say, but [you should] go out of your way to do these things, because trust me, you won’t look stupid doing it. People would just admire how curious and courageous you are, even as an incoming freshman,” said Hong.
