When I was a senior in high school, I had to choose between going to prom and going to Stanford’s Admit Weekend. I chose to go to prom, as I figured it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to have one last hurrah with my high school friends, while I would have four years at Stanford to meet people and have a good time. Plus, I had visited campus before and was already pretty sure I would be committing to Stanford. Still, I was worried about missing Admit Weekend – would I miss out on a crucial welcoming experience? Would people already have friends they made at Admit Weekend? Would I be able to make the right college decision without coming to Admit Weekend? Such questions lingered in my head until I set foot on campus for New Student Orientation during the first week of freshman year. Thus, I decided to write a letter to clear up some of these questions for prospective freshmen.
Dear Pro-Fro,
You may be in a similar situation as I was. Perhaps your prom coincided with Admit Weekend, or perhaps you had that one sports tournament your coach didn’t want you to miss, or maybe even your best friend’s birthday party that happened to be the same weekend. You decided to give up Admit Weekend to spend the weekend cherishing your dwindling time in high school. You made the right choice. I know that you are feeling “senioritis” at its peak right now, and that you can’t wait to be done with high school and move on to the next chapter of your life. But believe me, you will miss your friends, your family and your hometown more than you know. Hang on to your last moments with them before you embark on your journey to a brand new world – the world that is Stanford.
The fact that you’re reading this means you’re worried about missing out on Admit Weekend. I was worried too. I lived vicariously on Stanford’s campus starting around April or May, watching every YouTube video about Stanford I could find and reading any Daily article geared towards freshmen. I hope to help quench your thirst to know more about life at Stanford and Admit Weekend with this article.
From what I’ve heard, Admit Weekend is a lot of fun – it consists of touring our beautiful campus, going to various activities ranging from bonfires to water balloon fights and hanging out with current students to get a feel for the “vibe” of the student population. RoHos and HoHos work hard to make this a positive, memorable experience for you all. On the other hand, I also know that it is quite a whirlwind of a weekend. It is only one weekend, and you only get one RoHo — that is not enough to get a real sense of what life would be like at Stanford. It can give you a sneak peek, but do not fret that you won’t know what Stanford is like just because you didn’t come to Admit Weekend.
Some people meet good friends at Admit Weekend who they end up staying close to when they start their freshman year. If it makes you feel better, however, this is rare, as far as I’ve found. You will most definitely not be alone if you arrive on campus for NSO not knowing a single soul. In fact, this is the case for most people. You will not be “behind” in making friends. Admit Weekend is meant for getting a (very, very) general sense of the school, not for meeting your lifelong best friends.
Ultimately, no matter how cheesy this sounds, Stanford – and any college – is truly what you make it. If you choose to come to Stanford, you will be placed into a sunny, beautiful world with lots of palm trees, quirky school spirit, incredibly passionate people and an abundance of opportunities in academics and extracurricular activities. From there, it is truly up to you to mold your own experience. For what it’s worth, though, I would recommend Stanford, 10 out of 10.
Contact Angie Lee at angielee ‘at’ stanford.edu.