My Experience at Pre-Open House

I chose Barnard because of a feeling, an intuition, that I could thrive here. I had always heard of Barnard from the point of view from my parents, my sister who graduated class 08’ and my guidance counselor, but it wasn’t until I had stepped foot onto Barnard’s campus that I realized how perfect an environment it was for me. I came to Barnard’s Pre-open house equipped with questions, stats, and a sleeping bag. But I left with so much more.

So much happened during Pre-Open house and Open House weekend, and admittedly Barnard’s was the fourth I had gone to. For me, the most memorable part of my weekend at Barnard was the Identity Brunch. This was the first time that a college stopped selling me on stats and numbers and showed me how much they actually cared about diversity. Barnard asked me to think about my identity, and during this brunch I saw a lot of the young women around me who had different backgrounds but who were all so passionate about finding out their own identity while at the same time caring about my salient identity. I went to sleep that night knowing that I was surrounded by care. Barnard cared about me, they wanted me on their campus not just because of my ACT scores but also because they knew I could fit in and add to the caring environment on campus.

During Pre-Open House, the Barnard students I met were all welcoming and inspiring. My hosts for the two nights would often ask my opinion on different subjects ranging from politics to love to Hip-Hop. They were genuine and honest and they told me also about their hopes, dreams, and fears. After the weekend, I was so amazed with how many friends I had made and how open and genuine the women at Barnard were. I knew then, and I have found it to still be true, that Barnard is the type of place where I could sit anywhere on campus and start up a conversation with someone new. I felt that Barnard was the type of place were my identity could grow and thrive without anyone trying to change me into what a “Barnard woman should be.”

There is no one Barnard woman, Barnard students are so different and interesting, but at the core they are all smart, welcoming, and friendly. That was the type of environment I wanted to be in, and that weekend really showed me that side of Barnard. My best advice to those students considering Barnard, COME TO CAMPUS! Come talk to the students, and not just one but everyone you come across! Hopefully you will see what I saw when I stepped onto campus for Admitted Students Weekend!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me: arm2209@barnard.edu 

Best,

Angela

*Angela is a Junior and an undecided major. She is a Barnard Student Admissions Representative, president of BOSS, and president of Lambda chapter of her sorority.