On January 5, many of Chapin's youngest alumnae came back to school to impart wisdom to Upper School students on applying to and attending college. The event was part of a busy day for the alumnae community that also included a productive open meeting sponsored by the Alumnae Cultural Awareness Program (ACAP). At College Alumnae Day, separate panels for Class 11 and Class 12 students each took different forms, with younger students posing questions about the nitty-gritty of visiting campuses and conducting interviews, and Class 12 students showing their deepening interest in the daily routines and emotional developments of college life. When addressing juniors, Hannah Baumann '14, now at Princeton, advised students to make the most of their college visits by generating a "strong anecdote" for their essays that would clearly demonstrate why they wanted to attend a particular school. She also encouraged applicants to approach their correspondences with professors and admissions officers with care, as they would all be included in their official application file. "It's definitely worth taking the time to make sure that those notes are really well-written and lovely, as they all reflect on you as a potential student," she said.
Gale McFarlane '14 also spoke lucidly about her experience transferring from Gettysburg University to Johns Hopkins University and told students that it would behoove them to consider what they could offer not only to a campus community, but also to the cities or areas in which potential schools were located. In applying to Johns Hopkins, for example, she highlighted her knowledge on social issues in the Baltimore area and expressed a desire to contribute her background in student activism to the cause. She also urged students to "be open-minded" and not "stick in a niche," explaining that though she entered college as a Political Science major, an impulsive choice to take Caribbean History ended up motivating her decision to minor in Africana Studies.
Other students echoed Gale's emphasis on approaching college study with a healthy sense of adventure. Camilla Daza '12 of Georgetown urged students to "do everything" and Gabriella Reynoso '13 of Columbia cited her multiple and varied extracurricular activities in the areas of cultural community-building, teaching, and political organizing as highlights of her college experience. Also at Columbia, Emma Etherington '14 attributed her confidence and success in college courses to her high school experience. Within her chosen field of Computer Science, where women only make up 20% of the major, she reflected, "I'm never afraid to raise my hand because of the confidence that Chapin instills in you."
As the girls come from such a tight-knit community at Chapin, alumnae reflected, too, on the importance of building close ties in new places. Many stated that since students are more independent in college, they are newly accountable for following up with professors outside of class and staying on top of their coursework, as well as for reaching out to peers. "Get used to being flexible," said Maya Foster '15. "Express your emotions and express your feelings. Everyone is going through the same changes."
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