Congratulations! And welcome to Barnard.

About six years ago, when acceptance letters still came by mail and Facebook was a world almost exclusively inhabited by college students, I drove ten miles an hour behind the mailman as he made his way through my suburban Chicago neighborhood. In that large USPS envelope that he handed me with an understanding look of confusion on his face was the answer I had been agonizing over for a year; I had been admitted to Barnard, and it truly felt as if with that offer, the life I had dreamed of for myself was finally beginning.   

You have all been chosen from the largest and most talented pool of applicants Barnard has ever seen. As our staff listened to your teachers rave, marveled at the incredible organizations you founded and led, read about the amazing instances where you stepped up and majored in unafraid, we felt awestruck, inspired, and so excited to meet you. You have all done incredible things in the communities you live in, and we cannot wait to see the impact you will surely have on Barnard’s campus.

So now you’ve done it. You have been admitted. What you thought would be the hardest part is over. Barnard wants you. Hopefully you have taken time to celebrate with your friends and family, have taken what may feel like the first deep breath in over a year, and have given yourself a great big pat on the back. Now the power is in your hands and you simply have to decide if Barnard is the place for you.

The prospect of figuring out where to spend your next four years is daunting, but we are hoping we can help. If you have the opportunity to come for one of our Admitted Student Open House events in April, I really encourage you to go online and register. Open House is an opportunity to visit campus free from college admissions fears you may have had during your college tours, and a chance to focus on what really matters. In two jam-packed days you will meet the other amazing young women who will be your future classmates, you will listen to current students, faculty members, alumnae, and support staff speak about this special place, you will tour campus and our neighborhood to see what it would really be like to live and go to school in New York City, you will spend the night with a current student in our dorms, and you will sit in on a class of your choice.

And, perhaps most importantly, you will have the opportunity to ask questions. Lots and lots of questions. Questions that will be hugely helpful in making this decision. The entire Office of Admissions staff will be on hand to share information with you and hopefully guide you through this overwhelming process. You will leave Open House exhausted and armed with more information than you’d ever need to know about Barnard. Hopefully, you’ll leave knowing that Barnard is the place for you.

We know that coming to campus for Open House isn’t necessarily going to be possible for all of you, but rest assured that there are ways to learn about Barnard that don’t involve an airplane or train. If you won’t be able to visit us for our events we are still available to answer your questions via email. This blog will be a place where you can read about various topics you might want to learn more about. You are welcome to email barnardstudent@gmail.com with questions, and current Barnard students will get back to you. Join the Barnard College Class of 2018 Facebook page to meet your future friends and classmates. 

While on this journey do not be afraid to ask the tough questions. We want you to spend the month of April really thinking about the big picture. Close your eyes and try to imagine where you see yourself this September. Do you see yourself wandering into Riverside Park with a book and a cup of Joe’s coffee? Do you see yourself meeting in Hungarian Pastry Shop with your English professor to discuss your first literary analysis assignment? Do you see yourself surrounded by brilliant driven young women in the center of one of the most exciting cities in the world?

I started this post by saying that being admitted to Barnard made me feel like my life was finally beginning. While this certainly sounds dramatic, it ended up being rather true. College is an opportunity to do things you never thought you would do and become the person you always thought you would be. Who do you want to be for the next four years? Who do you want to have become in forty?

We hope you’ll let us help you get there.

With warmest congratulations,

Alexandra