Accepted students and their families filled campus on Get Acquainted Day 2019 (Photo Mary Frasier/The Gettysburgian)
By Thea Toocheck, Staff Writer
Each spring, Gettysburg College hosts a Get Acquainted Day for accepted and newly enrolled students. Hundreds of prospective students and family members bustle around campus, enjoying the atmosphere of the college.
The future class of 2023 and their families had a busy schedule with activities ranging from an exposition for clubs and services in the morning to academic presentations and a reception for accepted students in the afternoon.
Each visiting student sports a nametag, some featuring a small orange sticker. This orange dot indicates that the wearer has already committed to attending the college next year. Six of these students were asked why they chose Gettysburg and what they are most excited for in the coming year. Here’s what they had to say:
Allie Acero from Oceanside, New York first became interested in Gettysburg through a friend who is a current student, but her attitude towards the college changed once she saw campus: “After I visited it for the first time I actually just fell in love with the place. It’s so pretty and everyone’s so friendly.”
A student from Baltimore, Maryland named Anderson Gray thought Gettysburg would be the perfect fit for her academic interests but also thought she would find a home in the community, “When I was looking for colleges, I wanted something that obviously needed music because I’m doing vocal performance, a community that was so welcoming, and the downtown area is perfect.”
Elizabeth Bishop, originally from Syracuse, New York, echoed Gray’s sentiments on the welcoming community at Gettysburg, “I decided to commit because of all the opportunities Gettysburg offers and the sense of community that we have when we’re here. I’m excited to meet new people from different places and hear different perspectives and get new experiences that I wouldn’t get in my state.”
Even students who live closer to Gettysburg, like Jake Wymard from York, PA, look forward to immersing themselves in the campus life and becoming a part of the community, “It is close to home, which is important to me, and I love the campus, and I thought the academics were perfect—it just fits me very well. I think the community here is exciting; everybody seems very close. I’m looking forward to meeting my new friends and sort of just getting on campus and enjoying the activities here.”
Rocco Rodrigues from East Hanover, New Jersey is excited to take advantage of the clubs and activities at Gettysburg “I went to the club fair today, and every single table I wanted to go back to, I felt that I wanted to be a part of everything I can the next four years.”
Students have already made connections with staff and are ready for the academics and sports, like Solomon Neuhaus from Plattsburg, New York: “I am playing basketball here next year, and Coach B.J. Dunne is the new coach this year, and he really helped swing me in the right direction towards Gettysburg. I’m just really excited to further my academic and athletic career here at Gettysburg.”
On Get Acquainted Day, accepted students ultimately found a sense of community and a plethora of experiences awaiting them at Gettysburg.
