Welcome Back Graduates Day

Written by Eileen Mayro, Outreach Editor

On December 22, 2009, Harriton held the first annual Welcome Back Graduates Day. Graduates from the class of 2009 came back to speak to current student about their experiences at colleges and universities across the United States. During multiple one-hour sessions throughout the day, the grads discussed many topics including the transition to their current schools and how they have adapted to their environments. Most graduates agreed that their experiences at Harriton prepared them well in continuing their education. They were generally in agreement that the main academic change was their class sizes. Most are now in classes larger than those at Harriton. However, they were pleased to learn of the recent addition of lecture-style classes to the curriculum (made possible by the new building), and believe this will help in preparing current students for their future endeavors. According to the speakers, the main social adjustment that they went through was living with their classmates. They described this situation as initially difficult to handle, but reported that as time went on, their ability to balance work and play improved. Overall, Welcome Back Graduates Day was a success. Senior Lindsey Adelman comments, “It was very informative. I found it interesting to hear about college from the prospective of a new student.” The benefits of Welcome Back Graduates Day were two-fold: Harriton grads enjoyed their visit to the new Harriton and current Harriton students got to learn about college life and what they have to look forward to in coming years.