For current Harvard students, Veritas means truth. For the visiting “pre-frosh,” Visitas, on the other hand, might take on a few different meanings. Whether or not visiting students have been committed to Harvard since December and have been eagerly awaiting their turn on campus, or if they are deciding between Stanford or Yale for the next four years, hundreds of Harvard admits flocked to campus this weekend to see what life as a Harvard College student is like.
Visitas is a weekend where admitted students stay with current Harvard students and attend a series of Harvard events, such as an extracurricular fair, academic classes, and “Visitas Thinks Big,” to learn about the school before they commit to officially enroll. Although I never got to experience Visitas, as it was the height of the pandemic in spring 2020, I had the unique opportunity of hosting my sister, Patricia von Oiste, an incoming first-year to the Class of 2027.
Upon checking in for the weekend, the prospective Harvard students were granted red-lanyards with temporary swipe access, making them easily identifiable around campus. When an incoming first-year steps on campus for Visitas, they immediately assume the title of “pre-frosh” around Harvard’s campus. This title, a seemingly old Harvard tradition, invokes a mixed response in Harvard’s incoming first-years. “At first I thought the term pre-frosh was slightly condescending,” Patricia said. “I wasn’t used to it. But now, I kind of like it. I am very happy to be a pre-frosh after this weekend.”
Laetitia Cartiellieri, another incoming first-year from Connecticut, echoed these feelings. “It hurt my feelings a tad at first, but I’ve embraced it now. It seems like everyone loves the pre-frosh.”
For many, the defining feature of the Visitas experience is checking in and being assigned to a host room. In the weeks leading up to Visitas, current Harvard students are given the option to sign-up to host prospective students in their dorm, either getting randomly assigned to someone or requesting to host specific people. This is what my sister and I did, allowing me to officially refer to her as a pre-frosh the moment she stepped off the train from our home in New York. “I am extremely lucky,” she said. “I felt very comfortable and at home in Quincy House,” she told me. On the other hand, Michael Shaari, an incoming first-year from New Jersey, was randomly assigned to a room of current students. “I stayed with a first-year in the Yard, which was fun since my host was studying something similar to what I want to study, and I got to meet several current freshmen and prospective students. It was a nice way to get a sneak peak into what our freshman year is going to be like.”
Although spending a night in a dorm might offer a taste of dorm life at Harvard, access to lectures and Annenberg Hall truly encapsulate the quintessential Harvard Undergraduate experience. Though my meals in Annenberg were limited due to COVID-19, my hope was to live vicariously through my sister. The two incoming first-years made sure to eat breakfast in Annenberg. The grand Harry Potter-like room, lined with yard flags and stained glass, will become a routine part for those who choose to enroll in the Class of 2027. “I have never seen a more spectacular room,” my sister said, admiring Annenberg. “I am most excited to sit in Annenberg next year and to try and meet as many people as I can. It is such a large space, but I don’t feel intimidated by it. It seems very warm and welcoming.” Laeticia especially loved the Veritaffles, a Harvard classic: “I loved having my first veritaffle. It will be a daily staple for me next year.”
Additionally, many prospective students attended lectures and classes. I brought Patricia with me to Professor Raj Chetty’s Econ 50: Using Big Data to Solve Economic and Social Problems. She seemed to be captivated by the grandeur of Sanders Theater and the complex and dynamic operation to host a lecture for more than 200 people. Shaari, on the other hand, attended Computer Science 32, Applied Mathematics, and SCRB50—Building a Human Body: From Gene to Cell to Organism. “Visiting classes on Monday was particularly useful for meeting people because you interacted with pre-frosh students who had similar academic interests. I found them all to be incredibly fascinating and the professors to be very knowledgeable and engaging,” Shaari said.
Seemingly, though, the most captivating part of Visitas was the people who attended it. Throughout the weekend, I saw students wearing red lanyards, grinning ear-to-ear, talking to one another, and envisioning their life on campus for the next four years. “While I thought the events were very informative and valuable, my favorite part of Visitas was the free time to meet people. I had a lot of fun just moving around the campus with friends who I met and running into new people; everybody—both current and prospective students— were very nice and sociable,” said Shaari. Patricia agreed; “I am most looking forward to the fall when I am able to meet more students who were unable to make it here and to meet my roommate. I loved meeting new people this weekend and it made me realize how many new people I will get to meet next year.”
While I do regret not having experienced Visitas, I am happy to have watched my sister and her new classmates take part in such a monumental weekend. I, too, am counting down the days until she steps foot on campus.
Grace von Oiste ’24 (gvonoiste@college.harvard.edu) cannot wait to have her sister here.