Discovery Days 2024

The Admission Office hosted Discovery Days for prospective students last Wednesday, Friday, and this past Monday on April 3, 5, and 8. During the events, newly admitted students were paired with Lawrentians to catch a glimpse of the campus in motion and gain insight into life as a Lawrentian.

“Discovery Days reveals so much more about the School than the website,” Zoe Gu ’27 stated. Gu, who could not attend the events when she was an incoming II Former, said that the events were very different from her expectations. “I thought that it would be a series of informational sessions similar to the webinars I attended during the admissions process,” she explained. After participating in the events, however, Gu was pleasantly surprised by the newfound intimacy between hosts and prospective students during this event. As a part of the Lawrenceville School Dance Collective, she performed before classes to welcome prospective families. After reflecting on her experience, Gu was glad to help represent the performing arts department at the School. In addition, “the animals that [the school] brought out from the Big Red Farm to the Tsai Commons also energized me,” Gu continued. She described it as “a refreshing sight” for students heading to Tsai after a rigorous school day. To improve the Discovery Days experience, Gu hopes to further integrate prospective students into the community. “Other than taking classes with us, they should also engage in outdoor activities like the Ropes Course,” she expanded, “the full Lawrenceville experience is hands-on.”

To Ethan Lee ’27, “it was an opportunity to meet people that [he] would spend [his] next few  years with.” As a host, Lee wanted to show prospective students his perspective of the School. “I wanted them to like Lawrenceville the way I do,” he elaborated. In addition to bringing the new students to his classes, he took them to the Bathhouse Café and built personal connections with prospective families. Lee also participated in the hype squad before classes at the Kirby Arts Center. “In the future, the attendees should be divided into groups to cheer for incoming students at different locations,” he suggested. Reflecting on his experience, Lee believes he has changed the daunting image of the School to new students. “I wanted to show them that Lawrenceville is filled with people that are willing to support them,” he remarked. 

Olivia Codjoe ’26, a three-time participant of the events, acknowledged the importance of Discovery Days to participants. “I remember attending Art class and English class as an incoming [II Former],” she noted, describing the event as “nerve wracking yet exciting.”For Codjoe, the event acted as a critical factor in choosing Lawrenceville over other private boarding schools. Last year, her position shifted from an attendee to a host. “I was grateful to be an ambassador for the School,” she commented, “but I didn’t know as much about the School back then.” This year, Codjoe felt that her experiences made her more at ease during the events. “I know it’s challenging to pair up students with hosts,” she acknowledged, but she hopes for more tailored pairings in the following years. “I wish I could have been more helpful, but my explanations to [visiting students’] questions were pretty general,” Codjoe explained. 

Prospective students from around the world got a chance to see the academic, athletic, and social opportunities of Lawrenceville, helping them imagine a new chapter of their lives.