The “Jans.” The students who arrive in January, greeted by bursts of snow. This semester off-campus allows them to explore themselves and the world around them; most decide to attend a program abroad through Arcadia University, where they balance an adjusted course load with exploring the world. In light of the pandemic, however, fewer Jans chose to travel to London, staying in the U.S. to take advantage of other cool opportunities.
One January admit, Thomas Kuhn ’24, explained how his summer internship on a local political campaign morphed into a semester-long experience. He spoke about how he “signed up for the Arcadia program but due to COVID…did not feel it was worth the cost.” This gave him the opportunity to work on the campaign of Sara Gideon, Democratic member of the Main House of Representatives, while he “…took classes at a local community college.” Kuhn was able to pursue a topic of interest while maintaining his educational drive. He also expressed excitement in meeting his peers on campus, the sentiment amongst most Jans.
Hannah Singer ’24, another Jan who was unable to be in London, said, “I am so excited to meet everybody…like I geek out when I think about it.” Although Singer is ecstatic to arrive on campus, she expressed appreciation for her fellow Jans. When talking about why she likes the January admissions program, she commented that since they have been “doing a non-traditional thing, it’s been really cool.” She is also excited to participate in “outdoorsy things, like hikes” and become accustomed to life on the Hill. During her first semester, she has “passed the national exam and became an EMT,” something that she is very passionate about. Additionally, she has taken this opportunity to teach a dance class. Although Singer had the opportunity to study in London, she decided to stay in the U.S. due to these opportunities. However, three of her Jan peers, Georgia Davis ’24, Jack Jee ’24, and Aidan Regan ’24 were able to travel to London this semester.
All of them absolutely adore their experience abroad. Davis explained that she is “really enjoying London,” as she has “never been abroad for this long.” This classic experience as a Jan has been important for her, as she “struggled for a long time about what to do before college.” She “had always wanted to take a gap year but didn’t want to have the full commitment of a year, so the Jan program was perfect.” Regan expressed a similar sentiment, sharing that the program is “a really good transition from high school into college. You get to explore, you get to break out of your comfort zone a little bit.” This allows him the “chance to think about what [he] want[s] out of [his] college experience.” He spoke about how this experience has been eye-opening as he tries to absorb all he can and “be a sponge” while “gaining a local perspective” to understand perspectives different from his own. Jee shared similar feelings, making an effort to take in the opportunities presented to him by this program and “trying to get the most out of London to embrace a new culture.” The experience of being in London, according to Jee, is “very interesting.” Although these Jans are enjoying their time overseas, they are thrilled to join the campus and live on the Hill. Davis put it this way: “I’ve known I was going to Hamilton for almost a year now and I get more excited to go with every day.” This was expressed by both Jee and Regan as well, Jee saying that he is ready to be “on campus and [meeting] new people” and Regan saying that he is looking forward to “…meeting everyone else from the class and expanding circles.” They all expressed adoration for their fellow Jans, but are ecstatic to join the campus community.
Whether they traveled to London or stayed in the U.S., the Jans have had a great semester. All of them have been grateful for the opportunities that they have been able to take advantage of. They are excited to join the community on the Hill and we could not be more eager to meet them.
