Brendan McManus ’12

e-Scholium talked to several of the students who graduated last year and asked them three questions:

What do you love about college?

What do you miss about Episcopal?

What was your favorite part of EA/Haverford/AIS Week?

 

Katie Fell ’11

I love the freedom that I have here. It is really nice to finally not have an overwhelming busy schedule.

I miss more than anything the people. I was at EA for fourteen years and the relationships I built in that time are like none other I’ve ever had.

My favorite part of EA/Haverford/AIS week was definitely the pep rally. It was probably one of the most exhilarating things I have ever done.

 

Brad Hahn ’11

I love that as long as you manage your time properly you have a lot of free time. And since EA is so rigorous I have superior time management skills and have time to hang out with friends, go to hockey and football games, and still do well in classes.

I miss my friends, and the small class sizes which make learning an interaction between the teacher and the students. Whereas in college, a lot of freshman classes are lectures.

Haverford/AIS week was always great because it gave all the students a break from school and united everybody for a common purpose. My favorite part though was always the soccer game for the guys and the field hockey game for the girls, which always culminated in the charging of the field.

 

Carly Cox ’11 

I love having more options of what types of classes I want to take and having the freedom of doing my work when I want to. It’s a lot of fun living with your friends and having the option to do whatever you want when you want. I live in a city so it’s fun exploring it with my friends.

I definitely miss chapel and my friends the most. College is so busy that you rarely have time to reflect and take 45 min out of the day to just focus on something other than your school work. I still talk to my friends from EA all the time but I miss hanging out with them in the lounges everyday!

My favorite part was watching the boys play on Saturday. It was one of my favorite days of the year in high school- everyone is so intense in cheering and it was just so much fun. I loved watching water polo especially, because it was in such a small space and was so crowded. It made the atmosphere so competitive and the fans always got so heated.

Charlie McGregor ’11

I would say that the thing I love most about college is how many more people you get to know. There is just a greater number of people, and you meet someone new and interesting every week. College is definitely more diverse in backgrounds and opinions, so you really do expand your horizons.

The thing that I miss most about Episcopal is the community. The flip side of having a lot of people in college is that you lose some of the personal connection that you would have with teachers and other students.

I miss the EA/Haverford Water Polo game the most. Having everyone in a small space, cheering for their school, creates an energy that just isn’t matched in the other sports contests.

 

Haley Habenicht ’11

I go to The College of Charleston and what I love most about college is the flexibility. You can make your schedule and choose your classes there is a lot more freedom and choice in college.

I miss the familiar faces of EA and the comfort I felt for the past 12 years. I miss the feeling of community but mostly the people.

My favorite part of EA/Hav weekend was dressing up in all blue and white EA gear and representing and cheering for EA. I was so proud every year to be cheering for EA it is such an exciting weekend. Some of my best memories are from EA/hav weekends!

 

Alberto Munarriz ’12 (Foreign Exchange Student from Spain)

I miss a lot everyone at EA, all the kids and all the people that helped me last year. I miss all the coaches and both of my host familia. I will really like to go back sometime and see everyone again.

My favorite part of the ea/haverford week was the games, but I really enjoy all the activities of the week, they where really fun. That week was one of my best weeks in the states.

 

Mark Herzog ’11

College has just been such a wild ride in terms of meeting new people and having the freedom to do what you want. I absolutely love it. There’s never a dull moment. That being said, you do have to budget your time well. You have to earn your freedom.

I miss the people, classmates and teachers alike. I feel like the class of 2011 has bonded so well over the years and I miss them. I’ve been told that college is really the first time in people’s lives that you stop being friends with someone not because you don’t like them, but because it’s hard to keep in contact. I’ve been trying to counteract that the best I can.

My favorite moments from EA / Haverford / AIS week were definitely the boys water polo games and the girls soccer games. Everyone gets so intense and the energy is infectious.

 

Anders Lindgren ’11

The most incredible thing about college is the people. Not only are they incredibly diverse, but they all feel happy and privileged to be here which makes for a great community.

I miss always knowing everybody in all of my classes. Even at a small school it’s hard to get to know everybody.

My favorite part of EA/Haverford/AIS week was obviously water polo’s 16-3 victory over Haverford which capped off our nearly perfect season.

 

Jimmy McEntee ’11

I absolutely love the school spirit at Notre Dame. I think the school spirit at EA is really great, but its just not comparable to ND. For instance, we had 5,000 kids show up for the first girls soccer game, and the environment was unreal. Also, as a huge sports fan, there is nothing like football gameday in South Bend. I highly encourage any football fan to make the homage to Notre Dame at least once in their life, for it is truly amazing and life changing experience. I’m hoping to work in the football recruiting office in the spring and contribute whatever I can to attract the top high school recruits in the country to ND.

I have to say I really miss the sense of community of EA and my water polo team in particular. I would be lying if I said I don’t think about the success we had daily, winning Easterns and the Inter-Ac undefeated, but more than that, the comradery formed on that team. I would do anything right now to play one more polo game for EA, and I honestly miss nothing more. I don’t think I realized how much I would miss the team and the games then when I was a student at EA, so I encourage those who are reading this to really enjoy every moment while competing. I also really miss my teachers, specifically advisor Mrs. Aldridge and form dean Mrs. McLauchlan, as well as my coaches, Kline, Hyson, Newman, Kelly, Kraig, and Kupp.

My favorite part of EA/Haverford/AIS week was definitely the water polo game. While I am obviously biased, I think the environment at Haverford’s pool was absolutely amazing, all because of the EA students. To see the pool deck filled with blue and white fans, and the fact that they had to open an additional section for the EA fans because there were so many, really inspired the team to our 16-3 victory. I never formally got a chance to thank the student body, but it really meant the world to me to see all of you fill the pool deck.

 

 

An update on the graduates of the Water Polo Team from Jimmy McEntee ’11:

As for the water polo teammates who moved on from EA last year, practically everyone of them is seeing success at a higher level. Charlie McGregor is on Claremont McKenna’s varsity team, Anders Lindgren is the starting goalie for Amherst’s club team, Ricky McEntee is a starter for Boston College’s club team, Jimmy is a member of Notre Dame’s club team who will play at nationals in Georgia Tech in November, and Alberto Munarriz once again competed in the Junior European Championship, helping Spain capture the bronze medal, while Brad Hahn has made the decision to not pursue his water polo career at Boston College.

 

All photos taken from Facebook with the permission of those whose pictures were posted.