As the wooden doors opened, newly admitted students streamed into Chapel through the middle aisles. Conversations came to an end, and it would have been awkward if not for the excitement running through the room.

To many, Revisit Days feel special. Maybe because everyone dresses up, maybe because students are all on their best behavior, maybe because our campus has more than one hundred new people—people who could be our future teammates, classmates, and friends.

Revisit Days offer admitted students a firsthand insight into life as a Bearcat, an opportunity for them to gain a better sense of their future teachers, coaches, and classmates, and to ultimately decide if this is a place where they can see themselves for the next four years.

This year, Revisit Days started off with a presentation in Walker Auditorium featuring performances by the dance team and cast members from the fall musical, Pippin, followed by speeches from Head of School Craig Bradley and All-School Presidents Serena Nam ’26 and Dwyer Illick ’26.

Prospective students were ushered out to the Chapel, where student hosts eagerly anticipated their arrival. One by one, hosts and visitors were paired up, sporting big grins and timid smiles respectively, as they walked down the aisles of the chapel in pairs.

Starting at 10:40 a.m., admitted students got the chance to experience a regular day of classes based on their hosts’ schedules.

Host-student matching, which is organized by the Office of Admission and Financial Aid, plays a huge role in everyone’s Revisit Day experience. The office pairs admitted students with hosts with whom they have common ground. This can be the same hometown, shared hobbies, or similar academic or co-curricular interests.

“Revisit Days are about the admitted students. So make them feel as special as possible,” said Mr. Souleman Toure ’19.

Mr. Souleman Toure ’19, assistant director of admissions and coordinator of multicultural commitment and outreach, said, “If a student is currently taking Spanish, we might not pair them with someone who is taking French here, just because that’s not going to necessarily be realistic to what theirexperience will be.”

Being able to create an immediate connection often makes a difference in a student’s decision, because it brings out the best in both the host and the prospective student. Mr. Toure said, “Because their host could be their future teammate, future classmate, future ensemble member, the host- matching is beneficial for prospective students. It’s a long process for us to get all the host-matching right. And it’s not always perfect. We try to do our best, and try to make sure that as many students as possible get the opportunity.”

This year, instead of the usual three Revisit Days, the school offered two—one on Monday, March 30 and a second on Friday, April 3. Normally, approximately 60 families attend each Revisit Day. This year, 98 families were on campus each day.

Mr. Toure said, “Revisit Days are not about you. They’re about the admitted students. So make them feel as special as possible. Make them feel the love, make them feel the support.”