ELYSSA WOLF

What is the most valuable lesson that Groton has taught you?

I think that Groton has taught me how to prioritize. You learn to choose whether you want to spend the night watching movies, running around campus with your friends, or writing a paper. Sometimes you choose the work, sometimes you choose the people, but I think Groton teaches you how to make those decisions because we only have so much time here, so you have to think about what is more important to you in a certain moment.

If you could do everything again, what would you change?

I would get more sleep! Everyone talks about being sleep-deprived here, and it is very true. I think that I would go to sleep later when I was with friends, and earlier when finishing Spanish worksheets at two in the morning.

Favorite Memory?

I have a ton of favorite memories here, but one of the funniest memories I have is pulling a real, full all-nighter with my fifth form roommate, Hannah Simmons. It was the night before our AP Chemistry final projects were due in May, and because of research papers and other commitments we hadn’t started them, so we decided to stay up all night to finish them. I have no memory of working on chemistry, but I do remember eating chocolate chip cookies to stay awake, blasting music, filming weird videos, watching the sunrise at 5:13am, and doing everything but work.

Least favorite memory?

Obviously there have been hard times at Groton, but one of my lesser favorite moments was finding out that a lot of the boys in our form had been DC’ed and were either leaving or getting suspended. Everyone was really shaken, and most of us had spent almost three years with the same people, so hearing that news was really hard.

Advice to second and third formers?

Find what you love here, and stick with it. Find your groove here…. I joined the theater program here in third form, but really committed to it in fifth form, and I have adored every minute of it. Those sort of things make all the difference in your time here.

Has your time at Groton been what you expected it to be like?

Not at all! I thought I would be playing squash and coxing throughout my entire time here, for one, which obviously has not happened. Also, of course, while I was not expecting all the hard times and the “brinking,” and the Groton Grind, I was also not expecting all the amazing people.

What one thing about Groton are you happy to leave behind?

I will be happy to leave behind the stress culture here. Groton students have developed the habit of talking about, complaining about, and boasting about the amount of work they have, and just how little sleep they have gotten, or how many commitments they have. So I will be happy to leave behind that strange culture that we all partake in.

What are you going to miss most?

I am going to miss the people most. And feeling like I am at home everywhere on this campus, because you definitely can’t get that at college.

What do you think is the biggest difference between who you were before you came to Groton and who you are now?

I really don’t know. So much about me has changed, but I think that I am a much more self-aware person now, after four years of being here.

If you hadn’t come to Groton, where do you think you would be now?

I would probably be at a day school in San Francisco, having no idea what I wanted to do, not having done choir, or theater, or met any of my closest friends.

ZIZI KENDALL

What is the most valuable lesson that Groton has taught you?

That the vastness of people’s experiences and perspectives is far greater than I could have ever thought.

If you could do everything again, what would you change?

I would stress out less in third form.

Favorite Memory?

Looking up at the last line of my chapel talk, flipping the light off and walking down.

Advice to second and third formers?

Don’t stress about the social stuff, it works out, I promise.

Has your time at Groton been what you expected it to be like?

No, it’s been so much better in so many different ways. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with this place so much and to have had the most memorable of experiences and the most thoughtful of friends.

What one thing about Groton are you happy to leave behind?

Waking up at 7:30 and taking 6 classes.

What are you going to miss most?

Having everyone here together, it’s not the same once you leave, the campus changes and things move on. I’m going to miss feeling so comfortable and at ease.

What do you think is the biggest difference between who you were before you came to Groton and who you are now?

I’m much more confident and outgoing now.

Do you have any other general thoughts/reflections?

Cherish every little bit of it while you can because once the days start becoming numbered it really hits that all this ends sooner than you think.

PETER

What is the most valuable lesson that Groton has taught you?

I have learned that to blend into a different community/culture does not mean losing part of your own identity. Instead it means enriching your identity.

If you could do everything again, what would you change?

I would spread out my workload better so I could spent fewer late nights cramming for tests or writing papers.

Favorite Memory?

In my fourth form year, I spent lots of time in my common room with my friends Chris Rim, Nico and Chris Ye debating about a wide range of topics, from politics to science. These intense discussions enriched my life and our friendships.

Least favorite memory?

I had a virus in my body for two weeks at the beginning of senior spring. That was very unpleasant.

Advice to second and third formers?

(1) Actually go to bed at lights out since you will not be able to get as much sleep in upper school. (2) Develop a studying method that works for you.

Has your time at Groton been what you expected it to be like?

Honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect when I first came to the U.S. for boarding school. But my time at Groton has surely been more dynamic, colorful, inspirational and emotional than I would have expected.

What one thing about Groton are you happy to leave behind?

Getting up before eight on four mornings every week.

What are you going to miss most?

I’m going to miss the sense of intimacy the most. Throughout the five years, I have developed strong intimacy with not only the people on the Circle but also with the physical surroundings and the highly structured school life.

What do you think is the biggest difference between who you were before you came to Groton and who you are now?

I now possess a more mature worldview, stronger passion for knowledge, a deeper appreciation of different viewpoints and a clearer understanding of who I am and what I want in life.

If you hadn’t come to Groton, where do you think you would be now?

I would be in college in China and would not have the chance to meet and learn from so many excellent peers and teachers who live in different parts of the world and possess very different perspectives.

Do you have any other general thoughts/reflections?

Although life at Groton is not without anxiety or disappointments, I’m extremely glad that I have endured and enjoyed the journey.