On a warm August evening in 2005, the sun was setting over Forest Park. The breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers, and the usual birdsong filled the air until it was interrupted by an unexpected sound — a hoot. Mark Glenshaw, a former faculty member of WashU’s Brown School and writer for Student Life during his time as a WashU student, who was taking an evening stroll, paused. He had no idea that moment would change his life forever.

High school seniors have only a week left before they must decide where they’re attending college next fall, so April, as usual, has seen our campus inundated with accepted applicants who are still debating between our institution and others.

Having a pre-frosh stay with you comes with not only a sense of bittersweet nostalgia but also the desire to impart all of the wisdom learned during your freshman year onto this metaphorical newborn who is standing in your shoes, one year back.