Every September during Convocation week, President Barry Mills devotes three days to personally welcoming first-year students, ushering 10 to 20 of them at a time into his office to meet them one-on-one. At the same time, he oversees the Bowdoin tradition of having first-years sign the College’s matriculation books. On Monday and Tuesday this week, Mills met with 12 groups back-to-back, and then met nine groups of students on Wednesday.

Besides giving a brief history of the college, Mills also offers the first-years some advice, such as to study hard and to pursue their interests outside of class. “You’re official Bowdoin students. You’ve signed the book; you’re in, ” Mills told one group. “And so make the most of this place. It’s a great place. You are incredibly privileged to be here, but you deserve to be. So make the most of this place — don’t do it half way. Take full advantage of it, and you’ll have an amazing time.”