“Playing with these girls in high school is a lot different than playing with them in college.” Rachlin said. “At Noble, there’s a lot less sense of team. The team here is a lot more engaged.”

One of the most daunting aspects of being a freshman in college is deciding on a class schedule, especially when there are hundreds of options and dozens of requirements.

For many, this becomes a long and tedious process of sifting through class websites and the Q guide, attempting to design a schedule that is balanced, challenging, and practical.

In situations like these, knowing upperclassmen can be extremely beneficial, and many athletes take full advantage of their relationship with the older players. Rachlin, White, and Laing, however, also have the benefit of teammates who are familiar with their academic backgrounds.

“They know the high school environment that we came out of, so they know what the biggest problems are and how to transition,” Rachlin added. “They know what we’re going through.”

“We definitely help them out,” Parker said. “Just like other freshmen, we help them pick classes [and] adjust to the busy schedules.”

Although the freshmen are getting the advice and help, the relationships are beneficial for upperclassmen, as well. According to Parker, there are numerous benefits for upperclassmen in having their high school teammates join them on their collegiate squad, such as familiarity with backgrounds and childhood friendships.

“I love having them there,” Parker said. “We had so much fun together in high school at Noble, so it just brings that back here in college….It’s definitely a really good experience. It’s fun.”

Rachlin agreed.

“I’m loving it,” she said. “The team’s awesome.”

—Staff writer Patrick Xu can be reached at patrickxu@college.harvard.edu.