Semester of Preparatory Study at Barnard College
Poet involved
What happened
In the spring of 1913, Millay spent a preparatory semester at Barnard College, Columbia University, in New York City, before enrolling at Vassar College in the fall. The semester was arranged after Caroline B. Dow, impressed by Millay's recitation of 'Renascence,' offered to fund her college education. At Barnard, Millay took courses to strengthen her academic standing, though she reportedly failed the entrance exams in algebra and history but passed geometry.
Literary impact
The semester at Barnard exposed Millay to the intellectual and cultural life of New York City for the first time, broadening her horizons beyond rural Maine. This transitional period helped bridge her isolated upbringing and the more sophisticated literary circles she would soon enter at Vassar and later in Greenwich Village.
Source: Vassar Encyclopedia
