A Day on College Hill had record-high attendance among students admitted through the regular decision process, with 823 of 2,649 students accepted to the class of 2017 flocking to campus from Sunday to Tuesday. This year also marked the first time the Third World Welcome was incorporated into the ADOCH program.
In previous years, TWW was held as an overnight event that invited admitted students of color to come to Brown one day before ADOCH began. All the events that used to be held during TWW were held during ADOCH and open to all students, said ADOCH co-coordinator Jamie Marsicano ’15.
The Admission Office also extended ADOCH to three days and two nights this year to give prospective students more time to experience campus life, student organizers said.
“This year there was so much more time for the students to see everything,” said ADOCH co-coordinator Kate Brennan ’14. “A lot of them said they appreciated being able to go to two nights of different activities.”
The events that used be part of TWW, which are now incorporated into ADOCH, featured more discussion and Minority Peer Counselor workshops this year, said Shane Lloyd, assistant director for first- and second-year programs at the Third World Center.
Attendees checked in Sunday afternoon and were registered by student volunteers and Admission Office employees. President Christina Paxson and Dean of Admission James Miller ’73 welcomed the accepted students with speeches on the Main Green Sunday night.
Haley Schwartz, an accepted student from Novato, Calif., said she appreciated Paxson’s speech. “She talked about what your heart is telling you in terms of making college decisions,” Schwartz said. “That was more heartfelt and genuine than some of the speeches at the other colleges’ accepted students days that I’ve been to.”
Preparations for ADOCH began last fall, and 33 students were on the planning committee, Marsicano said. An integral part of the planning process this year was the inclusion of student “unit reps,” non-committee members who helped recruit hosts for ADOCH attendees in their dorms, Marsicano said. These representatives helped streamline host recruitment and organized icebreakers for admitted students staying in their dorms, Brennan added.
Brennan said accepted students benefited from the extra day by being able to sit in on more classes. Departments organized lectures specifically for ADOCH visitors, including sessions held by the chemistry, history and neuroscience departments. Admitted students received a handout listing other regularly scheduled classes they could visit.
Christopher Balthazard, an admitted student from Needham, Mass., said he attended a computer science class and was impressed by the “caliber of the material.” Balthazard initially applied after attending a computer science day for prospective students in the fall.
Some attendees highlighted ADOCH’s numerous artistic and cultural events as a highlight of their few days on campus. Talent shows were held Monday night in Salomon Center and Sayles Hall, featuring performances from student dance troupes, spoken word artists and comedy groups. Over 10 a cappella groups held late-night arch sings Sunday, and each group serenaded prospective students with about three tunes.
“The Jabberwocks were awesome,” said Dan Wang, an admitted student from Newton, Mass. “They did a Kanye mash-up and got the crowd pumped.”
Organizers also held an activities fair Monday in Meehan Auditorium, where student group representatives answered prospective students’ questions and were on the lookout for new members.
“I’ve been at ADOCH for an hour and a half and have already signed up for like 40 clubs,” said Luke Camry, a student from New York City who said he has already committed to attending Brown.
Though students accepted early decision were previously allowed to attend ADOCH, the admission office decided five years ago to limit attendance to students admitted through the regular decision process, Miller said.
“Our facilities were overwhelmed, and it was a simple matter of us not having enough resources to accommodate the number of accepted students,” Miller said, adding that he does not foresee the admission office allowing early decision students to attend ADOCH again in the near future.
The date of this year’s ADOCH overlapped with Yale’s admitted students event, but Miller said scheduling conflicts with other schools are not uncommon. It is difficult to decide on a weekend in April for ADOCH that falls before the May 1 commitment deadline and does not coincide with Spring Weekend or religious holidays, Miller said. The admission office rarely considers peer institutions’ own recruitment events for admitted students days when scheduling ADOCH, Miller added.
Many attendees said ADOCH helped inform their college choice and made them more likely to walk through the Van Wickle Gates this fall.
ADOCH “made me realize that I really want to be here,” said Kelly Luc, an accepted student from Rosemead, Calif. “It does feel perfect.”
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