Around 1,000 students from around the world greeted their hosts on the Main Green at the start of A Day on College Hill Tuesday afternoon. From Tuesday to Thursday, prospective students admitted in the regular decision application pool have flocked to campus to learn first-hand what it’s like to be a Bear.
Student coordinators Sophie Book ’18 and Dominique Kercy ’19, President Christina Paxson P’19 and Dean of Admission Logan Powell welcomed the high school students at a reception Tuesday night.
“Luck was not in the room tonight — you earned your way here,” Powell said. “We welcome you here because of how extraordinary you are.”
Paxson began her speech by stating that this year’s applicant pool was the largest in Brown’s history, with 32,700 applications, as The Herald previously reported.
“I hope that you have already fallen in love with Brown” and decide to attend, Paxson said.
Academically, Paxson highlighted the open curriculum, undergraduate research and the CareerLAB service BrownConnect. “The open curriculum gives enormous freedom and responsibility to students to be the architects of their education,” Paxson said. In terms of social life, Paxson commended the University’s inclusive and passionate student body.“It’s a place where you are encouraged to be your creative selves every step until Commencement,” she added.
This year’s ADOCH program is the largest in history. “We planned for 1,000 pre-frosh — I believe we had 855 registered and a few more just walk in,” Book said.
Book and Kercy coordinated with a planning committee of over 35 undergraduates and worked alongside Jardelle Johnson ’19, who coordinated housing. ADOCH was planned in conjunction with the admission office, Book said.
With a schedule packed from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., prospective students can choose to sit in on a class, attend special lectures and watch talent shows, among various other events.
The biggest change in schedule this year was changing the “ADOCH Mixer Extravaganza” to APOCH — A Party on College Hill, Book said. The dance will be the only event at that time and the last event of the night to spark higher attendance rates. “We’re expecting more attendance, and we changed the venue to Alumnae Hall, so it’s more of a high school dance instead of a middle school dance,” Book said.
“Gigs on the Green” — a concert put on by students on the Main Green — is among the other new changes to the ADOCH schedule.
“One of the greatest factors in students’ decisions about where to go to college is whether or not they’ve been able to visit that campus,” Powell said.
Yield of matriculation of those who attend ADOCH is typically 10 percent higher than Brown’s overall matriculation because of the first-hand interaction with the community, Book said. “You get to interact with all these different interesting people and see what they’re doing, and you get to see how the open curriculum really affects not just academic life but social life in every aspect of Brown,” Book said.
ADOCH’s current budget is is a “ballpark of $100,000,” Powell said. A request was approved by Provost Richard Locke during fiscal year 2017 for the budget to be doubled for next year’s program.
Some of the additional money will go to transportation costs so those attending are able to afford travel. This year 168 attendees traveled to campus using a grant from the University, Powell said.
“We have so much to offer,” Book said. ADOCH condenses “everything we love about Brown and (puts) that entire experience into three days,” she added.
“We have all these kids who are really really smart and they got into a bunch of different schools and they’re trying to decide where they want to spend the next four years of their lives,” Book said. “We’re trying to convince them Brown is the place to do that. We are showing them everything Brown has to offer.”
—With additional reporting by Priyanka Podugu
