Rain clouds met the approximately 650 students who converged on Brown's campus Tuesday to get a taste of University life during A Day On College Hill.
The high school seniors, who came from as far as New Zealand and as close as Providence, have the opportunity to sleep in first-year residence halls, eat at Brown dining establishments, sit in on classes and take part in events put on by ADOCH planners.
Though official events didn't begin until 4 p.m., some students and parents were already on campus early Tuesday morning, taking campus tours or sheltering themselves from the rain in the Blue Room or Thayer Street restaurants.
The rain didn't put a damper on any official ADOCH events, according to ADOCH co-coordinator Salsabil Ahmed '11, although a Tuesday evening barbecue was moved from the Main Green to Alumnae Hall to avoid the precipitation.
"The weather is simply something we don't have control over," Ahmed said Tuesday night. "The rain hasn't really affected our schedule so much. The only thing the rain affects is the prospective students."
ADOCH volunteers greeted admitted students as they registered in Faunce House in the afternoon and directed parents to Sayles Hall to be welcomed by Brown administrators. Some of the volunteers at registration and the barbecue were tasked with passing out ponchos to ADOCH attendees, Ahmed said.
In the evening, President Ruth Simmons welcomed the admitted students to campus under a large tent set up in the Main Green. Later, admitted students attended talent shows in Sayles and Salomon 101 featuring Brown performance groups.
In addition to a sampling of everyday life on Brown's campus, ADOCH offers special events and programs designed to introduce prospective students to University offerings.
Brown professors will offer special lectures targeted at ADOCH students today, for example. Admitted students can also sit in on student panels and attend a prospective student Activities Fair.
Dane Russell arrived with his parents Tuesday morning from Brooklyn, N.Y. An admitted Program in Liberal Medical Education student, Russell said the dual undergraduate and medical school program led him to choose Brown over Cornell, where he was also admitted.
For other students, Brown's well-known open curriculum was a draw.
"I like being able to control what I'm learning about," said Kimberly Wong-Shing, who said she is deciding between Brown and the University of Miami. The decision would come down to each school's financial aid offer, Wong-Shing said.
"Not having required courses certainly is a plus," said Jonah David, an admitted student from Newton, Mass., who is still deciding whether to attend. "You know everyone in your classes wants to be in those classes."
David said he hoped to talk to students and faculty about film courses at Brown and about enrolling in RISD courses.
Ariel Pick arrived yesterday from New York City. She had already chosen to attend Brown, she said, but wanted to meet her future classmates at ADOCH.
"The campus is gorgeous and every time I've been here I love it," she said. "There's a lot of people here deciding between schools — I'm not."
Aida Haile-Mariam, who flew in from Arlington, Texas, said she met other admitted students on a shuttle ride from T.F. Green airport and spent time Tuesday morning with them on Thayer Street. Her decision — between Brown, Cornell and Rice University — would come down to "how comfortable I am with the people I meet and the professors," she said.
Chris Botelho of East Providence, R.I., who said he attended an on-campus event for other admitted students from Rhode Island Monday night, said he came to ADOCH to get a sense of everyday life on campus.
"So far from what I've seen, it looks very nice," he said.
Paul and Deena David of Newton, Mass. — Jonah's parents — said they were impressed by their visit to Brown, but that they didn't want to influence their son's decision.
"We really want to keep it up to him to decide," said Paul David, "So we're keeping our preferences to ourselves."
