About 780 prospective students accepted to the class of 2016 arrived on campus Monday night to spend some time getting to know the University in the annual event A Day on College Hill.
High school seniors - hailing from as far as Australia and South Korea - had the chance to mingle with prospective classmates, interact with current students and briefly experience college life as part of the ADOCH program.
Several Ivy League universities were forced to schedule their admitted student events on the same day due to the timing of Passover and Easter, said Bora Lee '13, ADOCH co-coordinator. Though Yale, Harvard and Penn each held similar events Monday, enrollment numbers for ADOCH did not suffer - approximately 120 more students registered this year than last year.
"I went to ADOCH as a prefrosh, and it definitely impacted my decision to go to Brown," Lee said. Lee and Co-Coordinator Rebekah Stein '14 wanted to make the experience memorable for potential members of the class of 2016, she said.
After arriving on campus, prospective students were treated to a barbeque dinner on Pembroke Campus Monday night, giving them a chance to meet current students and get to know their potential classmates. Later in the evening, they were led to the Main Green, where Dean of Admission Jim Miller '73, Provost Mark Schlissel P'15, Lee and Stein welcomed the students to campus.
"We're delighted you're here," Miller said. "We've read about you, we've written about you, we've argued about you," he said, congratulating the students for standing out among 29,000 applicants for the class of 2016.
Miller advised prospective students to stand on the Main Green for a visceral experience of Brown and to trust their hearts and stomachs - not their brains - when making their ultimate college decision.
"We fully expect the class of 2016 to be the single best class in the history of Brown," Miller said, eliciting cheers from the audience.
Schlissel echoed those sentiments, urging prospective students to rely on their gut reactions to the campus and community when considering Brown.
He championed the campus atmosphere as distinctive to Brown. "I can honestly say I've never seen a place where the students are happier," he said.
Schlissel also cited the University's student body, faculty, location and open curriculum as reasons for attending. "You'll learn how to learn," he said, emphasizing that students at Brown are given both the freedom and the responsibility to craft their educational experience.
Prospective students reiterated these factors as incentives for choosing Brown. Jasmine Perez from New York City said she was attracted to the open curriculum and the vibrancy of the student body. "Everybody is really passionate about what they do," she said. Though she still plans to visit Penn, Perez said she is confident she will choose Brown, where she knows she will "have time to enjoy college."
Hailing from Los Angeles, Calif., Giancarlo Hidalgo said he is excited about attending college on the East Coast. "It's nice to be somewhere you can experience all four seasons," he said. Hidalgo said he decided on Brown mere seconds after the Main Green welcome. "I had a mini-heart attack," he said of the experience.
Max Weinreich attends the Bronx High School of Science in New York City and is deciding between Brown, Yale and Stanford. "Everything has been really well presented," he said of the ADOCH experience. "Especially the opening remarks." Weinreich passed up the first day of Bulldog Days - Yale's admitted students event - to spend Monday night getting a feel for Brown.
Emily Corsini did not travel far for ADOCH - she lives in North Providence, about a 15-minute drive away, she said. Corsini has visited campus a number of times already with her mother, who is a Brown alum. Corsini said she is debating between Brown and Boston University, where she is interested in the undergraduate program in film and television.
"I absolutely fell in love with Brown," said Frankie Troncoso, who travelled from South Brunswick, N.J. for ADOCH - his first time visiting Brown. Though he was also considering Cornell and George Washington University, Troncoso said ADOCH has convinced him to enroll at Brown in the fall to study political science and theater.
After the Main Green welcome, prospective students were given the chance to attend a talent show, a dessert social and various arch sings featuring a cappella groups Monday evening, before choosing from several events including a Salsa Club workshop or comedy show later that night.
Prospective students attended classes and special seminars Tuesday aimed at introducing the high school seniors to the Brown experience.
Lee and Stein said the ADOCH committee made some adjustments to this year's program to more actively engage prospective students.
"We've added some things to spice up the Main Green welcome," Lee said, adding that ADOCH mailboxes were set up across campus, where students could pick up a camera and take photos with Brown landmarks.
The committee also made changes to the Late Night Dessert Social, where prospective students mingled, sampled ice cream and cupcakes and previewed Brown student groups that were stationed throughout Faunce. "We tried to target student groups that wouldn't - in the past - have been as well represented," Lee said. Brown Juggling, BOLT and Brown Conversation were featured in an effort to showcase student groups that "don't necessarily perform things," Lee said.
Lee said ADOCH aims to introduce prospective students to the student body. "Brown students are just so great. That's one thing we excel in," she said.
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