Admitted students to the class of 2023 explored campus this weekend for the first 2019 session of A Day on College Hill.
Additional students will visit campus for another overnight installment of ADOCH April 14-15, and for the first time ever, accepted students will have the option to register for a day-only ADOCH program on April 24, said Dean of Admission Logan Powell.
This weekend, 537 admitted students visited College Hill for ADOCH. The University will welcome 562 admitted students next weekend, and 103 admitted students registered for the day-only version of ADOCH, Powell said. The total number of students registered for this year’s ADOCH events is consistent with the number of students who attended ADOCH last year, he added.
While students admitted through Early Decision were invited to ADOCH for the second time in recent years, only those students admitted through regular decision were offered overnight housing in residential halls, which is consistent with recent University policy, Powell said. “In terms of capacity, we want to make sure that we allocate our resources effectively and appropriately,” he added.
ADOCH was “completely redesigned” last year, said student coordinator Sarah Ashe ’21, when the program was expanded from one longer session in the middle of the week to two shorter overnight sessions running from Sunday to Monday afternoon. But “this year was really about not making major changes, but perfecting and honing in on smaller things that needed to be done,” Ashe said.
For the two overnight ADOCH sessions, the Sunday programming is dedicated to activities and extracurriculars, while Monday programs largely focus on academics and class visits, Ashe said. The one-day session on April 24 will condense much of the programming offered in the overnight sessions into a single day, in order to “give people who didn’t have the chance to make either of the (other days) the ability to revisit Brown, to go to a class or two,” she said. Given the shorter time frame and the lower registration numbers for the third ADOCH session, the program will be overall less comprehensive than the two preceding sessions, she added.
This past Sunday’s events consisted of tours, games, an activities fair and a food truck festival. Abhinav Sriram of Chennai, India said that he enjoyed many of the ADOCH events, but identified the Scavenger Hunt as his favorite because it allowed him explore campus and take pictures for prizes such as fruit snacks and banners.
Prospective students praised Brown for its unique environment and culture. Karly Eberly from Long Island, New York said she knew as soon as she arrived on campus that Brown was the right place for her. Eberly said she especially appreciates the people at the University, and she pointed to a group of students practicing karate on the Main Green to emphasize the “crunchy and not competitive” environment at Brown.
Some students said they chose Brown well before ADOCH. “I toured November of my junior year” of high school, said Paige Lind from Roslyn, New York. “From then on, I knew it was my first choice.”
Powell, the student coordinators of ADOCH and President Christina Paxson P’19 welcomed prospective students at a reception in the Salomon Center Sunday.
Powell expressed the joy the admission and financial aid offices shared in reading through applications and getting to know the potential class of 2023. “Now is the culmination of all of that work that we did leading up to this day,” he said. “It’s now about you, and you get this daunting task of deciding whether or not you’re going to be coming to Brown.”
Paxson underscored in her speech the student-centered, intellectually stimulating environment at Brown. “You can expect to be challenged by new ideas in a setting that champions vigorous, open and informed debate but is part of a very respectful and welcoming community that stands for inclusion, that stands for open space for all points of view,” she said.
Pointing to student startups and the University’s commitment to make students’ internships financially feasible, Paxson highlighted strong support for students at Brown. “This is my promise to you,” Paxson said, addressing the crowd of admitted students. “If you come to Brown, we will do everything we can to support you, to challenge you, to provide you with the transformational opportunities that you need to live impactful lives with meaning and purpose.”
