This spring, Dartmouth saw fewer early and regular decision applications and lower yield. Early decision applications and regular decision applications decreased from last year by 12.5 and 3 percent, respectively, and the overall yield rate dropped by 1 percent to 48.5 percent.
None of these statistics, however, fell outside of the predicted range, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Maria Laskaris said in a previous interview.
Forecasting admissions outcomes is difficult, as there are many variables that fluctuate yearly. The relatively large drop in early decision applications could be attributed to students' unwillingness to commit to a school in the fall, especially when peer institutions have abandoned binding early decision programs. Harvard University and Princeton University introduced single-choice, early action programs in 2011. Boston College, Stanford University and Yale University also offer some form of a non-binding, early application program.
The yield rate fell by just 1 percent in total. A decrease of that size could be due to any of the "invisible factors" in the admissions process, said Lisa Sohmer, a guidance counselor at the Garden School in Jackson Heights, N.Y.
"The small drop in yield is not foretelling of some doom," she said. "I don't think that Dartmouth is considered less desirable, but when you're dealing with 17-year-olds, there are unpredictables.'"
Dartmouth students tend to list negative press and recent controversies namely the Rolling Stone article published last winter and the recent Real Talk Dartmouth protests as the causes of reduced interest, but those involved with the admissions process do not think the events have greatly discouraged prospective students.
"The reputation is so strong, and the students are so accomplished, that it would take more than an article by a disgruntled student to really have an impact on the school's desirability to its applicants," Sohmer said.
Every year the Admissions Office is contacted by high school students and their parents about topics related to student life, including hazing. This year, some of the emails and phone calls received made specific reference to recent events, but the overall number of concerns was not significantly different from those of previous years, admissions director Paul Sunde said.
The Admissions Office is continuing its outreach programs but has not tailored any of them to address particular disturbances or "angst" on campus, Sunde said. The office hopes to expand its national audience through paper and online mailings, increased web presence and participation in off-campus events. The office expects 12,000 to 15,000 prospective students to visit Hanover this summer, Sunde said.
For students who visit the College, a key part of their experience is the campus tour, led by undergraduate student guides. Tour guides usually field questions on Greek life from prospective students and their families. While recent events may not be entirely responsible for this year's lower admissions numbers, they have complicated tour guides' jobs.
Many students have asked tour guides specifically about the Rolling Stone article, and a small number of tours were protested by members of Real Talk in April, putting guides in a bind.
"It's tricky because you want to be honest, but you also want to do your job," tour guide Karampreet Kaur '15 said. "It's a balance you're honest but you don't say everything."
The Admissions Office provides tour guides with manuals about topics to discuss and what vocabulary to use with visitors. This spring, tour guides were advised to allow demonstrators to convey their message. Sunde said that prospective students and their families understand that these events happen at institutions with active student bodies and have occurred on other campuses without negative repercussions.
The office also changed the tour route to exclude Webster Avenue and include the Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center. The change reflects the administration's desire to include Greek life under the larger umbrella of student organizations, rather than considering it a separate entity, Kaur said.
